- LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
- Rookie Tony Wroten again made big plays for a suddenly energetic bench.
The Lead: You know about the “tale of two halves,” that most cherished post-game cliché around these parts. But tonight warranted a different 10th-grade English class reference: This was about Jekyll & Hyde offense.
Two days after putting 106 on the Lakers, the ecstatic first half tonight suggested that maybe the deplorable defense of Team Turmoil wasn’t the lone reason for the Grizzlies’ suddenly fluid offense.
A day after being “snubbed” for the All-Star team, Marc Gasol came out more aggressively than he’s been in weeks. It took him three-and-a-half minutes to match his field-goal attempt total from Monday’s game against the Pacers. It took fewer than five to match the seven shots he put up against the Lakers.
The ball was usually running through Gasol and All-Star post-mate Randolph and moving with more quickness and precision than Griz fans have seen since November, while the bench — lead by rookies Tony Wroten and Chris Johnson and a rejuvenated Jerryd Bayless — entered the game with big-play energy. The result was a season-best 67-point half, with 17 assists on 32 made field goals, including 32 and 12 on a combined 16-23 shooting from Gasol and Randolph.
Then, in the third quarter, it all changed. Though I doubt this was the stated game plan, it almost looked like the team decided it needed to get Rudy Gay — 4 points on 2-5 shooting in the first half — going. Suddenly the offense grew heavy with Gay isolation plays. He went 3-8 in the quarter. Gasol and Randolph combined for two field-goal attempts. And the Grizzlies scored only 18 points, four assists on eight made field-goals. Meanwhile, an emboldened Nets squad was able to slice a 30-point Grizzlies lead down to 18.
