Jazz-Grizzlies Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
Posted Apr 14 2012 12:17AM

Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins insists that Zach Randolph will continue to come off the bench.

Not having Randolph at all contributed to two losses for Hollins' club to the Utah Jazz.

The Grizzlies, in fifth place in the Western Conference, seek their seventh straight home win Saturday night as these teams complete their season series.

Randolph had 10 points and 11 rebounds as Memphis (34-24) saw its four-game win streak end with a 107-97 loss Thursday at San Antonio. The former All-Star has missed 37 games with a torn right ACL and come off the bench over the last 13 contests with four double-doubles in his last five efforts.

"I don't know that we're ever going to do that," said Hollins about starting Randolph. "Zach can come in and score anytime. He's getting his double-doubles, so what else is there?"

Randolph wasn't with the Grizzlies as they averaged 86.5 points in their losses to the Jazz (31-29). He could help slow down Al Jefferson, who averaged 20.5 points and 12.0 rebounds for Utah, which shot 50.6 percent and outscored Memphis by 22 points in the paint.

The Grizzlies are seeking their first seven-game home win streak since an 11-game run Dec. 18, 2009-Jan. 25, 2010. They are 1 1/2 games behind the Clippers in the race for home-court advantage in the first round and are beginning a stretch of six games in eight days.

"We have a tough weekend ahead of us with Utah on Saturday and New Orleans on Sunday in New Orleans," Hollins said. "Then we go on to Minnesota so it doesn't get any easier. We just have to keep battling, playing and try to scratch and claw to get a win."

Rudy Gay had 19 points Thursday on 7-of-22 shooting after he averaged 22.5 and made 56.3 percent of his shots during the four-game win streak.

"I guess you can count it as a moral victory," Gay said. "We played them tough. Obviously, we wanted to win this game and it meant a little bit to us."

Utah fell into 10th place in the West after Friday's 96-85 loss at New Orleans. The game was tied at halftime before the Jazz allowed the Hornets to shoot 50.0 percent after the break.

"We had opportunities to win the ballgame and get out of here," coach Ty Corbin said. "We told them at halftime, 'You can't let this team hang around.' They get close at the end and they have guys that are capable of making shots, and that's what happened."

Paul Millsap led Utah with 27 points and Jefferson added 19, but the starting backcourt of Devin Harris and Gordon Hayward combined for 11 on 4-of-15 shooting.

"This is a big loss for us tonight," Millsap said. "This was a game we needed and one we were suppose to win."

Utah has split two games on its trip heading into the finale.

"We have to put this game behind us and get ready for Memphis tomorrow night," Millsap said.

Mayo scores 20 to lead Grizzlies past Jazz

Posted Apr 15 2012 12:47AM

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) With the Memphis Grizzlies struggling to find their offensive rhythm, O.J. Mayo stepped up for a fourth-quarter burst.

Mayo scored 17 of his 20 points in the final period Saturday night to rally the Grizzlies to a 103-98 victory over the Utah Jazz, keeping Memphis' hold on fifth place in the Western Conference.

"I just found a little rhythm and got some open shots and knocked them down," said Mayo, who hit three of his four shots from outside the arc in the period. "Sometimes you make them, sometimes you miss them. (Against Utah), I made them.

"Coach (Lionel Hollins) diagrammed some good plays once he saw that I got it rolling a little bit. Guys set good screens to open me up, and passes were on time in order to make the shots."

The Jazz held a six-point lead early in the final period, but Mayo scored 10 straight points for Memphis to erase the advantage. His 3-pointer with 46 seconds left gave the Grizzlies enough of an advantage to win for the fifth time in six games overall and seventh straight at home.

"We played defense well early in the fourth, and O.J. stepped up and made some big shots for us early and got us going for the rest of the fourth quarter," said Memphis guard Mike Conley, who had 17 points and six assists.

Rudy Gay led Memphis with 18 of his 26 points in the second half and also had 12 rebounds, while Marc Gasol added 17 points.

"(Rudy) is really maturing and embracing his ability," Hollins said. "I think that is the best way to put it. He has the ability to do a lot of things."

With the victory, Memphis remained 1 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for fourth place and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Clippers beat the Golden State Warriors 112-104 earlier Saturday.

"It's that time of year where everybody is trying to fight for something or working towards next season," Gasol said. "We're trying to fight for something.

"If you look at the standings, you stay motivated."

Al Jefferson and Devin Harris scored 20 points apiece for Utah. Paul Millsap and Gordon Hayward had 17 points each and Derrick Favors added 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Utah lost its second straight and further damaged its playoff chances. The Jazz dropped two games behind Houston and Denver, who are tied for the final two spots.

"We know it's going to take a lot of hard work at first, then it is going to take focus," Millsap said of the playoff chase. "We have to have focus, and we have to stick to what we do for 48 minutes. In the past, we haven't been doing that, and it's costing us right now."

Even before the game, Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said his team just needed to try and string together wins down the stretch to see if they could reach the postseason. With the loss, Corbin still sounded optimistic with a little hedging to the future.

"We aren't out of it by any stretch of the imagination," the Utah coach said. "Plus, we want to continue to grow as a team. These experiences this time of year are invaluable to us. We are getting in game situations and pressure situations to grow and learn how to play."

Both teams ended the night shooting about 48 percent, slowing down after halftime. The Jazz finished with 14 turnovers, while Memphis had 12.

Utah led 51-50 lead at the break after a first half that featured 12 ties and seven lead changes.

Jefferson scored 14 and Harris had 13 points in the first half, while Conley had 11 for Memphis, and Gasol 10 on 5-for-6 shooting.

Memphis led 66-63 near the midway point of the third. However, Utah answered with nine consecutive points to take the lead.

When Millsap connected on a 3 as the quarter ended, the Jazz had a 76-70 lead heading into the fourth. The shot gave Millsap nine points in the quarter as the Jazz hit 10 of their 19 shots in the period, maintaining a 53 percent shooting pace.

"We have shown at times (that) we execute very well, and we have shown in some of these tough games where we haven't," Harris said. "We learn from it, and we can't panic."

Mayo got untracked early in the fourth with the 10 straight Memphis points, including back-to-back 3s.

The game stayed close the rest of the way, and Utah pulled to 95-94 with 1:04 left on two free throws from Favors.

But a 3 by Mayo from the right wing with 46 seconds left gave Memphis the buffer necessary.

NOTES: Asked what he thought about talk regarding the Jazz nickname going back to New Orleans since new owner Tom Benson wants a moniker more suited to the Crescent City, Corbin quickly said with a chuckle: `'He can't have it back. ... Utah Jazz. That's what I know. I saw a New Orleans shirt the other night that had `Jazz' on the bottom. I wanted to put a piece of tape over it and put `Hornets' on that thing. We can't give up our name." ... Memphis G Tony Allen returned to the lineup after missing five games with a facial laceration suffered April 4 at Dallas. ... Blake Ahearn, signed to a 10-day contract by the Jazz on April 10, got his first action since being called up from the Reno Bighorns. He played 5 minutes and missed his one shot from 3-point range. . The seven-game home winning streak for the Grizzlies is a season-high. . Mayo's 17 fourth-quarter points were a season-best in a period for a Memphis player.

Notebook: Grizzlies 103, Jazz 98

Posted Sunday April 15, 2012 12:00AM

By Marlon W. Morgan, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Realizing they had to find a way to stop Utah center Al Jefferson if they were going to win, the Memphis Grizzlies kept the ball out of his hands for most of the fourth quarter, limiting him to just four points. As a result, Jefferson was held to just four points and the Grizzlies were able to squeak out a 103-98 come-from-behind win. Rudy Gay led the Grizzlies with 26 points, 12 rebounds and two pivotal blocked shots. The loss was the second in a row for Utah, furthering damaging its hopes of catching Denver for the final playoff position in the Western Conference.

QUOTABLE: "He's really maturing and embracing his ability. He has the ability to do a lot of things. He had 26 points, 12 rebounds, and he moved the ball well. That is the stuff we need from him. He is our most athletic guy. We need him to be consistent."
-- Grizzlies' head coach Lionel Hollins on forward Gay.

THE STAT: The Jazz was scorching through three quarters, shooting 53.2 percent from the floor, led by Jefferson who had 16 points and was scoring at will in the paint. But in the fourth quarter, when the Grizzlies were able to keep the ball out of his hands, the Jazz offense sputtered as they were just 7-of-21 (33 percent) from the floor.

TURNING POINT: Trailing 86-84 with 4:49 remaining, the Grizzlies used a 7-0 run to regain the lead for good. During that run, Gay blocked a shot, which was followed by a free throw by Marc Gasol and an offensive rebound on his missed free throw, which was followed by a basket by O.J. Mayo.

HOT: Grizzlies guard Mayo was just 1-for-3 for three points after three quarters. Then after hitting a couple of free throws, the Mayo got into a rhythm that saw him score 17 fourth quarter points, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range and all six of his free throw attempts. It's the most points scored in a quarter by a Memphis player this season. Mayo finished the game with 20 points.

NOT: The Jazz starters had their way with the Grizzlies starters, combining to score 80 points. But they got little help from their bench, which totaled just 18 points.

QUOTABLE II: "We aren't out of it by any stretch of the imagination. Plus, we want to continue to grow as a team. These experiences this time of year are invaluable to us. We are getting in game situations and pressure situations to grow and learn how to play, and with a young group of guys, we're learning together."
-- Utah head coach Tyrone Corbin.

NOTABLE: Utah forward DeMarre Carroll, a former first round pick of the Grizzlies in 2009, had to leave the game in the third quarter after being hit in the mouth and suffering a mild concussion. Carroll, making his fourth start with Utah, finished the game with six points. ... Grizzlies guard Tony Allen returned to the starting lineup after missing the last five games with facial lacerations. Allen played three quarters, scoring six points with three rebounds. The Grizzlies rode the hot hand of Mayo in the fourth quarter. ... In addition to Jefferson's 20 points, Utah also got 20 from guard Devin Harris. Gordon Hayward and Paul Millsap both chipped in with 17. ... The Grizzlies outscored the Jazz, 33-22, in the fourth quarter, shooting 53 percent in the period. ... The Grizzlies have won a season-high seven straight home games. It's their longest streak at FedExForum since a franchise record 11 in a row from Dec. 18, 2009 to Jan. 25, 2010. ... The Grizzlies are now 15-3 when scoring 100 or more points.

UP NEXT: For the Jazz, Monday vs. Dallas, Wednesday @ Portland, Saturday vs. Orlando. For the Grizzlies, Sunday @ New Orleans, Tuesday @ Minnesota, Wednesday vs. New Orleans.

• Jazz: Miles, Watson
• Grizzlies: Arthur

• Jazz: --
• Grizzlies: --

• Lead Changes: 20
• Times Tied: 17

• Arena: FedExForum, Memphis, TN
• Officials: #14 Ed Malloy, #6 Tony Brown, #74 Curtis Blair
• Attendance: 17190
• Duration: 2:11