Lakers 03-06-15

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The Grizzlies roared back in the fourth quarter of tonight’s matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers to take a 97-90 victory. Memphis erased a deficit as large as 10 early on in the last quarter as they outscored their opponent 30-19 in the final frame.

Marc Gasol (nine points), Jeff Green (eight points) and Zach Randolph (five points) combined for 22 of the Grizzlies’ 30 points in the fourth quarter on a combined 5-of-9 shooting (.556).

Zach Randolph led all Memphis scorers with 24 points on 10-of-16 (.625) shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds to notch his 33rd double-double of the season. Randolph recorded 16 of his 24 points in the second half.

Two Grizzlies had impressive shooting performances as Tony Allen (15 points, five rebounds) was 7-of-8 shooting (.875) from the field and Jeff Green sank a perfect 10-of-10 shots (1.000) from the charity stripe.

Memphis was helped by second-chance points, outscoring Los Angeles 17-5 in the category on 8-of-9 shooting (.889). Five Grizzlies scored in double figures for the night.

The Lakers held the lead for the majority of the matchup, powered by a career performance by rookie Jordan Clarkson. Clarkson scored a personal-high 25 points on 12-of-18 shooting and tied a career-best with six assists.

Memphis took an 88-87 lead with 1:36 remaining in the final period and never looked back, finishing the game on a 9-3 run.

The Grizzlies will spread the map, taking a four-game road trip to New Orleans (March 7), Chicago (March 9), Boston (March 11) and Washington (March 12). Memphis will make their return to FedExForum on Saturday, March 14 against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Grizzlies and Pelicans will tip-off tomorrow at 6 p.m. (CT).

Box Score | Discuss the game on the Fan Boards.

The Grizzlies will tip-off a 4-game road trip by taking on the Pelicans in New Orleans on Saturday at 6pm.

The Grizzlies will return to FedExForum on Saturday, March 14 to face the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Grizzlies rally to sweep Lakers, 97-90

World War II veteran Malcolm “Jimmy” Keep sat courtside in Memphis Grizzlies Owner Robert Pera’s seats at Friday’s victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, just a few feet down from Zach Randolph, both wearing their uniforms – a Marines hat chronicling one man’s service and the other a prideful display of the city both men call home, coincidentally in the same blue and gold.

Randolph interrupted his pregame warm-ups to greet Keep and pay his respects.

Keep didn’t ask to come to FedExForum, where he watched the Grizzlies defeat the Lakers 97-90, but during an exclusive for the Commercial Appeal touching on his impending visit to the eight square-mile, war-torn battlegrounds of Iwo Jima, Keep’s son disclosed that he’d probably rather go to a Memphis Grizzlies game and watch Zach Randolph.

Keep’s been following basketball all of his life, since he was just a boy, and certainly before he became a veteran of one of the most legendary battles in American history.

He’s reluctant to re-visit Iwo Jima again. He hasn’t been since 1945, and was a survivor despite 7,000 fallen Marine comrades in combat.  He was a recon man, tasked with the perils of clearing the underground tunnels coursing through Iwo Jima, chock full of enemy soldiers lurking and looming in the darkness. To this day, Keep steers clear of tunnels, and attributes that as one of the biggest reasons he’s apprehensive to return to Iwo Jima. The danger is over, but Keep adds that as he gets older, the war becomes real again.

But tonight, he was in the open, clear of any tunnels, just the visiting enemy Los Angeles Lakers and the, according to Keep, “Marine-like” Memphis Grizzlies.

There’s certainly no literal parallel between being a soldier in war, and battling it out on the court. But both Keep and Randolph see the world a little different, and agree that certain characteristics make their respective efforts palpable and relatable.

As for Keep, he sees basketball tenacity and the will to prevail in the only way he knows how – a fight until the end.

Their two worlds collided in the Grizzlies first home victory since the All-Star break, and coincidentally Keep’s very first NBA game.

Did he know the Grizzlies were going to win?

Anyone interested in making donations to help pay for veterans’ trips back to Europe, the Pacific and other former war zones can call Diane Hight, president and founder of the group Forever Young Senior Veterans, at 9012997516. The group’s website is foreveryoungvets.org (https://foreveryoungvets.org).

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All Heart, All Hero

Find out what Coach Joerger has to say about the game during our live post-game press conference which takes place approximately 10-15 minutes after the final buzzer.

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Postgame press conference: MEMvLAL

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Grizzlies vs. Lakers: Photos

By: Daniel Carp, Grizzlies.com Contributor

Record: 16-44Standings: 14th in Western Conference, fifth in Pacific DivisionStarting Five: PG Jordan Clarkson, SG Wayne Ellington, SF Ryan Kelly, PF Carlos Boozer, C Robert SacreHead Coach: Byron Scott (first season with team)

Late defensive lapses doomed the Lakers, who suffered their 10th loss in 13 games 100-94 at the hands of the Heat. After erasing a 10-point second-half deficit, Los Angeles found itself within striking distance in the game's waning minutes, trailing 95-94 after a shot from Jordan Hill with 40 seconds to play. The Lakers could not get the defensive stop they needed, as Miami center Hassan Whiteside took a feed from Dwyane Wade off the pick-and-roll and converted with 21.3 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach.

Seven Lakers players reached double figures in the loss, with shooting guard Wayne Ellington and power forward Ed Davis leading the way with 14 points apiece. Whiteside recorded a monster double-double for Miami with 18 points, 25 rebounds and four blocks.

The Grizzlies and Lakers haven't seen each other since Jan. 2 at the Staples Center, where Kobe Bryant's game-tying 3-point attempt rimmed out at the buzzer to give Memphis a 109-106 victory. Six consecutive points from power forward Ed Davis brought Los Angeles within two points with 1:04 remaining, but a jumper by small forward Tayshaun Prince kept Memphis in front with 42 seconds to go. Bryant hit a long, contested 3-pointer with 24 seconds left but Davis missed a potential game-tying free throw, allowing shooting guard Courtney Lee to pad his team's advantage at the charity stripe. Bryant had just 0.6 seconds to put up an attempt to send the game to overtime, but could not convert.

Bryant filled up the stat sheet with 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, but the Grizzlies were lifted by the play of point guard Beno Udrih, who scored 16 points in 16 minutes off the bench. Center Marc Gasol added a double-double for Memphis with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Keep an eye on the battle at shooting guard between Memphis' Courtney Lee and the Lakers' Wayne Ellington. Lee struggled from the floor in the Grizzlies' 102-100 win against Houston Wednesday, managing just 2-of-8 shooting and finishing with six points. He will have a tough defensive matchup against Ellington, who is averaging 12.4 points per game in his last five contests. Lee could have trouble finding space on the perimeter against a Los Angeles defense that held the Heat to just 3-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc Wednesday night.

Since losing Bryant to a season-ending torn rotator cuff Jan. 21, the Lakers have sputtered to a 4-13 record. Rookie point guard Jordan Clarkson has stepped up his production significantly in Bryant's absence, averaging 13.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game since Los Angeles lost its star player.

The Lakers' second-leading scorer has been sidelined with a knee injury and missed his team's last five games. Although it originally seemed possible that Young would make his return to the lineup against the Grizzlies, reports from the Los Angeles Daily News indicated that the shooting guard is eyeing a comeback Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks.

After losing each of its first three contests against the Grizzlies this year, the Lakers are hoping to avoid being swept by Memphis for the first time since the 2004-05 season. Los Angeles has lost five straight matchups against the Grizzlies and nine of its last 11.

The combined annual salary of the Lakers' starting lineup is $7,385,963. It would take Kobe Bryant 26 games playing at his annual salary of $23.5 million to out-earn Los Angeles' entire starting five.

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Grizzlies vs. Lakers: Scouting Report

Tune in every weekday home game day at 11am (CT) to watch Grizzlies radio play-by-play announcer Eric Hasseltine, TV sideline reporter Rob Fischer and a special guest player or coach as they discuss everything you need to know before heading to FedExForum.

Tuning in to the game at home? Find your channel.

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Grizzlies Game Day Live: MEMvLAL

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Lakers 03‑06‑15