Rookie Brendan Haywood scored 11 of his 17 points in the decisive second quarter and UConn alum Richard Hamilton poured in 30 as the Washington Wizards posted a 91-81 victory over the Grizzlies in their first game in Memphis.
Haywood and Hamilton combined for 19 points in the second quarter as Washington outscored Memphis, 30-14, to take a 58-41 lead into halftime. The Grizzlies, who were 13-of-45 from the field in the middle two quarters, did not get closer than 10 the rest of the way.
 Grant wasn't Long enough to block Richard Hamilton's shot. Joe Murphy NBAE/Getty Images |
"When guys get in the lane, sometimes they happen to run off me because my man is the last man they send when they try and get the blocked shot," Haywood said. "Our team isn't selfish. They're great at giving me the ball in good position to score."
Jordan collected 16 points, nine assists and six rebounds as Washington won its third straight -- all on the road -- while improving to 5-2 in the last seven outings.
"We've been very fortunate. In Houston, Steve Francis was out with an injury and we were able to take advantage of that," Wizards coach Doug Collins said. "In Dallas, (Dirk) Nowitzki was out and we took advantage of that. Tonight, with Stromile Swift and Nick Anderson out, they lose two key players. So we've been very fortunate that we've taken advantage of some teams' injuries."
Swift did not play because of a hyperextended knee and Anderson is nursing a sprained ankle.
The Grizzlies were led by Jason Williams, who paced four players in double figures with 17 points and also dished out 11 assists. Rookie Shane Battier, who played a game-high 42 minutes, and Rodney Buford added 14 points apiece.
"It was another game where we did not shoot the ball well when we were open," Memphis coach Sidney Lowe said. "Our guys hung in there and tried to make a run in the second half. However, we had a big turnover and it took the wind out of our sails."
Memphis trailed, 28-27, entering the second period but quickly let the game get out of reach as the Wizards scored the first eight points of the period.
Haywood began the burst with a three-point play and followed moments later with a tip-in. A three-point play by Tyronn Lue pushed the Wizards' advantage to 36-27 with just under 10 minutes left in the opening half.
"They went to the zone a little bit and I just tried to penetrate and move the ball," Jordan said. "It makes us a better team when other guys become threats. I think most of the focus is going to come to me and I understand that. But it's up to me to get everybody else involved so that we capitalize on them double-teaming me."
The Grizzlies fought within 38-33 on a basket by Buford, but Washington responded with a 7-0 burst to grab a 45-33 lead on Hamilton's layup. Hamilton and Haywood did all of the scoring in the spurt.
"Playing with Michael, I'm learning so much," said Hamilton. "I think that now we've pretty much got our lineup adjusted knowing how we're going to play certain people at certain points in time. I think coach is starting to get a feel for everybody."
Washington's cushion quickly grew to a 17-point halftime advantage on Lue's 20-footer with 33 seconds to go.
The Wizards played a clean game, committing only 11 turnovers while shooting 47 percent (39-of-83) from the field. They held a 47-46 advantage on the boards -- Jahidi White had nine -- and a 12-4 edge at the foul line.
Isaac Austin had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who connected on 40 percent (36-of-89) of their shots, including 5-of-15 rom 3-point range.