Posted 2/01 at 10:52 PM
In a season when the best teams in the NBA have left FedExForum empty handed, the Grizzlies took down the mightiest team of all tonight, as they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 95-93 in front of a sell-out crowd.
The Grizzlies led for much of the contest and enjoyed double digits advantages in the second and third quarter, but found themselves in a tight knit battle against the Lakers in the fourth quarter. Zach Randolph added to his Memphis legend with a jumper with the shot clock winding down with just over a minute to go that broke an 88 all tie and gave the Grizzlies a lead the Lakers would not come back from.
Gay extended the lead to five on a three-pointer with 29.5 seconds remaining that was the largest for either team in the final quarter, but Bryant answered right back with a three at the other end. After two Mike Conley free-throw misses the Lakers had a chance to win the game on a Ron Artest three attempt from the corner, but the shot went awry, preserving the win for the Grizzlies.
The win moves the Grizzlies to 26-21 on the season and 6-2 in games decided by two points or less. The Lakers are now 37-12 on the season and dropped only their third game this season when holding an opponent to under 100 points.
The Grizzlies allowed Kobe Bryant to set a major Lakers franchise milestone, as his 44 points moved him into first place past former Grizzlies General Manager Jerry West on the Lakers all-time scoring list, but prevented Phil Jackson from setting another in the win, as his bid to become the all-time Lakers leader in career coaching victories and pass Pat Riley will have to wait at least one more game.
With a palpable energy at FedExForum the Grizzlies sought to establish themselves early against the reigning NBA champion LA Lakers. The Grizzlies did just that early as Rudy Gay awoke from his mini-slump as of late with seven early points in the opening quarter.
The Grizzlies inched out to a 17-9 advantage midway through the quarter on an O.J. Mayo driving layup, as Memphis took advantage of the wear on the Lakers that resulted in this being the last of an eight game road trip that saw them eek out a victory against Boston yesterday. Despite the Lakers road heavy legs the Grizzlies were unable to hold on to their edge as they struggled from the field (.417) and the line (.333) the rest of the quarter.
With the Super Bowl only a week away, a pair of gridiron heroes made a surprise appearance at FedExForum for the game, as both the Baltimore Ravens’ Michael Oher and the New England Patriots Stephen Gostkowski were in the crowd. Gostkowski even kicked a field goal on the floor between the first and second quarters that won Sonic Drive-In tator tots for every fan in the sell-out crowd.
Tied at 24 all to start the second quarter, the Grizzlies showed the Lakers why FedExForum has become one of the most trusted home courts in all of the NBA as they pushed their advantage to double digits on a DeMarre Carroll fast break dunk. Even local product Lest Hudson got in the act as he provided a big boost off the bench, scoring 11 of his career-high 13 points in the quarter to jump-start the Grizzlies offense.
When dealing with the Lakers and Kobe Bryant the Grizzlies knew that they wouldn’t be able to simply cruise once they earned an advantage, as Bryant almost single handedly wrestled the Lakers back into the contest. Bryant erased a double digit Grizzlies lead by scoring the final 13 Lakers points over the final 2:51 of the half to close the Memphis lead to 52-50 at the break.
The Grizzlies opened the second half with the same collective focus that they exhibited for stretches during the first half, allowing their defense to do the work at the start of the third. Memphis held the usually explosive Lakers attack scoreless through the first four and a half minutes of the quarter, allowing the home squad to extend to another double digit advantage on a Mike Conley driving layup that gave the Grizzlies a 64-53 edge at the 6:18 mark.
As had been the case in the first and second quarters, the Grizzlies were unable to hold on to their advantage, as they allowed the Lakers to come all the way back in the contest. During an 18-6 run over the final four minutes of the third quarter that gave the Lakers a 71-70 lead, Kobe Bryant became the all-time leading scorer in Lakers team history passing former Grizzlies General Manager Jerry West on a fast break dunk that seemed to deflate the Grizzlies and their crowd.
Going into the fourth quarter the Grizzlies had their work cut out for them, as the Lakers had only lost once before this season when leading after three quarters. The relentless Grizzlies would not allow that to be an excuse, as they remained close throughout the fourth, never allowing the Lakers to extend to more than a four point advantage. Randolph and Gay combined for 17 of the Grizzlies 25 points in the fourth quarter to help set up the dramatic finish.
Gay led the Grizzlies with 25 points, while Randolph had 22 points and 17 rebounds. In the sibling rivalry, Marc Gasol outplayed his older brother Pau, with 11 points and 13 rebounds compared to Pau’s 10 points and nine rebounds. Bryant’s 44 points not only made him the Lakers all-time leading scorer, but he is also now the 14th all-time leading scorer in NBA history.
Posted 2/01 at 10:52 PM
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