Grizzlies ownership president Gene Bartow health problem

Memphis Grizzlies Majority Owner and Chief Executive Officer Michael Heisley issued the following statement today on the health of President of Hoops LP Gene Bartow.

“We have recently learned that Gene Bartow has become ill with stomach cancer and has begun treatments immediately in Birmingham, Alabama.

Coach Bartow has been a beloved figure in the collegiate ranks and a staple in the Memphis community from his head coaching days at Memphis State University to his eight years of dedication to the Grizzlies.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Gene and we look forward to his speedy recovery. We spoke to him today and he is doing well, and is very optimistic. Currently we have little information, but we will provide further updates when it becomes available with the blessing of Gene and his family.”

Suns hold off Grizzlies for 45th victory

The AP reports: After playing his reserves for the first 5 minutes of the fourth quarter of Monday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Gentry substituted his first team back into the game. The result was a 119-110 victory, Phoenix’s eighth straight at home… O’Neal led Phoenix’s well-balanced attack with 19 points. Overall, the Suns had seven players in double figures. Steve Nash had 18 points and 12 assists. Jason Richardson collected 18 points, Grant Hill and rookie Robin Lopez had 14 apiece, Matt Barnes 12 and Leandro Barbosa 10. Lopez’s total tied his season high. Hakim Warrick, who hit his first 10 field goal attempts, tying a franchise record for one game, and Rudy Gay led Memphis with 26 points each. O.J. Mayo scored 20, Marc Gasol added 13 points and Mike Conley Jr. scored 12 and tied a franchise record with seven steals.

Bynum sharp in Lakers 92-75 win over Memphis

The AP reports: Andrew Bynum scored 18 points in his third game back from a knee injury and the Los Angeles Lakers rolled to a 92-75 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night. Kobe Bryant took just nine shots, made seven, and finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Pau Gasol, often matched against his brother Marc in the middle, scored 12 points and had 13 rebounds. Trevor Ariza also scored 12 in the Lakers’ balanced attack… O.J. Mayo led the Grizzlies with 20 points, and Marc Gasol had 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Grizzlies end 10-game skid against listless Suns

The AP reports: Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo scored 20 points apiece, and the Grizzlies snapped a 10-game losing streak against Phoenix with a 106-89 victory. “We’re playing to get better,” said Memphis point guard Mike Conley, who scored 17 points… Hakim Warrick had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Marc Gasol finished with 14 points. Jason Richardson and Louis Amundson led the Suns with 13 points apiece, the only Phoenix players in double figures. Starters Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Nash and Matt Barnes finished with nine points.

Magic rally to top Grizzlies 81-78

The AP reports: J.J. Redick was feeling confident after sparking a late Orlando Magic rally over the Memphis Grizzlies. His smile was big, his hair was slick and he had an extra bounce in his step. So confident, in fact, Redick had the confidence afterward to wear a light-blue shirt complete with tight white pants and white shoes in a Magic locker room where poking fun at wardrobes is practically a hobby… Hedo Turkoglu scored 20 points, Dwight Howard added 14 and the Magic rallied to beat the pesky Grizzlies 81-78 on Wednesday night. Redick scored all nine of his points in the fourth quarter to highlight a 19-7 run, helping the Magic overcome an eight-point deficit and stay in the hunt for the Eastern Conference’s second seed. Orlando (58-20) stayed a game back of Boston for the East’s No. 2 spot… Rudy Gay had 18 points, and Mike Conley and Mayo had 17 points apiece for the Grizzlies, who were held to just 15 points in the final period and have lost two straight games after winning four in a row.

Blazers rally to beat Grizzlies 96-93

The AP reports: Brandon Roy keyed the rally, Travis Outlaw hit the go-ahead shot and the Portland Trail Blazers kept their fight alive for home court in the Western Conference playoffs. Outlaw banked in a 14-footer with 13 seconds left to complete Portland’s comeback, and the Trail Blazers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 96-93 on Tuesday night. Roy, who scored 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, stole the ball from Memphis guard Mike Conley with 8 seconds left, then hit the ensuing two free throws to preserve the win… Rudy Fernandez and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 15 apiece for the Trail Blazers. Outlaw finished with 11 points and Greg Oden scored 10… Mayo led Memphis with 31 points, hitting 13 of his 21 shots, going 5-of-7 outside the arc. Rudy Gay had 19 before fouling out on Outlaw’s go-ahead basket. Hakim Warrick added 13 points and Conley 12.

Grizzlies beats Bucks 107-102 for 4th straight win

The AP reports: Powered by Rudy Gay’s 26 points—including a windmill dunk that inspired a kid sitting courtside to holler, “Rudy! That was nasty!”—the Grizzlies beat the Milwaukee Bucks 107-102 on Saturday to win their fourth straight game, tying a season high… Marc Gasol scored 19 points and had 10 rebounds for Memphis. Mike Conley added 17 and was 4-for-6 from 3-point range, saying afterward that the Grizzlies were “making the game fun again.” Richard Jefferson scored 24 for the Bucks, who remain mathematically alive— just barely—for the playoffs but now would need to win their final four games and wind up in an unlikely multiteam tie for the final spot to get in.

Grizzlies beat Mavs for 3rd straight win

The AP reports: Long eliminiated from playoff contention, the Memphis Grizzlies looked a lot more like a postseason team than the Dallas Mavericks. Memphis broke a 97-all tie by outscoring the Mavericks 10-5 in the final 1:42 en route to a 107-102 victory Friday night. Rudy Gay had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Mike Conley added 25 points as Memphis won its third straight game… O.J. Mayo, who put the game out of reach with consecutive baskets, added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Grizzlies. Marc Gasol had 13 points and nine rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 35 points, 25 of them in the second half. Jason Terry scored 16 points, and Erick Dampier, Brandon Bass and Jose Barea had 10 each… Mavericks F Josh Howard, who returned two games ago after missing 11 with a bum left ankle, did not play. The official reason was the sore ankle, but Howard also aggravated a left wrist injury when he took a charge Wednesday night against Miami.

Gay scores 25, Grizzlies beat Wizards 112-107

The AP reports: Trailing 110-107 with just under 4 seconds left, the Wizards had the ball out of bounds with a chance to tie. But a steal of the inbounds pass by guard Mike Conley and his two ensuing free throws provided Memphis with a 112-107 victory over the Wizards on Wednesday night, giving the Grizzlies their first home win since the All-Star break… Rudy Gay scored 25 points and Conley added 22 to lead the Grizzlies. Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo scored 18 points apiece. Gasol grabbed nine rebounds, and Mayo had seven assists. Hakim Warrick had 12 points. Butler had 31 points for Washington, which lost its third straight, while Antawn Jamison had 28 points and 10 rebounds. Reserve Nick Young had 16 points and Crittenton finished with 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.

Huge Mayo game, Grizzlies beat Warriors 114-109

The AP reports: O.J. Mayo scored 24 points and had a career-high 10 assists, Rudy Gay added 21 points and the Grizzlies rallied from nine points down in the fourth quarter to beat the short-handed Warriors 114-109 on Monday night.. Memphis (19-54) did it behind Mayo, Gay and seldom-used reserve Hamed Haddadi, who came off the bench to score all of his career-high 10 points in the fourth quarter when the Grizzlies overcame a 90-81 deficit to win going away behind a late 25-5 run… Mike Conley added 21 points and six rebounds for the Grizzlies (19-54), who won for just the fourth time in 22 games. Monta Ellis had 29 points for Golden State, which suited up just eight players for the second straight game and lost its fifth in a row.