Gasol-led Grizzlies dispatch Timberwolves

Marc Gasol scored 26 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and made four 3-point shots to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 100-87 road win on Sunday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Mike Conley added 18 points and nine assists for the Grizzlies, who now have won five of six. The Timberwolves had won three straight since trading Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Grizzlies broke open the game in the third quarter by outscoring the Timberwolves, 28-19. Through three quarters, Memphis had forced 16 Minnesota turnovers and the Timberwolves concluded with 20 miscues.

Derrick Rose kept the Timberwolves in the game, scoring 18 off the bench. Rose was 6 of 11 from the field, including 2-for-4 from long range. Newly acquired Dario Saric also gave Minnesota a lift off the bench, scoring 14 points.

The Grizzlies shot 42.7 percent from the field. Minnesota shot 39.2.

A telling sign that Sunday just wasn't the Timberwolves' day -- with time running out late in the fourth, Garrett Temple threw up a 3-point attempt from 30 feet and hit nothing but net to give Memphis a 96-83 lead.

Another sign -- Gasol sank a corner 3 midway through the third to give the Grizzlies a double-digit lead at 66-54. Minnesota had not won a game where it trailed by double digits all season, and still hasn't.

Shelvin Mack's 3-point jumper made it 69-54 as the Grizzlies defense smothered the Minnesota offense.

The Timberwolves cut the deficit to eight midway through the fourth and when Covington forced the ball off Conley's knee, it appeared Minnesota would have a chance to creep even closer.

But a missed call allowed the Grizzlies to keep the ball and Gasol made a 3 making the score 81-69.

Saric answered to cut the lead to 10 but Gasol could not be stopped. Memphis' big man sank another 3 and it seemed Memphis had an answer every time Minnesota tried to claw back.

Memphis dictated the pace from the get-go but trailed 20-17 after the first quarter. The Grizzlies outscored the Timberwolves 30-23 in the second period and took a 47-43 lead into halftime.

Minnesota shot just 35 percent (14 of 40) in the first half while the Grizzlies were just a little better at 39.1 percent (18-for-46).

The two teams combined to turn the ball over 19 times in the first half.

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NBA: Grizzlies, Jackson take command of Kings in 2nd half

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored a season-high 27 points Friday night, leading the host Memphis Grizzlies to a 112-104 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Grizzlies center Marc Gasol scored 10 of his 19 points in a 22-7 run that closed the first half and opened an 11-point halftime lead. Memphis never trailed in the second half.

Jackson, whose previous high was 24 against Atlanta last month, combined with Garrett Temple for all the Memphis scoring in a game-opening, 15-2 burst. Jackson had four hoops in the run, including a 3-pointer.

Sacramento rallied to go up 44-40 with 7:02 remaining in the half, but the Grizzlies used their 22-7 burst to take charge for good.

The Kings got as close as 101-95 on a 3-pointer by Troy Williams with 5:51 to play, before Temple hit a 15-footer and Jackson threw down a dunk to reopen a double-digit advantage, and the Grizzlies held on from there.

Jackson hit 11 of his 16 shots en route to his game-high point total. He also added six rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots.

Mike Conley contributed 19 points to the win, which improved Memphis' home record to 6-1. Temple (14 points) and Wayne Selden (10) also scored in double figures for the Grizzlies.

Gasol completed a double-double with a game-high 15 rebounds.

De'Aaron Fox totaled team highs in points (23) and assists (10) for the Kings, who defeated the Grizzlies 97-92 at home last month. Fox had 21 points in that game.

Buddy Hield added 16 points for Sacramento, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Iman Shumpert chipped in with 12 points apiece, and Willie Cauley-Stein scored 11.

The Kings outscored the Grizzlies 36-33 on 3-pointers, but hurt themselves with 21 turnovers.

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Grizzlies stop 76ers in OT, stay perfect at home

Mike Conley scored a season-high 32 points and Marc Gasol recorded 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists to lead the host Memphis Grizzlies to a 112-106 overtime win against the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.

The Grizzlies rallied from their largest deficit of the season -- 16 points -- and forced overtime when Garrett Temple's 3-pointer tied the score at 102-all with just under 40 seconds left.

Temple had a crucial steal and a dunk early in overtime that gave the Grizzlies a 104-102 lead. Gasol followed with a basket to give Memphis its largest lead of the game at 106-102. From there, Memphis was able to hold on to remain a perfect 5-0 at home this season.

Joel Embiid recorded his league-leading 13th double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds. JJ Redick scored 20, but only four in the second half. Ben Simmons also totaled 18 points and 14 rebounds.

T.J. McConnell scored a season-high 16 points off the bench for the Sixers.

The game was an anticlimactic end to a day for Philadelphia in which the Sixers changed the course of their franchise when they announced the acquisition of four-time All-Star Jimmy Butler from Minnesota.

Philadelphia will send Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 second-round pick to the Timberwolves, who also will send Justin Patton to Philadelphia. The trade will likely be executed and become official on Monday after all the players involved have passed their physicals.

No one would have blamed the 76ers if they had turned in a dud on Saturday after playing in Philadelphia and winning in overtime Friday night and not arriving in Memphis until 2 a.m.

Only nine players dressed for Philadelphia, yet it was Memphis that came out sluggish and a step slow.

Redick scored 16 first-half points and Markelle Fultz tossed in 10 as Philadelphia looked ready to blow out the Grizzlies.

But Conley sparked a third-quarter rally after Memphis gave up a season-high 63 points in the first half and trailed by 13 at intermission.

Conley scored 13 points in the third quarter and Memphis turned nine 76ers turnovers into eight points to briefly take a 72-71 lead at the 4:44 mark in the third.

But the Sixers regained their composure and responded with an 11-2 to take an 82-74 lead.

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Gasol, Grizzlies snap Nuggets' win streak

Marc Gasol hit two tie-breaking free throws with 4.6 seconds remaining Wednesday night and the host Memphis Grizzlies survived two late misses by the Denver Nuggets to remain unbeaten at home with an 89-87 victory.

Gasol was fouled by Jamal Murray after the Nuggets star had tied the game at 87-all with a 21-footer with 17.8 seconds left.

Gasol, who entered the game as the NBA's 9th-leading free-throw shooter of all time among centers with a 77.9 percentage, then calmly made his difference-makers to cap a 7-for-7 night at the line.

The Grizzlies outscored the Nuggets 21-15 on free throws, getting six more opportunities.

The Nuggets had one shot at a win and a second at a tie in the final 2.4 seconds, but Nikola Jokic misfired on a 3-point attempt and Murray, after grabbing the rebound, failed to connect on a short jumper just before the final horn.

The Nuggets trailed by four after a Mike Conley floater with 40.4 seconds left, then caught a break when Trey Lyles was fouled on a dunk with 31.0 seconds remaining that got Denver within two.

Lyles missed the free throw, but Juan Hernangomez corralled the rebound and Murray hit from 21 feet with 17.8 seconds left to tie the game at 87-all.

The second half, which began with Memphis clinging to a 50-47 advantage, featured six lead changes and six ties, the last of which occurring on Murray's jumper.

Gasol and Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 20 points apiece for the Grizzlies, who improved to 4-0 on the season at home.

Gasol completed a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds.

Kyle Anderson added 14 points for Memphis, which won despite just a four-point night from its leading scorer, Conley, who shot just 2-for-9 but found time for a game-high eight assists.

Gary Harris had 20 points to lead the Nuggets, who had won five straight.

Lyles totaled 16 points and a team-high nine rebounds, Murray logged 15 points and a team-high seven assists, and Mason Plumlee chipped in with 10 points for Denver, which was coming off an eight-point home win over Boston on Monday.

Each team used a 10-0 run to take a lead in the first half, with Denver's burst helping create as much as an eight-point advantage in the first period, before Memphis scored the final 10 points of the second quarter to take a 50-47 lead into the break.

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Grizzlies overcome 15-point deficit to top 76ers

Marc Gasol scored 19 points, Tyreke Evans added 18 and the Memphis Grizzlies overcame a 15-point deficit to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 105-101 Monday night at FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn.

Mario Chalmers contributed 17 points while Jarell Martin and Myke Henry had 12 each for the Grizzlies.

The depleted Grizzlies were missing key players in guard Mike Conley (heel) and forward Chandler Parsons (right knee), among others.

Dario Saric had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot added 20 points and Robert Covington had 18 for the Sixers. Joel Embiid also had 15 points and 14 rebounds for his 20th double-double of the season.

The Sixers committed 24 turnovers, which led to 39 Memphis points.

   
The Sixers continued to play without guards JJ Redick (leg) and Jerryd Bayless (left wrist) and wound up losing for the eighth time this season when holding a double-digit lead.

A barrage of turnovers crushed the Sixers again, as Memphis picked up its first lead, 92-91, with 6:53 remaining.

Gasol drained a deep 3-pointer for a 98-95 lead with 4:16 left. Evans added a jumper, and the Grizzlies moved ahead 100-95 thanks to a 21-6 run.

The 24th Philadelphia turnover led to a pair of free throws by Martin and a 102-98 Grizzlies advantage with 54.6 seconds remaining.

In a bizarre sequence late in the third, Grizzlies guard Wayne Selden was ejected with a second technical after a hard drive to the basket on Justin Anderson. Selden had picked up an initial technical earlier in the game.

The Sixers built a 15-point lead, but the Grizzlies scored the final six points of the third to close within 83-74.

Luwawu-Cabarrot took advantage of extra playing time with the injuries to Redick and Bayless with a stellar first half. Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 17 points and knocked down 5 of 6 shots from beyond the arc. The five 3-pointers converted already set a career high.

The Sixers were 8-of-14 on 3-pointers and led 55-49 at halftime. They led by as many as 14 in the first 24 minutes.

It's the eighth consecutive game the Sixers have moved to the third quarter with an advantage.

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Marc Gasol sidelined after breaking foot

LOS ANGELES -- Memphis Grizzlies star Marc Gasol faces a lengthy layoff after suffering a fracture in his right foot, the team confirmed Tuesday.

The towering center exited early from Monday's defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers but had complained of pain over the weekend.

An MRI scan at Campbell Clinic in Tennessee confirmed the fracture.

"Marc is a cornerstone of our franchise, and we are focused on getting him healthy," Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said. "Marc will be out indefinitely and a further update will be provided after the All-Star break."

Gasol had been averaging 16.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.35 blocks after starting all 52 of the Grizzlies games this season.

"It's certainly not great for Marc and his family. I know he's disappointed," Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger told The Commercial Appeal daily in Memphis.

"It's bad for our team. This is a tight bunch of dudes. They care about each other. It hurts everybody. Marc is a guy who lays it out there for his teammates and the fans."

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Memphis wins at home to take series lead

The Memphis Grizzlies held off a late charge by the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night at FedExForum for a 99-89 victory and a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series.

Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph scored 22 points and center Marc Gasol posted a double-double with 21 points and 15 rebounds.

Gasol did most of his work in the first half, but he hit a jumper that beat the shot clock with 2:06 left to hike the Grizzlies' lead to 93-85. Gasol fouled out with 1:45 left.

Golden State, which trailed by 19 points early in the fourth quarter, got to within four at 88-84 with 3:15 to play on a Harrison Barnes layup (16 points, six rebounds). But Memphis closed on an 11-5 run to seal the victory.

Warriors guard and NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry finished with 23 points and six assists. But Curry was just 8 of 21 from the floor and 2 of 10 from 3-point range.

Warriors guard Klay Thompson scored 20 points, going 8 of 13 from the field and 3 of 6 from behind the arc.

After making 20 turnovers in the Game 2 loss, Golden State committed 17 more turnovers in Game 3 that led to 22 Memphis points.

The Grizzlies had their largest lead with 10:38 left in the fourth quarter when Randolph knocked down a step-back jumper for an 83-64 lead.

Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, who again played with a mask because of a facial injury, had 11 points and five assists. Guard Courtney Lee finished with 11 points and four assists.

When an NBA team takes a 2-1 lead in a best-of-seven series, that team goes on to win the series 81.7 percent of the time.

(Editing by Steve Keating.)

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Grizzlies snap Warriors 16-game streak

MEMPHIS -- The Memphis Grizzlies dealt Golden State their first defeat in more than a month on Tuesday, snapping the Warriors NBA winning streak at 16 games with a 105-98 triumph.

Spanish center Marc Gasol scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Memphis in the battle between the top two teams in the league.

It was the first Golden State defeat since a November 11 setback against reigning NBA champions San Antonio.

Memphis clamped down defensively early in the second quarter, forcing 11 consecutive Golden State misses. The Warriors didn't score a point in the period until the 6:49 mark as the Grizzlies racked up 20 points to build a 14-point advantage.

They never relinquished the lead, although the Warriors twice pulled within two in the final frame.

"Just too much to overcome," said Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of his team's attempt to rally.

"That's a great team over there and we had to fight really hard just to get back to where we were. We were close but we couldn't quite get over the hump."

Zach Randolph scored 17 points with 10 rebounds, Mike Conley supplied 17 points and four steals and Vince Carter nailed four three-pointers as he chipped in 16 points for the Grizzlies, who have won five straight.

Klay Thompson netted 22 points for Golden State. Stephen Curry contributed 19 points, six assists and four steals, but never really caught fire.

"Our biggest problem tonight was our execution offensively," Kerr said. "We were scattered. We weren't moving early in the game and then we started moving but we were sort of careless with the ball. We had key turnovers at really important times.

"In the end, I love this team, they're competitive, they defend, they pull for each other. But come playoff time you have to execute offensively, you can't have empty possessions. We had a lot of them tonight."

The Warriors, again playing without injured David Lee and Andrew Bogut, had trimmed the deficit to two when the Grizzlies scored seven straight points to rebuild their cushion to 97-88 with 3:05 to play.

A Curry layup cut the margin to 99-96 with 38.3 seconds remaining.

Conley floated in a shot for Memphis before Golden State's Marreese Speights knocked down a jump shot with 25.3 seconds left.

But Gasol made a brace of free throws and Curry was off-target with two three-point attempts to seal the Warriors' fate.

Kerr said he didn't think the winning streak had weighed on or distracted his players.

"I don't feel like there's been a circus around us or anything," he said. "I haven't thought about the streak really at all other than just enjoying the winning part.

"We've just got to bounce back."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Gasol lifts Grizzlies over Mavericks

Grizzlies 114, Mavericks 105

Center Marc Gasol scored 30 points as Memphis topped Dallas. Power forward Zach Randolph scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and point guard Mike Conley finished with 22 points for the Grizzlies.

The Mavericks held their last lead with 8:17 left in the third quarter when a Dirk Nowitzki jumper made it 67-66. Memphis closed the quarter with a 26-12 run to lead 92-79 going into the fourth.

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Thunder 114, Bucks 101

Guard Russell Westbrook scored 28 points as Oklahoma City topped Milwaukee for its third win in a row since forward Kevin Durant returned to the line-up.

Westbrook shot 8-for-16 and contributed five rebounds and seven assists. Durant added 23 points, nine boards and seven assists in his first home game of the season.

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Randolph, Gasol lift Grizzlies over Pistons

Grizzlies 95, Pistons 88

Zach Randolph recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 17 points and a season-high 22 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Detroit Pistons.

The Grizzlies (9-1) have won a franchise-record 19 straight regular-season home games and have won 10 straight games from the Pistons, a stretch that dates to October 2009.

Memphis center Marc Gasol scored a game-high 23 points with eight rebounds. Point guard Mike Conley finished with 18 points.

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Wizards 98, Magic 93

Nene and Kris Humphries each scored 16 points as the surging Washington Wizards won their third straight game with a 98-93 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Six players scored in double figures for the Wizards (7-2), including guard John Wall, who had 15 points and 10 assists. The 7-2 start for Washington is their best since opening the 1974-75 campaign 7-1.

Tobias Harris scored 19 points, and Victor Oladipo had 18 for the Magic (4-7) in his first start of the season.

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Warriors 112, Hornets 87

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes did all the scoring in an 18-4 flurry late in the second quarter that put the Golden State Warriors in command en route to a victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

The Warriors shot 58 percent from the field in the runaway first half and improved to 7-2 while dropping Charlotte to 4-6.

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Bulls extend winning streak; Grizzlies beat Clippers

Bulls 86, Bobcats 81

Forward Luol Deng scored 21 points, including a clutch three-pointer with 27.1 seconds left, to help the Chicago Bulls hold off the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Bulls held a one-point lead when point guard Derrick Rose fired a cross-court pass to Deng, who drained a long shot near the top of the key to give Chicago an 85-81 lead.

Guard Jimmy Butler added 14 points for the Bulls (6-3), who won their fifth consecutive game.

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Grizzlies 106, Clippers 102

The Memphis Grizzlies hung on for a victory against rival Los Angeles Clippers in the first regular season meeting between the teams.

In a matchup of teams that have battled in the last two playoffs, forward Zach Randolph and center Marc Gasol combined for 49 points and 24 rebounds, and the rugged Grizzlies forced the Clippers into 39.5 percent field-goal shooting.

Los Angeles twice crept within four points of the Grizzlies (6-5) over the final 30 seconds, but Randolph hit two free throws and then broke loose for an uncontested layup to keep the Clippers at arm's length.

Forward Blake Griffin had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers (7-4).

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Trail Blazers 108, Nets 98

The Portland Trail Blazers outscored the Brooklyn Nets 52-35 in the second half in order to overcome their host's best first half of basketball this season on their way to a victory on Monday night.

Despite missing missing center Brook Lopez and guard Deron Williams to injury, Brooklyn (3-7) scored 63 points in the first half on 22-of-44 shooting.

But Portland (9-2) fought back for their seventh straight win behind 27 points from LaMarcus Aldridge and 25 from Wesley Matthews.

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Grizzlies, Clippers beat conference rivals

Grizzlies 108, Warriors 90

The Memphis Grizzlies returned to their dominating post play and beat the Golden State Warriors 108-90.

Power forward Zach Randolph led the way with 23 points and 11 rebounds as all five Grizzlies starters and former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Mike Miller scored in double-figures.

Point guard Mike Conley scored 20 with six assists, center Marc Gasol scored 18, Miller had 15, shooting guard Tony Allen had 12, and small forward Tayshaun Prince 10.

The Warriors (4-3) have not defeated the Grizzlies (3-3) in three years.

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Clippers 107, Rockets 94




After closing the third quarter with a tip-in at the buzzer and opening the fourth with a three-point play, Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford drilled a pair of three-pointers down the stretch of a 107-94 win over the Houston Rockets.

Crawford finished with 16 points off the bench to lift the Clippers (4-3) and complement strong efforts from power forward Blake Griffin (22 points) and point guard Chris Paul (14 points and 13 assists).


Forward Chandler Parsons led the Rockets (4-3) with 23 points and eight rebounds while center Dwight Howard added 21 points and eight boards.

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