- LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
- Mike Conley quietly outplayed Steve Nash as the Griz zipped past the Suns.
The Lead: Your surging Memphis Grizzlies overcame porous first-half defense and a quagmire of fourth-quarter foul trouble to win their fourth straight game and seventh in their past eight, but got no help in their bid to move up in the Western Conference playoff race.
With Suns center Marcin Gortat carving up the Grizzlies early — he scored or set up his team’s first 14 points — then getting help from a bevy of cutters and drivers (especially Josh Childress, who hit all five first-half shots, all at the rim), the Suns scored 32 of their first 36 points in the paint on the way to a total of 42 first-half paint points (21-26 interior shooting), staying within six points (59-53) of a hot-shooting Griz team at the break.
The Grizzlies tightened up their defense in the second half, allowing only 14 paint points, but other problems emerged.
In the third quarter, the Grizzlies built, lost, and rebuilt a double-digit lead, going on an explosive 8-0 run out of a late-quarter timeout that was bracketed by a pretty left elbow bank shot from Rudy Gay and then a prettier right-to-left baseline reverse off a Marc Gasol feed.
But when it looked like the Grizzlies had finally seized control, a series of fouls and better bench play helped Phoenix get back in the game: A fifth foul on Gasol that kept him on the bench most of the final quarter, then the Grizzlies picked up five team fouls in a minute-and-a-half span early in the quarter. And while the Grizzlies were in the penalty early, the Suns were hitting shots, including a three-pointer from back-up point guard Sebastian Telfair to bring the Suns to within one and then a mid-range shot from Telfair to take a lead, 83-81.
But the Grizzlies got it back together and closed with a 17-6 run in the final six minutes that featured some terrific offensive execution, with five of seven baskets assisted and many possessions milking the shot-clock while also getting good shots, goals that are often in opposition.
But, in this scoreboard-watching portion of the season, while the Grizzlies were putting in work, they weren’t getting the help they needed. With Chris Paul hitting a game-winning lay-up in the final minute in Oklahoma City and Andrew Bynum snatching 30 rebounds in San Antonio, both Los Angeles teams pulled off road upsets, staying a half game and two games, respectively, above the Grizzlies in the standings.
