Tag: Memphis Grizzlies

Kings come up short in Memphis 91-90

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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Photo credit: Joe Murphy

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings and Grizzlies game on Friday night was decided in the final 1.9 seconds. With Memphis leading 91-90, Rudy Gay and Tayshaun Prince faced off in the top of the key on the Kings’ end of the court for a jump ball. Gay controlled the tip but the Kings could not take control of the ball and the game was over. Sacramento lost to Memphis 91-90.

After the final buzzer sounded, Kings Head Coach Michael Malone went to center court to express his displeasure with the officiating. Malone felt that his team was fouled several times in the final minutes without a whistle being blown. When you lose by one point, a free throw could have changed a loss into a huge victory on the road. Malone left the court obviously unhappy.

The game was a hard fought, physical affair that featured strong defensive performances and some less than spectacular sequences on offense. The largest lead of the night was seven points by the Kings in the fourth quarter. Neither team could take control and run away from their opponent.

The Kings were led by DeMarcus Cousins who of course posted another double-double. Cousins played 39 minutes, scored 22 points and pulled down 17 rebounds. Rudy Gay put up 19 points and handed out three assists in a return to Memphis to face his former team. Isaiah Thomas had an off night scoring just 14 and shooting just five for 14 from the field. Derrick Williams scored 10 points off the bench while Ben McLemore recorded 7 points in one of his more productive outings in some time.

The Grizzlies were led by Mike Conley who seemed to have a response every time the Kings appeared ready to break open the game. Conley scored 25 points and dished out six assists. Marc Gasol was back in the lineup and put up 17 points plus four blocked shots. Courtney Lee added 17 points for Memphis.

The Kings shot just 40.7% (33-81) but shot 45.5% (5-11) for 3 pointers. Memphis shot 46.2% (36-78) from the field and just 35.3% (6-17) from 3 point-land.

Sacramento out-rebounded the Grizzlies 43-37. The glaring stat is turnovers. The Kings turned the ball over 15 times to just 10 turnovers for Memphis. The game was simply too close to have 15 turnovers. One less turnover could have led to a Kings road win.

The good news for the Kings is that they played well enough to win, but that is only a moral victory and we all know what those victories are worth.

The Kings are now 1-2 on this six game road trip. Up next for Sacramento is the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in OKC. The Thunder beat the Warriors on Friday night 127-121. Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 54 points.

The Kings will have their work cut out for them versus the Thunder.

Memphis able to hold off Sacramento surge

Published on by smallforceLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press –

By Pearl Allison Lo

The Grizzlies were able to overcome a second half surge by the Kings Sunday in a 97-86 win.

Memphis’s Zach Randolph had all 9 of his 22 points after a three by Travis Outlaw with 7:18 left to go in the game, put Sacramento within three.

Randolph was the only player to get a double-double, as he also got pulled down 10 rebounds.

Outlaw led the team with 18 points and 6 rebounds from the bench, with all his scoring done in the second half.

The Kings’ John Salmon, Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Thornton and Travis Outlaw all hit double digit points.

The Grizzlies led for the majority of the first quarter but there were five ties. Memphis pulled away to 25-18 with an 11-4 run after the last one. 7 of those points came from Jerryd Bayless who entered the game with 2:51 left in the first.  Bayless also had a rebound.

The first 3 minutes and 42 seconds of the second quarter were filled with fouls and free throws. At one point, the Grizzlies’ Mike Miller committed a foul and then turnover and Kosta Koufos was called for a foul immediately after. Memphis extended their lead to 17 points during the quarter, converting on five straight possessions. Koufos and Marc Gasol each scored 4 points then and Mike Conley, who had 9 assists in the game, assisted on 3 straight possessions. Gasol had 9 points in the quarter. The Grizzlies ended the first half with a 13 point lead, 47-34.

Memphis extended their lead to 20 several times during the third quarter. The Grizzlies’ Tony Allen started out early with steals on consecutive possessions, leading to points by Tayshaun Prince and himself. After a timeout with 7:37 left to go, coach put in reserves Salmon, Thomas, Thornton, Outlaw and Chuck Hayes into the game, leading to a 24-13 run. Outlaw and Thomas started out with three-pointers on consecutive possessions and combined for 17 of the 19 points scored after. Thomas’s layup with 2:33 left to go put within single digits at the time and Outlaw had 9 points during the quarter.

Thomas made at least two nice passes to teammates up front for points in the fourth. With the shot clock winding down with 9:55 left to go, Thomas was fouled and got a new clock.  After Outlaw put the game within three, he missed two shots and committed a foul and Sacramento went scoreless for over 3 minutes. The Grizzlies shaved a minute off the clock when on one possession, they consistently missed and got the rebound three times until Hamady Ndiaye blocked the ball, Randolph got the rebound and Memphis missed again.

Game notes: Regarding shooting percentage, rebounds and assists, they went in favor of the Grizzlies in the ratios of 55.6% to 37.9%, 49-35 and 30-21. Gasol had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists. When Randolph scores at least 15, Memphis is now 5-1, as the Grizzlies beat Sacramento for the sixth straight time. The Kings next play Tuesday versus the Phoenix Suns at 7pm.

Bears squeeze past Oakland, 64-60 behind freshman Bird

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

Friday night at Haas Pavilion, Oakland was a lot closer to Berkeley than anyone in a blue-and-gold uniform could bear.

The Grizzlies from suburban Detroit are known for their challenging non-conference schedule and armed with prolific three-point shooter Travis Bader, they gave Cal all they could handle in the Bears’ come-from-behind 64-60 victory.

“There was no question that Oakland played harder than we did,” Cal coach Mike Montgomery said.  “We were late to loose balls, we weren’t attentive to details.”

Oakland led by as many as nine points in the first half, and the game was tied with 2:10 remaining as the Grizzlies’ zone defense, hustle and the shooting of Bader, who finished with 21 points, kept Cal on its heels.

Cal managed to keep pace in the second half as freshman Jabari Bird heated up, finishing with a career-best 24 points, including six made three pointers.  Bird’s three with 1:59 remaining broke a 56-all tie and gave the Bears the lead for good.

“Basically, I caught it and was open and had been hitting three’s all night, so if we were going to lose this game, I wanted to lose the game with that… but it went in and we won,” Bird said with all the carefree wisdom of an 18-year old.

Justin Cobbs contributed 13 points and five assists, and Richard Solomon had 11 points and 17 rebounds to aid Cal’s cause.   Bader had assistance from Kahlil Felder and Tommy McCune who had 13 and 11 points respectively for Oakland.

Oakland fell to 0-3 with earlier losses to No. 12 North Carolina and No. 24 UCLA.  The Grizzlies played without second-leading scorer Duke Mondy and forward Dante Williams, who were accused of sexual assault in Southern California earlier this week.  The pair were cleared in an initial police investigation but suspended by the university pending further fact finding.

Cal improved to 3-0 on the season with a matchup with Southern Utah up next at Haas on Monday night.   The Bears improved to 36-6 in non-conference matchups during Montgomery’s five plus years as coach.

The Bears shot just 33 percent in the opening half as Oakland’s zone made Cal’s cumbersome mix of veterans and freshman a bit tentative.  At halftime and then early in the second half, an animated Montgomery did all he could to wake his guys up.

“We had five minutes alone, just sitting there silent, and then he came in and talked to us like it was a regular game,” Bird said of Montgomery’s halftime prodding.  “And then right before we walked out he said get the energy up and play like we know we can.”