Grizzlies-Warriors Preview

Posted Jan 08 2013 12:58PM

Zach Randolph and David Lee were once teammates for a terrible club. Now both are key figures for teams that appear headed to the postseason.

Randolph and Lee are among the league leaders in double-doubles heading into Wednesday night's matchup when the visiting Memphis Grizzlies look to defeat the Golden State Warriors for an eight straight meeting.

These forwards played together for a 23-win Knicks team in 2007-08 and also were teammates for part of the next season before Randolph was traded to the Clippers.

Now Randolph leads the NBA with 22 double-doubles and Lee is tied for second with 20. Randolph could be headed to his third straight postseason after a seven-year drought while Lee has never been in a playoff game or even been on a winning team in his first seven seasons.

The Grizzlies (22-10) are fourth in the Western Conference and the Warriors (22-11) are fifth.

Randolph had 15 points and 14 rebounds in the lone meeting between these clubs this season as Memphis spoiled Golden State's home opener with a 104-94 victory. Lee finished with 16 points, seven boards and five fouls for the Warriors, whose last win in this series came Nov. 3, 2010.

Golden State was led by Stephen Curry's 26 points in a game that was notable for Randolph inadvertently knocking the Warriors' Brandon Rush to the court, resulting in a season-ending torn ACL for Rush. Randolph was distraught in the immediate aftermath of the nasty fall by Rush.

Back then, it was hard to imagine how strong a season Golden State would enjoy to this point. The Warriors were playing well during a four-game win streak before a 115-89 loss to the Clippers on Saturday that they feel they can shake off.

"NBA players realize that out of an 82-game schedule there are going to be nights like this, and nights where you win by 30," Lee said.

The victory at Golden State marked the first of three straight double-digit road wins for Memphis. The Grizzlies are on another such three-game run and have never won four in a row on the road by at least 10 points.

Wayne Ellington came off the bench for a career-high 26 points Monday in a 113-81 rout at Sacramento. Randolph added 17 points for the Grizzlies, allowing an NBA-low 89.1 points per game.

"We're a defensive team," Randolph said. "When we get stops we can score with the best of them."

The Grizzlies are forcing 16.6 turnovers per game to rank among the league leaders. That's a big advantage against a Golden State team that averages 15.5 for one of the NBA's worst marks, including 18.5 over its last four games.

"I think our problem is when we become careless at times," coach Mark Jackson said. "Our turnovers have been unforced errors."

Memphis leading scorer Rudy Gay, held to eight points on 2-of-10 shooting Monday, continues to be the subject of trade rumors. His 17.8 scoring average is his worst since his rookie season, and he's shooting a career-low 40.8 percent.

Wednesday is bobblehead night for Curry, and the Warriors leading scorer is looking forward to it.

"I haven't seen the finished product yet but I'm sure it will look pretty good," Curry said. "I got a haircut and everything to kind of match the bobblehead."

Grizzlies beat Warriors 94-87 to complete 3-0 trip

By ANTONIO GONZALEZ
Posted Jan 10 2013 2:07AM

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Mark Jackson figured his Golden State Warriors could be in for a tough night, calling the Memphis Grizzlies "the best frontline in basketball" hours before tipoff.

At this point, the Warriors coach should know.

Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol had their way inside on both ends of the court to help the Grizzlies complete a 3-0 road trip with a 94-87 victory over the Warriors on Wednesday night. Memphis, which has won eight straight against Golden State, outscored the Warriors 60-34 in the paint.

"Those are our horses," said Grizzlies guard Tony Allen, who had 10 points and four rebounds off the bench. "We ride those guys."

Randolph finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds, Gay scored 18 points and Gasol added 12 points and nine rebounds as Memphis made its quick West Coast swing more memorable. The Grizzlies (23-10) also won at Phoenix on Sunday and at Sacramento on Monday, building a 1 1/2-game lead over Golden State (22-12) for fourth place in the Western Conference.

"We needed this," said Gay, who also had six assists and five rebounds. "We've been going through some ups and downs and had some lapses, some kind of lapse games. We lost a couple at home. We had to come out here for ourselves to get three out of three."

Consider it done.

Stephen Curry scored 24 points and Klay Thompson had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as the Warriors lost back-to-back games for only the second time this season.

After falling behind by five late in the fourth quarter, Curry made a pull-up 3-pointer and Thompson drew a fast-break foul to set up the tying free throws. Gasol answered with a reverse layup under heavy pressure, pumping his fist in celebration to give the Grizzlies the lead again.

In the end, though, defense sent Memphis home a winner.

Mike Conley stole David Lee's pass before getting fouled and making both free throws. On the next possession, Jerryd Bayless blocked Jarrett Jack's shot and that led to a layup for Conley that gave the Grizzlies an 88-82 lead with 1:51 remaining.

Lee followed with a jumper, but Gay answered back with an 18-footer. Curry's 3-pointer brought the Warriors within three for a moment before Randolph made two free throws to finish off Golden State with 13.2 seconds left.

"You play them, you're going to get better," Jackson said. "They execute you to death and playing them is going to force you to get better."

The Warriors were coming off their most lopsided loss of the season, 115-89 at the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. They fell to 9-2 after a loss this season.

The length of Randolph, Gay and Gasol gave Golden State fits on both ends of the floor.

Memphis took advantage of several second-chance opportunities and started to pull away behind its big men in the second quarter. On one play, Randolph grabbed two straight offensive rebounds - with Lee falling to the floor - before he finished a layup through a crowd of defenders to highlight a 16-2 run to put the Grizzlies up 45-32.

Two late 3-pointers and a reverse layup by Curry eased a horrible defensive half for the Warriors some. After shooting 54 percent from the floor and going ahead by 14 points, Memphis only led 55-46 at the break.

Golden State mixed in some matchup zones and held the Grizzlies to 5 for 18 shooting in the third quarter, getting a spark from Thompson's two 3s and Jack's aggressiveness off the bench. Jack got Allen in the air on a pump-fake and made a long jumper while getting fouled to start a three-point play, and Curry swished another from the perimeter to tie the game at 74 midway through the fourth.

Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins sent his frontline back in the game and the trio overwhelmed the Warriors when it mattered most.

"That's the strength of their team, is grinding in the paint and offensive rebounding," Lee said. "It's disappointing, because that's been one of our strengths throughout the season, and we've just got to come back and do a better job of it next game."

NOTES: Warriors C Andrew Bogut did some light shooting and jogging before the game. He has not played since Nov. 7 while he recovers from the lingering effects of microfracture surgery on his left ankle. ... Grizzlies G Josh Selby was not with the team for personal reasons. ... Memphis also beat the Warriors 104-94 in Golden State's home opener Nov. 2. ... Memphis hosts San Antonio on Friday, while the Warriors welcome Portland.

Notebook: Grizzlies 94, Warriors 87

Geoff Lepper, For NBA.com
Posted Thu Jan 10, 2013 2:41 AM - Updated Thu Jan 10, 2013 7:41 PM

THE FACTS: Zach Randolph had 19 points and 12 rebounds and his league-leading 23rd double-double helped the Memphis Grizzlies pull away in the final 3 1/2 minutes for a 94-87 victory against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.

With trade rumors swirling around him, Rudy Gay showcased his skills with 18 points, six assists and five rebounds. Mike Conley had 16 points for the Grizzlies (23-10), who received double-figure scoring from all five starters while sweeping their three-game Western road swing.

The Grizzlies have now won eight straight games against the Warriors (22-12), who came back twice to tie the game in the fourth quarter -- the last occasion with 3:32 remaining -- but never led in the second half.

Stephen Curry's game-high 24 points went to waste for the Warriors, who have lost consecutive games for only the second time all season. Klay Thompson had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in one of his most complete games as a pro.

QUOTABLE: "Our focus was to come in and get three wins. We did that. What a great way to come close it out in the last game. We played hard for 48 minutes again. We weathered that storm."

-- Grizzlies guard Tony Allen

THE STAT: In a game where both teams shot almost the same percentage from the floor (46.5 for Golden State, 45.5 for Memphis), it was a case of quantity over quality; the Grizzlies parlayed 13 offensive rebounds and a 15-11 advantage in forcing turnovers to generate 17 more shot attempts than the Warriors. That allowed Memphis to prevail despite shooting 11.8 percent from 3-point range (2-for-17).

TURNING POINT: Conley struggled for significant stretches Wednesday -- committing five turnovers against just four assists -- but he was in the thick of it when Memphis pulled away. With the Grizzlies nursing an 84-82 lead, Conley picked up a pass deflected by teammate Marc Gasol and took it the length of the floor before forcing a foul on Curry. Conley then drained both free throws to put Memphis up four. On Golden State's next possession, Jerryd Bayless snuffed out a mid-range jumper by Jarrett Jack. Conley scooped up the rebound and capped a fast-break by converting a layup off Gay's assist. Memphis led 88-82 with 1:51 left, and the Warriors would never get another chance to tie the game.

QUOTABLE II: "The offensive rebounds, and then just the plays that you need to beat a team like that, we didn't capitalize on them or gain enough possessions. And, if they shoot 17 extra shots, with the talent they have, it's going to be tough to beat them."

-- Stephen Curry

HOT: After getting just six offensive rebounds through three quarters, Memphis more than doubled with seven in the fourth period alone. Twenty of Memphis' 26 points in the fourth were in the paint, and 10 came on second-chance possessions.

NOT: Jack has been a key performer down the stretch of games for the Warriors this season, but he was shutout in the fourth quarter Wednesday, despite playing all 12 minutes.

GOOD MOVE: When the Warriors rode a burst of defensive momentum from their zone defense to tie the game at 74-all with 7:35 left, Memphis coach Lionel Hollins wasted no time bringing back his entire frontcourt of Gay, Randolph and Gasol. The trio combined to score 14 of the Grizzlies' final 20 points and even forced the Warriors to briefly abandon their preferred closing frontcourt -- a relatively diminutive group of Lee, Carl Landry and Thompson.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Robert Pera, who took over as Memphis' majority owner in November, sat near courtside.

NOTABLE: The Grizzlies' 11.8 percent shooting on 3s was their season-worst. It also represented a season-low for a Warriors opponent. . . . Memphis' 60 points in the paint was the most by any Golden State foe. . . . It was Mark Jackson's 100th game as the Warriors' coach. He's now 45-55 lifetime.

UP NEXT: For the Grizzlies, Friday vs. San Antonio, Saturday @ Dallas, Monday vs. Clippers. For the Warriors, Friday vs. Portland, Sunday @ Denver, Wednesday vs. Miami.

• Grizzlies: Pondexter
• Warriors: Bogut, Rush

• Grizzlies: Hollins
• Warriors: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: ORACLE Arena, Oakland, CA
• Officials: #15 Bennett Salvatore, #47 Bennie Adams, #68 Marat Kogut
• Attendance: 19596
• Duration: 2:12