Grizzlies-Jazz Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Dec 15 2012 2:52AM

The Memphis Grizzlies are on their longest slide of the season, and concluding this three-game road trip against the Utah Jazz doesn't seem to be the ideal way to solve it.

The Grizzlies attempt to snap their skid by winning in Salt Lake City for the first time in almost six years Saturday night.

Memphis (14-6) has dropped four of six games this month and three in a row following Friday's 99-94 loss at Denver. The team's longest skid last season was four games from Jan. 24-30.

Part of the Grizzlies' recent troubles stems from averaging 17.5 turnovers over the last five games after committing 14.1 per contest during a 12-2 start. They coughed the ball up 16 times against the Nuggets - nine in the second half - while shooting 41.5 percent from the field.

"This is where we show who we are," forward Rudy Gay said. "We're going to find a way to get out of this."

It seems a visit to Salt Lake City may not be the place to do it.

The Grizzlies have lost nine in a row on the road to the Jazz (13-11) since a 132-130 overtime win Jan. 24, 2007. They've also turned the ball over 18.1 times per game during that stretch.

Memphis, though, won the latest meeting 103-94 at home Nov. 5 as Marc Gasol had 22 points with eight rebounds, eight assists and two blocks.

The center is averaging 19.3 points, 9.3 boards and 3.5 blocks over his past four games against Utah.

Gasol enters this matchup coming off perhaps his worst shooting performance of the season, making 2 of 10 field goals to finish with 10 points Friday.

Gay leads the Grizzlies with 19.2 points per game, and continues to be a source of consistency by scoring at least 14 in each game this season. He's been doing his part of late, scoring 21 points in each of the last two games.

Gay is averaging 21.6 points and 7.8 rebounds in his last five games against the Jazz, but shot a paltry 3 for 17 from the floor and needed to hit all eight free throws to finish with 15 points in the latest meeting.

Utah is trying to get back on track after its four-game winning streak was halted with a 99-84 defeat at Phoenix on Friday. The Jazz shot 40.2 percent from the floor while making just 3 of 11 from long range.

"I feel like we didn't execute as well as we're supposed to," forward Paul Millsap said. "We had some open looks that didn't go down and our offense was just real stagnant."

Being back home should help. Utah is 9-1 while averaging 103.4 points at EnergySolutions Arena, and Al Jefferson has been the catalyst.

The center is averaging 20.7 points on 53.1 percent shooting in nine home games compared to 15.1 points and 45.2 percent on the road.

That disparity was evident in Memphis last month, when he scored 11 points with 10 rebounds.

Millsap is trying to bounce back from his 12-point performance on Friday after he averaged 22.5 and 8.8 rebounds over the previous four games.

He had 14 points and eight boards against the Grizzlies in November, losing the battle on the glass to Zach Randolph, who pulled down 18 rebounds with 16 points.

Utah guard Gordon Hayward, who had a season-low three points in a season-low 16 minutes off the bench Friday, has averaged 19.7 points on 53.8 percent shooting in his last three games - all starts - versus Memphis.

Randolph, Memphis beat Jazz 99-86 to halt skid

By LYNN DeBRUIN
Posted Dec 16 2012 1:21AM

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The Memphis Grizzlies were frustrated, having dropped three straight after opening the season with a franchise-best mark.

They also were tired of coming up empty in Salt Lake City, where they hadn't walked away winners since 2007.

That all changed Saturday night when they overcame a miserable first half to cruise to a 99-86 victory over the Utah Jazz.

"It's been a long time," said Zach Randolph, who scored 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to fuel Memphis. "It's always hard to win here."

At halftime the Jazz appeared headed toward another victory in front of their fans.

But the Grizzlies outscored Utah 28-10 in the third quarter to turn a 10-point halftime deficit into a 72-64 lead entering the fourth. The Jazz shot just 15 percent (3 of 20) in the quarter after shooting 56.4 percent at halftime.

Stopping Utah center Al Jefferson was a key.

"They put Zach on me and had a guy sitting in my lap the whole time," Jefferson said. "It's kind of difficult for an offensive player to operate. We got to move better and I've got to do a better job of passing the ball outside. They're a good defensive team. They had a good game plan."

Utah's 10 points in the third were the fewest since the Jazz scored six in the fourth against the Lakers on Dec. 9, 2009.

After shooting 7 of 12 for 14 points in the first half, Jefferson went 1 of 5 the rest of the way and finished with 21 points - the rest too little too late.

"We went out there and turned it up," said Randolph, who was 3 of 3 for eight points, with six rebounds in the third quarter.

Marc Gasol led the team with nine points in the third and also grabbed six rebounds in the quarter. He finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

Even if Jefferson mistakenly referred to Gasol as Pau, the credit was the same as he called both Randolph and Gasol "beasts."

"They got some tough plays down low," said Jazz forward Paul Millsap, who added 12 points and four rebounds.

"Z-Bo (Randolph) he never stops, he never gives up. So he's going to go out there every time. They're a physical team. They get down and dirty. ... They pushed us out past the 3-point line and we couldn't get into our sets, couldn't really run anything. You struggle against a really good team, you're going to pay for it."

The Jazz got within four points on a 3-pointer by DeMarre Carroll, a former Grizzlies draft pick, with 10:30 remaining. But Randolph remained hot, scoring eight straight in a 4-minute span as Memphis surged ahead 86-75 with 5:45 left.

Memphis held a 48-35 advantage on the boards, including an 18-7 edge on the offensive end. Jefferson was held without an offensive rebound.

The Grizzlies also forced the Jazz into 15 turnovers and held a 50-38 advantage on points in the paint.

"A lot of times the ball just bounced right at them but other times they outworked us," Jefferson said.

The win halted a three-game losing streak for Memphis, and dropped Utah to 9-2 at home.

"This has got to be the motivator," Jefferson said of Utah's first loss in 10 games at home against Memphis. "I think we got too comfortable at home. This proves we can lose at home. But it shows you can win on the road."

That's where the Jazz are headed, for a four-game road trip starting in Brooklyn on Tuesday.

The Grizzlies, who halted a three-game losing streak, have three straight at home.

"We had to get back to what we do, and that's defensive pressure," guard Mike Conley said. "It was frustrating. It was hard to look at us play so well and the last week play so bad. For us to come here and get a win in a very tough atmosphere says a lot about us handling adversity. This is a huge win for us."

It started with an 11-3 run to open the third, Rudy Gay's three-point play and Randolph's short jumper getting Memphis within 57-55 with 8:04 left.

After Marvin Williams' dunk off a Randy Foye alley-oop pass bumped Utah's lead back to six, the Grizzlies scored 10 straight behind Gasol and Tony Allen.

It was a sharp contrast to the first half when the Jazz led by as many as 12 points thanks to their big men. Jefferson scored 10 straight for Utah during a 3-minute stretch in the first quarter, and replacement Enes Kanter started 4 of 4 and had 10 points in eight minutes and 10 by halftime.

Then it all changed for a Jazz team coming off a 15-road loss to Phoenix after seemingly finding itself in back-to-back wins over the Lakers and Spurs.

"It (hurts)," Millsap said. "We're not sound. That's how we have to look at it. It's one we wish we could have back."

Especially the third quarter.

"We rushed some shots," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "We didn't have the same energy we had in the first half."

NOTES: Memphis F Darrell Arthur is to be evaluated when the Grizzlies return home after suffering a mild concussion Friday against Denver. He did not play Saturday. ... Memphis has forced at least 10 turnovers in 125 consecutive games. ... The Jazz held a moment of silence before the game for victims of the Connecticut elementary school tragedy. After the first quarter, they also organized an emotional reunion for a military mom, Jeanne Izatt, who hadn't seen sons Connor and Chance since April. ... Jazz G Jamaal Tinsley was drafted by the Grizzlies in 2001 (No. 27 overall) only to be traded draft night to Indiana. He returned to play the 2008-09 season in Memphis. .... Jazz G Hayward was happy to see his college team, Butler, knock off top-ranked Indiana earlier Saturday but was just 3 of 8 for the Jazz. ... Utah outscored the Grizzlies 15-2 on the fast break in the first half.

Notebook: Grizzlies 99, Jazz 86

Andrew Aragon, for NBA.com
Posted Sun Dec 16, 2012 12:36 AM - Updated Sun Dec 16, 2012 12:36 AM

THE FACTS: The Memphis Grizzlies got back to playing their style of basketball -- and it helped them end a season-high three-game losing skid.

The Grizzlies returned to playing rugged defense and pounding the ball inside to Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol in a 99-86 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. Randolph had 25 points and 16 rebounds, while Gasol added 16 points and eight boards. Memphis held Utah to 25.7 percent shooting in the second half. The Grizzlies had lost nine straight in Utah dating back to January of 2007.

Al Jefferson scored a team-high 21 points for Utah, but was largely ineffective in the second half. Paul Millsap had 12 points and four rebounds.

QUOTABLE: "Our best players made their mind up that they were going to give the effort it takes to win and that effort got us to 14-3 before we came on this road trip. I thought we made some great hustle plays. "
-- Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins

THE STAT: Memphis pounded the offensive glass and it helped it overcome a 10-point halftime deficit. The Grizzlies had 18 offensive boards on 47 chances, which helped lead to 12 second-chance points and 50 points in the paint. The Jazz, by comparison, had just seven offensive rebounds. Randolph had five of the offensive boards, while seldom-used Hamed Haddadi collected four offensive rebounds.

TURNING POINT: The Grizzlies dominated the third quarter, and a 10-0 run midway through it put them in control. A jumper by Tony Allen gave Memphis the lead at 63-61, its first advantage since 19-18 in the first quarter. Gasol accounted for six points during the spurt, capping it with an 18-foot jumper to put the Grizzlies ahead 65-61 with 3:58 left in the third quarter. Utah didn't get any closer the rest of the way.

HOT: Memphis' big boys, Randolph and Gasol, put on their big-boy sneakers in the second half. Randolph had a double-double in the second half alone with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Gasol was hampered by foul trouble in the first half. He had the same amount of points (three) as fouls and had no shot attempts before halftime. But he played like an All-Star in the second half, with 13 of his points and seven rebounds.

NOT: Utah's production at point guard was abysmal. Starter Mo Williams had seven points on 3-for-9 shooting. Jamaal Tinsley got all of the backup minutes as Earl Watson stayed on the bench after playing 17 minutes in Phoenix on Friday night. Tinsley did not take advantage of the opportunity, shooting 1-for-8 while dishing three assists in 16 minutes. He had three points and one turnover.

QUOTABLE II: "It was frustrating. It was hard to look at us play so well so early in the season and the last week or so play so bad. For us to come in here and get a win in a very tough atmosphere and very tough place says a lot about our way of handling adversity. This is a huge win for us."
-- Grizzlies guard Mike Conley

GOOD MOVE: What adjustments did Memphis make to decrease Utah's shooting percentage from 56.4 percent in the first half to 25.7 percent in the second half→ None, according to Hollins. None when it comes to X's and O's, anyway. The Grizzlies just played with greater effort, improved their communication and got back on defense. The Jazz had 15 fast-break points in the first half, but just five in the second half.

BAD MOVE: The Jazz didn't adjust to Memphis' defense or match their opponents' intensity during a dreadful third quarter. Utah did the same thing over and over -- dumped the ball into the post and took contested shots. The Jazz's offense was stagnant -- and ugly. They shot 15 percent (3-for-20) in the third quarter, and scored three points in the last six minutes of the period. Utah scored a season-low 10 points in the third quarter.

NOTABLE: Memphis reserve Darrell Arthur sat out after suffering a mild concussion against Denver on Friday night. Haddadi played for the Grizzlies for the first time since Nov. 28 and had eight rebounds in 12 minutes. Utah fell to 9-2 at home this season. Rudy Gay had a solid second half for Memphis, scoring 10 of his 14 points. Conley had 12 points and eight assists and made some great hustle plays in the second half. Jazz reserve center Enes Kanter shot 4-for-4 and scored 10 points in the first half. Utah played its third game in four nights.

UP NEXT: For the Grizzlies, Monday vs. Chicago, Wednesday vs. Milwaukee, Friday vs. Dallas. For the Jazz, Tuesday @ Brooklyn, Wednesday @ Indiana, Saturday @ Miami.

• Grizzlies: Wroten
• Jazz: Bell, Murphy

• Grizzlies: Bayless
• Jazz: --

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
• Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #45 Brian Forte, #75 Eric Dalen
• Attendance: 18183
• Duration: 2:08