National Basketball Association
Memphis 103, Phoenix 97
When: 10:00 PM ET, Monday, March 21, 2016
Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Officials:
#27 Mitchell Ervin, #10 Ron Garretson, #60 James Williams
Attendance:
15868
By The Sports Xchange
PHOENIX -- Jordan Farmar hasn't been with the Memphis Grizzlies for 24 hours, but he's already made a strong contribution to a team looking for a little help.
After becoming the fifth Memphis player signed to a 10-day contract in the past 11 days to bolster an injury-riddled team earlier in the day, Farmar played the entire four quarter and contributed nine of his 12 points as the Grizzlies wiped out an 11-point halftime deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns 103-97 on Monday.
"That was much more than I expected to play," said Farmar, who played overseas this season before landing with Memphis. "I thought I was going to play five minutes maybe and run some sets but I got an opportunity to do more and I loved it.
"Once I got out there in the second half, I got my legs under me and I tried to stay aggressive and said 'OK, go for it. Let's play!' I'm very grateful to be back in this position. I want to make the most of this as long as I'm here."
Lance Stephenson scored 12 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for Memphis (41-30), who outscored the Suns 64-47 in the second and held them scoreless for the final 2:12 of the game to avoid a third loss to Phoenix in less than a month.
Zach Randolph added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who snapped a four-game road losing streak and won back-to back games for the first time since Feb. 29-March 2. Randolph said he knew what the team was getting in Farmar, who played in three straight NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2009-11.
"Jordan is a champion. That's what we expect out of him," Randolph said.
Devin Booker scored 18 points and P.J. Tucker had 15 for the Suns, who have won only seven games since Christmas but were trying to beat the playoff-bound Grizzlies for the third time since Feb. 27.
The Suns (19-51) played the second half without center Tyson Chandler, who left the game with back spasms.
"Losing Tyson really hurt us," Suns interim coach Earl Watson said. "Every time we play Memphis we control the paint, and in the second half they had 28 points in the paint. Playing two 7-footers (Chandler and Alex Len), the plan was to jam Randolph as he catches the ball to attack the basket. (Without Chandler) we couldn't control the paint."
Phoenix led by 50-39 at halftime and led much of the second half, taking its last lead at 97-95 on a Brandon Knight jumper with 2:12 left. However, the Suns didn't score again. Tony Allen took Booker out of the game down the stretch and Phoenix missed its final seven shots.
Randolph tied the game on a 4-foot scoop shot with 1:17 to go, and Stephenson put Memphis ahead to stay with a put-back of a Farmar miss with 31.3 seconds left.
Randolph had a blocked shot and Tony Allen a steal to help clinch the game for Memphis (41-30).
"TA did a great job on the young fellow (Booker) tonight," Randolph said. "We made big plays at certain times and everybody contributed, and with this team we need everybody.
The Suns led 24-21 after one period before, with five reserves on the floor, putting together a 12-2 run early in the second quarter. Phoenix had five 3-pointers, including two by Ronnie Price and three straight from John Jenkins, Jon Leuer (13 points, 13 rebounds) and Chase Budinger to take their biggest lead of the half at 42-30.
The Phoenix bench contributed 23 points in the first half and of their 15 baskets, 10 players had at least one.
The Grizzlies bounced back with a 31-point third quarter. Ray McCallum had eight points in the period, including a 3-pointer during an early 10-0 Memphis run. The Suns' lead was cut to one point twice and was 73-70 after three quarters.
Stephenson produced seven of Memphis' first 10 points of the fourth, and his three-point play with 9:20 left gave the Grizzlies an 80-79 lead.
"In the first half, we were rushing but we took our time and made smart plays in the second half," Stephenson said. "We're a defensive team. When we're playing great defense, the offensive end comes easy for us."
NOTES: G Jordan Farmar played for Maccabi Tel Aviv and in Turkey earlier this season. ... Suns C Alex Len averaged 20.5 points and 16 rebounds in the previous two meetings with the Grizzlies. He had nine points and six boards Monday. ... Memphis F Zach Randolph's first career triple-double (28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday) came in his 974th NBA game. That set the NBA record for the most games played before getting a triple-double. Hall of Famer Karl Malone had held the record at 860 games. ... Suns F Mirza Teletovic is four 3-pointers shy of tying Danny Ainge's franchise record for the most 3-pointers by a bench player (150).
Top Game Performances
Memphis |
|
Phoenix |
Lance Stephenson 16 |
Scoring |
Devin Booker 18 |
Ray McCallum 7 |
Assists |
Brandon Knight 7 |
Zach Randolph 13 |
Rebounds |
Jon Leuer 13 |
Tony Allen 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Devin Booker 6 |
Tony Allen 2 |
Steals |
P.J Tucker 4 |
Matt Barnes 2 |
Blocks |
Alex Len 3 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Memphis
|
103 |
43.3 |
8-20 |
17-19 |
18 |
45 |
4 |
10 |
13 |
Phoenix
|
97 |
39.5 |
11-28 |
26-34 |
22 |
45 |
10 |
8 |
17 |
Upcoming Games
-
Phoenix will play their next game at home against L.A. Lakers. The Suns have a W/L % of .250 after a win and .280 after a loss.
-
Memphis will play their next game on the road against L.A. Lakers. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .525 after a win and .645 after a loss.