Notebook: Grizzlies 89, Sixers 76

Posted Wednesday February 22, 2012 12:13AM

By Marlon W. Morgan, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Looking like a team that couldn't wait for their NBA All-Star break to begin, the Memphis Grizzlies managed to overcome a 29.7 percent shooting effort in the second half to defeat Philadelphia 89-76. The Grizzlies head into the break having won seven of their last nine games to improve to 19-15. The 76ers will take a four-game losing streak into Wednesday's game against Houston.

QUOTABLE: "You don't even understand. We've had six games in the last nine days. The last two minutes, I just couldn't wait for that time to be over."
-- Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo on welcoming the All-Star break

THE STAT: Normally a strength for Philadelphia, its bench didn't produce enough to compete with a Grizzlies bench that normally doesn't pack a lot of scoring punch. The Sixers bench was outscored, 33-21, and shot just 20.6 percent from the floor.

TURNING POINT: Philadelphia pulled to within 74-70 with 8:38 remaining on a 3-pointer by Lou Williams. But the Grizzlies responded on both ends of the floor, closing the game out with a 15-6 run.

HOT: On a rare night when the Grizzlies starters struggled, their bench was able to come through. They scored 33 points on 14-for-24 shooting (58.3 percent) from the floor, led by Mayo's 13 points.

NOT: Philadelphia's top two reserves, Williams (15.9 points) and Memphis native Thaddeus Young (12.7) combined to shoot 5-for-26 (19.2 percent) from the floor as both finished with eight points.

GOOD MOVE: A night after trying to match Houston's small lineup in a loss, Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins declined to do that against Philadelphia. Instead, he countered the Sixers' small ball by playing big and employing a zone defense. That cut off the easy drives to the baskets as the Grizzlies recorded a season-high 11 blocked shots. It also helped them outrebound the Sixers, 47-36.

QUOTABLE II: "We've played good enough basketball to beat a lot of teams and now we're not playing to the best of our abilities. Whether you want to blame it on injuries or any of that, we're not competing at the highest level, and it's showing on the floor."
-- Philadelphia's Williams

NOTABLE: The Grizzlies head into the All-Star break staring at a much-needed five days' rest. They return Monday with a rare two days of practice before resuming their schedule Feb. 29 against Dallas. They are looking to welcome back forward Zach Randolph to practice. Randolph has been out with a torn right MCL. ... Grizzlies center Marc Gasol is preparing to make his first NBA All-Star appearance in Orlando after being named as a Western Conference reserve. He is the third player in club history to be named to the All-Star team, joining his brother, Pau, and Randolph. Gasol capped off the first half with 15 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and five blocked shots against the Sixers. ... The Sixers were led by point guard Jrue Holiday, who had a game-high 22 points after making four of his five 3-pointers. ... The Grizzlies held Philadelphia to 10 first-quarter points, the lowest for a Grizzlies' opponent this season. ... Playing against his former club for the first time, Grizzlies forward Marreese Speights had 12 points and two rebounds.

UP NEXT: For the Sixers, Wednesday @ Houston, Feb. 28 @ Detroit, March 1 vs. Oklahoma City. For the Grizzlies, Feb. 29 vs. Dallas, March 2 @ Toronto, March 3 vs. Detroit