Suns-Grizzlies Preview

By JUSTIN EINHORN
Posted Apr 10 2012 2:37PM

The Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns have been steadily climbing the Western Conference standings. While the Grizzlies want to reach the No. 4 spot, the Suns would be happy with any seed.

Strong bench play has been boosting both teams' playoff standing going into their matchup Wednesday night in Memphis.

The Grizzlies (33-23) were under .500 as of Feb. 7 but have since gone 21-10, fifth-best in the league during that span. They've won eight of 10 to move within one-half game of the Los Angeles Clippers for fourth place in the West and home-court advantage in the first round - something they've never had in any playoff series.

"Everyone is really close, and we moved that much closer to the fourth spot," guard O.J. Mayo said after a 94-85 win over the Clippers on Monday. "We've just got to keep playing well."

So do the Suns (30-27), who have the NBA's fourth-best record since the All-Star break at 16-7. They've jumped to ninth in the West, close on the heels of Dallas and Denver for the conference's final two playoff spots.

"Now everything means something by playing for the playoffs," guard Sebastian Telfair said after Monday's 114-90 victory at Minnesota.

Telfair is one of the reserves playing a key role lately for the Suns, winners of seven of 10. He's totaled 27 points and 14 assists over the past two games as Phoenix's bench has averaged 62.0 points, 16.5 rebounds and 12.5 assists.

Suns reserves have scored 40.2 points per game since March 18, third-most in the league. Former All-Star Michael Redd has averaged 17.2 off the bench in the last five.

"These last four or five games, I mean, they've carried us," forward Jared Dudley said of the second unit. "They've carried the starters, they've done well."

The Memphis reserves have averaged 39.7 points over the past seven games, led by Mayo's 15.9 per game, as the team has gone 6-1.

Zach Randolph, a 2011 All-Star, continues to come off the bench but has posted three straight double-doubles after having one in his first 12 games back after missing 2 1/2 months with a knee injury.

Another key to the Grizzlies' hot play is solid defense, allowing an average of 90.2 points in their last nine games. Marc Gasol has averaged 2.4 blocks in the past eight. Mike Conley is second in the league with 2.3 steals per game, while Tony Allen (1.7) and Rudy Gay (1.5) rank among the top 20.

Memphis has won 11 of 13 at home, with both losses coming in overtime.

The Suns have won five of seven on the road, but only one of those victories came against a team which currently has a better record.

Phoenix is looking to sweep a season series from the Grizzlies for the first time since winning all three meetings in 2007-08, when it averaged 128.7 points. The Suns have scored 92.0 per game in two matchups this season - both in Phoenix.

These teams are separated by just 3 1/2 games with 10 to go for Memphis and nine for Phoenix.

"It's the wild, wild West," Mayo said. "You look in the (East), when you get down to the last five or six games, a lot of teams pretty much start resting. In the West, that's not possible. Every game counts down the stretch."

Gay scores 32, Grizzlies top Suns for 4th straight

Posted Apr 12 2012 12:28AM

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) The Memphis Grizzlies sprinted past the Phoenix Suns and closer to home-court advantage in the playoffs.

Rudy Gay scored a season-high 32 points and the Grizzlies won their fourth straight with a 104-93 victory over the Suns on Wednesday night.

Memphis outscored the Suns 17-6 after Phoenix tied the game at 87 with 6:27 left. Dante Cunningham had six of his 10 points during the stretch run.

"I was just flashing to the open areas, trying to be an open body when my man doubled," Cunningham said. "It's all about weathering the run, then putting together your own run, then finishing and closing the game out."

The victory, coupled with the Los Angeles Clippers' 100-98 win at Oklahoma City, left the Grizzlies a half-game behind the Clippers for the fourth seed and home-court advantage in the Western Conference playoffs.

The Suns' two-game winning streak was snapped. They dropped a spot to 10th in the Western Conference as Utah, with its 103-91 victory at Houston, jumped over Phoenix into the ninth spot.

"We really have to focus on getting every win possible and not worry about the standings," said Suns reserve forward Josh Childress. "When the season is over, see where we stand. We can't be playing for that seed. We've got to be playing to win every game."Zach Randolph had 17 points and nine rebounds for Memphis, which won for the ninth time in the last 11 games. O.J. Mayo finished with 15 points, and Mike Conley had 12 points and seven assists.

Marcin Gortat had 19 points for Phoenix on 9 of 12 from the floor, while Shannon Brown scored 18. Rookie Markieff Morris had 17 for Phoenix, and Steve Nash had 11 points and 10 assists.

But it was the stretch run that hurt the Suns. Phoenix had opened the fourth quarter with an 11-1 burst as Memphis missed its first four shots. The rally gave the Suns an 83-81 lead.

The game settled into a series of lead changes and ties, the final one coming on a drive by Sebastian Telfair, knotting the score at 87 with 6:27 left.

Memphis then scored six straight points, part of a 13-4 run to take the lead to 100-91. A key down the stretch was Memphis grabbing three offensive rebounds, keeping the ball from the Suns and leaving Phoenix on defense when it trailed.

"We've got to do a better job of finishing games, especially on the road," Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said. "We play hard and put ourselves in a position to have an opportunity to win a game, and you just have to finish it.

"We did a poor job of executing the last 3 minutes of the game, and that's where the game was won."

Memphis led 59-53 in a first half that saw very little defense for either team. Both teams were shooting 59 percent at the half, each hitting 24 of their 41 shots. Both teams were above 60 percent until the final minute of the half.

"The key thing is making sure you don't get into their style of play and forget to play defense," Mayo said of the Suns. "The first half was kind of like that. In the second half, we knew that we could get stops and continue scoring."

The Suns relied on the inside presence of Gortat, who had 15 points in the half, missing only one of his eight shots. Childress was perfect on his five shots in the half for all of his 10 points in the game, and Phoenix had 42 points in the paint.

Gay led Memphis with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting, while Randolph had 13 points.

"It was one of those things where I had it going and nobody else was really scoring, so I felt I had to be aggressive offensively," Gay said. "I just tried to make the best plays possible to help the team, stay within our offense and get what I can out of it."

Memphis grabbed the first double-digit lead of the game early in the second half after a pair of technical fouls, one on Nash for a no-call, another on Brown during a scrum for position on an inbounds pass, contributed to a 65-55 lead.

The Suns whittled it to 70-67 before Memphis rebuilt the advantage to 80-72 heading to the fourth. Then Phoenix opened the fourth quarter with a burst, retaking the lead before faltering at the end.

"We played solid defense, we just have to come up with those rebounds, and I was a culprit of it," Childress said. "We can't short-change ourselves if we play as hard as we did and not get those rebounds."

After the Suns' dominance inside in the first half, Phoenix managed to outscore Memphis in the paint by 56-54. The teams couldn't keep the first-half shooting performances. While Memphis shot 42 percent, the Suns were limited to 37 percent after the break.

"Our activity, being in the paint, being up on the pick-and-roll, was much better," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said of the second half, later adding: "The fact that we were scoring, we stayed ahead. Then we figured out how to stop them defensively, and we expanded the lead."

NOTES: The Suns missed a chance to sweep the Grizzlies for the first time since the 2007-08 season. ... Grant Hill missed his ninth game after undergoing right knee surgery on March 30. The Suns are 5-4 since the injury. ... Nash's 10 assists marked his 36th game this season with 10 or more. ... Gay's point total was his first 30-point game since Dec. 26, 2010, at Indiana, when he scored 30. ... Memphis ended the night shooting 50 percent. The Grizzlies are 12-0 when hitting at least half their shots.

Notebook: Grizzlies 104, Suns 93

Posted Thursday April 12, 2012 12:32AM

By Marlon W. Morgan for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Facing a team desperately trying to get into the playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies finally managed to hold off the hot Phoenix Suns 104-93 Wednesday night at FedExForum. Behind Rudy Gay's 32 points and 17 from Zach Randolph, the Grizzlies halted a Suns team that was 5-1 in April and had moved into the ninth spot in the West. The Grizzlies have won seven of their last eight to hold down the fifth spot.

QUOTABLE: "We did a good job on Rudy. He's a [heck] of a player, guys. I mean if he's shooting channeled jump shots and making them, there's not anything you can do unless you want to put a 7-foot guy on him to try and block it. He's a long guy and I thought Josh [Childress] did a real good job on him and J.D. (Jared Dudley). He took the shots that we wanted him to take. I mean he's capable. There's a reason they're paying the guy the maximum salary. He's a pretty good damn player."
-- Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry.

THE STAT: It took 57 games for the Grizzlies to get their first 30-point scorer of the season with Gay's 32. He became the first Memphis player to scored 30 in regular season game since Zach Randolph did it March 14, 2011 against the Los Angeles Clippers. It was Gay's first time topping the 30-point mark since Dec. 26, 2010.

TURNING POINT: The Suns second unit quickly wiped out an eight-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter, using a 11-2 run to take an 83-81 lead. The game was tied at 87 with 6:28 to go before the Grizzlies ended the game on a 17-6 run.

GOOD MOVE: In the first half, the Grizzlies were getting destroyed in the paint by the Suns, who scored 42 of their 53 points in the paint and shot 58.5 percent. In the second half, they cut off penetration in the paint and forced the Suns to score from outside. Phoenix scored just 14 points in the paint and shot 36.8 percent.

BAD MOVE: The Grizzlies had what seemed to be a comfortable 80-72 lead going into the fourth quarter. That was before the Suns' second unit of Sebastian Telfair, Michael Redd, Markieff Morris, Josh Childress and Robin Lopez managed to give their team an 83-81 lead. That unit was down just 89-87 with 6:17 to go when Gentry went back with his starters. Memphis then scored six straight points and the Suns never got closer than four.

QUOTABLE II: "Everybody's fighting for position. Although we're tired, it's fun that everybody's playing for something. This is one of those seasons that from here until the playoffs come, it's like a playoff game."
-- Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay.

NOTABLE: Phoenix guard Steve Nash had 11 points and 10 assists to pick up his 27th double-double of the season. Randolph had his streak of three straight double-doubles snapped with 17 points and a game-high nine rebounds. ... With the loss, the Suns fell into 10th place in the Western Conference a half-game behind Utah which defeated Houston. ... The Grizzlies will travel to San Antonio Thursday looking to beat the Spurs for the first time this season in their final regular season meeting. ... The Grizzlies used 16 offensive rebounds to score 20 second chance points, compared to just nine second chance points for Phoenix.

UP NEXT: For the Suns, Friday at Houston, Saturday at San Antonio, Monday vs. Portland. For the Grizzlies, Thursday at San Antonio, Saturday vs. Utah, Sunday at New Orleans.

• Suns: --
• Grizzlies: Arthur

• Suns: Brown, Nash, Telfair
• Grizzlies: --

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: FedExForum, Memphis, TN
• Officials: #49 Tom Washington, #42 Eric Lewis, #44 Eli Roe
• Attendance: 15239
• Duration: 2:11