Gametime
Final Score: Grizzlies 103, Nuggets 102 - February 17, 2012
Video
Photos
Key Stat of the Night
O.J. Mayo's dunk with 1:12 left in the third quarter left the Grizzlies with an 83-67 lead, a commanding advantage they had enjoyed throughout much of the game. But the Nuggets went on a 10-0 run bridging the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter that woke up the crowd up 15,201 for the final 11 minutes.
Player Notes
Grizzlies center Marc Gasol filled up the stat sheet with 16 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and three blocked shots.
O.J. Mayo broke out of his slump for the Grizzlies with 17 points. In his last five games, he was averaging just eight points on 26 percent shooting.
Rudy Gay scored 20 points and O.J. Mayo added 17 off the bench as the Grizzlies beat the Nuggets 103-102 at home Friday. Marc Gasol (16 points, 14 rebounds) and Marreese Speights (12 points, 10 rebounds) both recorded double-doubles for the Grizzlies who out-rebounded the Nuggets 44-37.
Up Next:
They said...
Coach Hollins
On the game:
“I expected it to be close. I never thought it was going to be a runaway even when we were up 17, 18 points. They’re (Denver Nuggets) small and quick. They started making threes, which they weren’t doing in the first half and the kid Brewer (Cory) had a great second half-26 points in the second half. They were kicking us on the boards. They had 14 offensive rebounds and ultimately an offensive rebound won the game for us.”
“I thought we got our composure. Rudy made a couple of big time shots that keep giving us the lead. We had unfortunate plays; the fast break when we made the stop and then Mike (Conley) loses it out of bounds and we got the stop that should have won the game when Mike loses the ball when he trips and they score and take the lead. We didn’t quit, we didn’t give up and we worked really hard for that win. I’m just happy. It was an exciting game and a great game for the Denver fans on TV, and it was a hairy win and a scary win for our fans. I just thank God we have the win.”
On the last possession:
“Rudy was going to have the ball at the end. I could have gotten it (the ball) to him at the middle of the court, but we didn’t really execute the play they way we were suppose to execute it. The timing wasn’t right. Rudy did a good job of finding it and he held it until he was ready. (Chris) Andersen came over and helped and that’s why the back side was free and Dante (Cunningham) made a good shot.”
On Corey Brewer:
“The first three he hit Rudy came over and helped. The second one Rudy had gotten fouled and he came back down court, they threw it to (Corey) Brewer and he (Rudy) didn’t get a hand up. We had Rudy at four and Tony on him (Brewer) and Tony gave up the three because of a miscommunication. He got hot. He made some big buckets. He’s a local guy from Tennessee, he wanted to do well in front of the fans and he did. He almost brought his team all the way back.”
On the Nuggets comeback:
“They started attacking the basket and dropping it off to the bigs at the basket when our bigs were helping, and they had guys in the corner shooting threes. It’s a great way to play when you have those three point shooters, and the bigs just caught and dunked when they had those offensive rebounds. Ultimately we cut some of that down and we made plays. We had more movement in our plays versus just standing around. Ultimately it was a win. The only thing I’m concerned with is that it’s not an L and it’s a W. All the stuff that goes on in these games this year, the big swings, we’ve had them. We’ve come back from being down. It’s just the way it is. You just have to keep playing, and when you win you just have to wipe your brow and thank God.”
On the Grizzlies:
“We shot the ball extremely well for most of the game. It (the Nuggets run) doesn’t take away from the start. The start is what won the game. I can’t be upset at what happened later on because being up 34-15 and them (Nuggets) having to play from behind constantly uphill ultimately won the game. We kind of quit attacking, Mike quit attacking. They caught us and passed us, and then we were able to get back into attack mode and withstand the run.”
Marreese Speights
On the win:
"We went out there with a lot of energy. We just went out there knowing we had to get this game and just play hard. Corey Brewer just went out there with a lot of confidence. He hit five or six threes in the third quarter. That’s big. It’s the NBA, teams get runs. I’m glad we won.”
On Dante Cunningham:
“Dante is a very underrated player. Like I told him on the bench, ‘Everything that happened before those points didn’t matter. That tip-in is all that matters to people. That’s all they’ll talk about.’ He went out there and got that tip and won the game for us.”