Posey puts up big shot to top Grizzlies

By Larry Holder, for NBA.com
Posted Thursday January 21, 2010 12:04AM

NEW ORLEANS (NBA.com exclusive) -- New Orleans Hornets forward David West said there was plenty of chatter among he and his teammates on just how improved the Memphis Grizzlies really are and how to handle their athleticism.

The Grizzlies possess a mixture of up-and-coming youth and veteran stability that's helped them rise from their previous depths of the Western Conference.

That's why the Hornets made such a big deal after their 113-111 over the Grizzlies in the New Orleans Arena on Wednesday night. It's the type of thrilling win West pointed to as the perfect boost when the Hornets start their four-game road trip on Friday.

New Orleans may be one of the older teams in the NBA and it took one the Hornets' elder statesman to make the clutch basket when the team needed it most. James Posey made a slashing layup with 1.1 seconds left and drew the foul to give the Hornets a 113-111 lead with 1.1 seconds left.

Posey missed the free throw on purpose, but Memphis still rebounded the ball with enough time at 0.8 seconds to call timeout and set up a tip play. The inbound pass was swatted away giving the Hornets the win.

"They just double team CP (Chris Paul) coming out," Posey said. "Peja [Stojakovic] just passed to me for the most part. I tried to get it back to CP. I knew the time was going down. [I was] just being aggressive. The guy just cut me off at the baseline so I took it inside to the basket."

West said that wasn't the plan, but it turned out all roses.

"That was a big play," West said. "We were looking for CP. Couldn't get to CP, couldn't get the ball to him. So Pose, he had to handle it. He had the young kid (Mayo) on him. He used his experience to his advantage."

The Grizzlies of all teams came into Wednesday's game as one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They had won four consecutive games and five of their last six before falling to the Hornets. Memphis last two wins during the stretch came against the Spurs and Suns.

Now the Hornets and Grizzlies are tied at 22-19 and one game behind Houston for the seventh spot in the Western Conference. With a grueling road trip ahead, the Hornets have to beat the teams ahead of them, especially at home.

"We're happy to get this one as they're a real good basketball team," West said. "We made some plays down the stretch even when they went up. We were able to make some plays down the stretch to close it out. Especially going out on the road, we really had to have a nice one and have a good taste in our mouth."

Leads changed hands quickly and often. The Grizzlies lead by as many as 10 points and held the lead from the 5:49 mark of the third quarter until a Paul jumper gave the Hornets a 103-102 lead with 2:57 left in the game.

It's the sign of a young team, and Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph both said this was a game they had to put away and the Grizzlies didn't.

"Sometimes you win; sometimes you lose. But it's the way you lose," Gasol said. "You're up 10, we made the key turnover and they just ran it at me and they took their shots."

The Hornets spread out their scoring. Paul and West each scored 21 points. Stojakovic added 18, while Emeka Okafor and Marcus Thornton each scored 12. New Orleans' bench easily outscored Memphis 37-16.

Rudy Gay scored a game-high 26 points. Randolph wasn't too far behind with 25 points. Gasol and O.J. Mayo each added 15, while Jamaal Tinsley had 14 and Mike Conley scored 12.

"We had to go out and fight for it," West said. "When you dealing with a team that's got all those guys ? Gay, Mayo, Randolph. Those are good basketball players and they've got a good collection of players they've got over there."

• Grizzlies: Arthur, Haddadi
• Hornets: Diogu, Marks

• Grizzlies: --
• Hornets: --

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 11

• Arena: New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA
• Officials: #41 Ken Mauer, #60 David Guthrie, #61 Courtney Kirkland
• Attendance: 14238
• Duration: 2:22