National Basketball Association
Memphis 108, Orlando 102
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, January 25, 2016
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Officials:
#10 Ron Garretson, #16 David Guthrie, #72 J.T. Orr
Attendance:
15779
By The Sports Xchange
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The questions in the Memphis locker room Monday following a 108-102 overtime victory against the Orlando Magic centered on Grizzlies reserve Jeff Green's offense.
Green recorded a season-high 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including a game-tying basket that sent the game into overtime.
However, Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger didn't want another facet of Green's game to get overlooked. Green added eight rebounds, two steals and a block and was a factor in slowing a Magic team that shot 56 percent in the first half but only 37 percent in the second.
"I thought he did a good job chasing Evan Fournier and Victor Oladipo and some of those smaller guys that had been giving us trouble," Joerger said.
While Green's shooting ignited the offense, it was the Grizzlies' overall defense that allowed the home team to collect its ninth consecutive win over the Magic. Orlando hasn't won at FedExForum since Jan. 23, 2008.
In the overtime, the Magic missed nine of 10 shots.
"We gave it to them," said Orlando coach Scott Skiles, citing several late mistakes in regulation that led to overtime. "We missed a bunch of good looks (in overtime)."
Green rallied the Grizzlies from a 100-96 deficit in the closing seconds of regulation. His driving left-handed dunk -- when the Magic had a foul to give -- was followed by a one-handed floater in the lane with 1.3 seconds to go after a Memphis steal on an inbounds pass.
"There were a lot of little things that cost us the game," Magic forward Tobias Harris said. "We could've called a timeout on the inbounds play (and) I could have fouled Jeff Green because we had a foul to give. It's things like that that add up. ... It's something we have to learn from."
Forward Zach Randolph added 18 points and 13 rebounds, center Marc Gasol scored 17 and guard Courtney Lee finished with 16 for the Grizzlies (26-20).
Center Nikola Vucevic, Harris and Fournier each scored 16 points to lead the Magic, who dropped their sixth straight. Orlando (20-23) has lost 10 of its last 11.
For the Grizzlies, Green became only the fifth player in franchise history to score 30 or more points off the bench. He scored the team's final nine points before halftime to keep Orlando from building a bigger lead.
"Jeff got going early, and he was aggressive offensively and defensively," Grizzlies guard Mike Conley said. "And he was getting to parts of the court he wanted to get to and where he was comfortable and guys were looking for him."
Green's 30-point effort was his first as a member of the Grizzlies and his first since December 2014 against the Detroit Pistons when he was with the Boston Celtics.
"I just made plays when the opportunities were there," Green said. "It was still a team effort. Everyone made a contribution to get us the win. I just did my part being aggressive."
In overtime, the Grizzlies relied on a Conley layup and six free throws to escape. Memphis, which won for the seventh time in nine games, surpassed 100 points for the sixth game in a row.
The Grizzlies led 94-89 following a 15-footer by Gasol in the final five minutes of regulation, but the Magic recovered. Orlando put together a 9-2 run and regained the lead 98-96 on a twisting layup by guard Elfrid Payton with 27.8 seconds to go.
Orlando led 100-98 and had the ball with 14 seconds to go, but the Grizzlies stole the inbounds pass and Green dropped in his one-handed floater from 11 feet. A Vucevic jumper at the buzzer bounced off the rim to force overtime.
The Magic, who led by one at halftime, and the Grizzlies were unable to pull away from one another in the third quarter.
The Grizzlies, who trailed by as many as nine in the second quarter, led by four on two occasions in the third quarter before the Magic closed with a 5-0 run capped by a Fournier 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 81-80 lead entering the final period.
Grizzlies guard Tony Allen added nine points and 12 rebounds.
Vucevic pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds, but Memphis finished with a 54-46 edge on the boards.
NOTES: In his first four games back following a six-game absence caused by a sore left Achilles tendon, Grizzlies G Mike Conley is averaging 14 points and had 27 assists to two turnovers. He finished with 12 points, nine assists and one turnover Monday. ... Magic G C.J. Watson remains out with a sore left calf, but Orlando coach Scott Skiles said Monday that Watson is "feeling better, so we're encouraged by that." The next step, Skiles said, is to get Watson back on the court and go through "some two-on-two type of stuff" in practice. . . Grizzlies first-round pick Jarell Martin was re-assigned to the Iowa Energy. He has averaged 12.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in four games with the Energy, three of which were starts. ... Magic C Nikola Vucevic recorded his fifth consecutive double-double.
Top Game Performances
Orlando |
|
Memphis |
Evan Fournier 16 |
Scoring |
Jeff Green 30 |
Victor Oladipo 6 |
Assists |
Mike Conley 9 |
Nikola Vucevic 14 |
Rebounds |
Zach Randolph 13 |
Aaron Gordon 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Jeff Green 6 |
Evan Fournier 1 |
Steals |
Tony Allen 4 |
Nikola Vucevic 2 |
Blocks |
Marc Gasol 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Orlando
|
102 |
46.5 |
10-28 |
12-14 |
24 |
46 |
6 |
2 |
19 |
Memphis
|
108 |
43.0 |
6-18 |
16-25 |
25 |
54 |
5 |
12 |
10 |
Upcoming Games
-
Memphis will play their next game at home against Milwaukee. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .480 after a win and .667 after a loss.
-
Orlando will play their next game on the road against Milwaukee. The Magic have a W/L % of .476 after a win and .455 after a loss.