National Basketball Association
Memphis 130, Phoenix 112
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Officials:
#28 Kevin Scott, #64 Justin VanDuyne, #13 Monty McCutchen
Attendance:
15871
By The Sports Xchange
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- If the Memphis Grizzlies are to improve their playoff positioning during the final 21 games of the season, getting repeat performances like they received Tuesday night from their veterans will play a key role.
Mike Conley scored 29 points, Marc Gasol -- hitting all five of his 3-point attempts -- added 28 and Zach Randolph contributed 23 and eight rebounds to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 130-112 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Conley, Gasol and Randolph were 30-of-50 shooting in directing the team to its third double-digit win in as many games against the Suns. Memphis won each game by at least 18 points to sweep the season series.
The trio and another veteran, Tony Allen, scored 52 of the Grizzlies' 75 second-half points in leading Memphis to its highest point total in seven seasons.
"I thought, in the second half, the veterans were clicking on all cylinders," Allen said. "We also got some key defensive stops.
"But Mike got hot, Marc got hot and Z-Bo (Randolph) was pounding them the whole game. It was just Marc being Marc, Mike being Mike and Z-Bo being Z-Bo.
Phoenix, 0-3 since the All-Star break, was led by Eric Bledsoe, who finished with 20 points. TJ Warren added 17.
"The three were dominant all night," said Suns' guard Devin Booker. "Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Zach Randolph were unbelievable. They've been in this situation before. They controlled the pace of the game. We played well in the first half, but they wore us down throughout the game."
Memphis, sixth in the Western Conference standings, enjoyed another torrid shooting night against the Suns. The Grizzlies shot 57.7 percent in their two previous wins and nearly matched it Tuesday night, finishing at 55.8 percent.
Memphis' point total was 29 points above its average of 100.8, which ranked 27th in the league.
Conley and Gasol combined to make 8-of-11 3-pointers, but Gasol, along with Randolph, also did considerable damage in the paint, where the Grizzlies scored 62 points. The two big men also were effective defensively.
"We put together a little string of (defensive) stops that allowed us to get out and go a little bit," said Grizzlies coach David Fizdale. "I thought (Gasol's and Randolph's) physicality, especially against young players that haven't dealt with that kind of physicality in the post ... I thought that really impacted the game."
The Grizzlies led 93-85 entering the fourth quarter and quickly built a 15-point advantage by scoring the first seven points of the period: a layup from Brandan Wright, a 3-pointer from James Ennis and a dunk by Randolph.
Memphis eventually led by as many as 21 in the final quarter.
"I thought we settled down in the second half and found our identity defensively," Conley said. "Offensively, guys were unselfish. I thought we ran the ball up the court with a purpose. We played harder than we did in the first half. It was exciting to see the way the guys turned it around."
Behind Gasol's long-range accuracy, the Grizzlies built a 72-66 lead early in the third quarter. Gasol knocked down three 3-pointers in the opening five minutes, including a 25-footer on the team's opening possession for a 58-56 lead. Memphis never trailed the remainder of the game.
When Conley made the second of two free throws in the closing seconds of the quarter, Memphis led 93-83, its biggest margin to that point. The Grizzlies shot 60 percent in the second half to pull away. Their 75 second-half points were two shy of a franchise record.
"They came out and just pounded the paint in the second half and got easier shots," said Suns' coach Earl Watson.
In the first half, the Suns shot 56.1 percent and led 56-55. Phoenix scored 30 of its first-half points in the paint.
The Suns wound up hitting 51.8 percent of their field-goal attempts.
NOTES: Tempers flared for the second time in as many meetings between the Grizzlies and Suns. There were four ejections late in the fourth quarter of a Feb. 8 Grizzlies win at FedExForum. On Tuesday, Grizzlies reserve G/F Vince Carter was ejected after striking Suns G Devin Booker with an elbow that knocked Booker to the floor while Carter was driving to the rim. Carter drew a double-technical, and the Suns C Alex Len was whistled for a technical for confronting Carter after the play. ... Grizzlies C Marc Gasol had his 26th game with multiple 3-pointers. In his first eight seasons in the NBA, Gasol had only 12 3-pointers. ... The Suns ended a three-game, post All-Star break road trip and will play five straight at Talking Stick Resort Arena starting Thursday against Charlotte. ... The Grizzlies play host to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.
Top Game Performances
Phoenix |
|
Memphis |
Eric Bledsoe 20 |
Scoring |
Mike Conley 29 |
Eric Bledsoe 8 |
Assists |
Mike Conley 8 |
Marquese Chriss 6 |
Rebounds |
Zach Randolph 8 |
Eric Bledsoe 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Mike Conley 6 |
Eric Bledsoe 2 |
Steals |
Tony Allen 1 |
Eric Bledsoe 1 |
Blocks |
Toney Douglas 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Phoenix
|
112 |
51.8 |
7-21 |
19-24 |
22 |
32 |
5 |
6 |
13 |
Memphis
|
130 |
55.8 |
12-25 |
22-29 |
24 |
39 |
3 |
6 |
10 |
Upcoming Games
-
Memphis will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .514 after a win and .692 after a loss.
-
Phoenix will play their next game at home against Charlotte. The Suns have a W/L % of .158 after a win and .366 after a loss.