The Lead: The Grizzlies fought back from a double-digit deficit midway through the fourth quarter for a rousing, badly needed overtime win over one of the league’s best and deepest teams, ending a four-game losing streak and easing the memory of the previous night’s debacle against San Antonio.
On paper, the first half of this game probably resembled the first half against the Spurs: The Grizzlies struggled to score (37 points on 28% shooting) and went into the half down double digits. But down on the floor it felt very different. Unlike in the Spurs game, the effort never wavered. The Grizzlies fought hard throughout the first half but the execution wasn’t there — missed shots, bad turnovers, stuttering offensive sets.
The big question heading into the second half was how this energy/execution divide would resolve itself. Would the team be able to maintain their energy long enough to find better execution. Or would the poor execution eventually sap their energy.
Thankfully, for a team desperate for a win, it was the former, with the Grizzlies finally finding their groove in a 31-point fourth quarter in which they shot 69% with twice as many assists as turnovers.
This was a huge win for a team that was reeling and looking ahead to a tough three-game road trip in which all games are against probable playoff teams.
