The AP reports: Mehmet Okur had a season-high 23 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 103-94 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night. Okur was 9-of-15 from the field, including missing only one of his five shots from 3-point range, as the Jazz won the sixth straight game in the series. Ronnie Brewer, who was 10-of-14 from the floor, added 21 points, Morris Almond had 11, and Ronnie Price 10. O.J. Mayo led Memphis with 23 points, and Rudy Gay added 21. Darrell Arthur had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Mike Conley finished with 14 points and eight assists. The Jazz were short-handed. Guard Deron Williams missed his 12th game because of a sprained ankle, Carlos Boozer sat out with a strained left quadriceps, and Kyle Korver was sidelined by an inflamed right wrist.
Category: Memphis Grizzlies Blog
Grizzlies blog – Memphis Grizzlies blog
Nov 18: Grizzlies 109, Kings 94
The AP reports: A three-day layoff was just what the Memphis Grizzlies needed to rejuvenate their struggling offense. Rudy Gay scored 22 points and Memphis shot a season-high 54 percent to help the Grizzlies snap a four-game losing streak with a 109-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night… Hakim Warrick added 21 points and 10 rebounds and Marc Gasol scored 16… John Salmons led the Kings with 18 points, while Spencer Hawes scored 14, hitting all seven of his shots. Rookie forward Jason Thompson scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds. He also had three blocks. The Kings were short-handed, playing without leading scorer Kevin Martin and forward-center Mikki Moore.
Top recruit Xavier Henry picks Memphis
I don’t normally include college news in this blog, but it’s worth knowing that Xavier Henry, a top national recruit, will be playing for John Calipari at the University of Memphis.
Coach Cal for years has shown an amazing ability to land star players, and Henry is another on that list.
Ticker reports: Both of Henry’s parents played basketball at Kansas, but the younger Henry wanted to be reunited with brother C.J., a freshman on this year’s Memphis team.
Ticker reports: A 6-6 shooting guard at Putnam City High School, Henry averaged 26.7 points and 7.2 rebounds last season in leading his team to a 25-2 record and the quarterfinals of the state Class 6A quarterfinals.
ESPN.com (Christopher Lawlor) reports: The start to Henry’s senior season will be delayed up to six weeks following surgery to repair a broken cheekbone suffered in an automobile accident on Oct. 22. Henry said, he still has headaches after the surgery in which two plates and eight screws were inserted, but he is expected to be cleared for game action in late December.
Nov 14: Bucks 101, Grizzlies 96 OT
The AP reports: Ramon Sessions had 20 points, including a pair of free throws that put Milwaukee ahead with 42.3 seconds left in overtime, and the Bucks held on to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 101-96 on Friday night. “We were just trying to be persistent,” said Milwaukee forward Richard Jefferson, who led the Bucks with 26 points and 10 rebounds… Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had 19 points and 17 rebounds for Milwaukee, while Luke Ridnour finished with 14 points. O.J. Mayo led Memphis with 25 points, while Rudy Gay finished with 24. Marc Gasol had 18 points for the Grizzlies… Ramon Sessions’ 3-pointer with 9.4 seconds left in regulation tied it at 87. Sessions missed a desperation shot as the horn sounded to send the game into overtime. “(Sessions) hasn’t shot many threes in his career,” said center Andrew Bogut, who had 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Nov 12: Knicks 132, Grizzlies 103
The AP reports: The Knicks set a franchise record with 19 3-pointers, hitting 56 percent from beyond the arc, and Wilson Chandler scored a career-high 27 points in New York’s 132-103 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Chandler missed only one of his 12 shots in the game, and Nate Robinson made all eight of his, including five from long range, part of New York’s 19-of-34 performance from 3-point territory… Jamal Crawford added 25 points and eight assists for the Knicks, who shot 59 percent from the field. Memphis entered the game allowing teams to shoot only 41.9 percent from the field, sixth-best in the league. Robinson scored 21, while Zach Randolph had 18 points and 10 rebounds… Rudy Gay led Memphis with 20 points, while O.J. Mayo, who had surpassed 30 points in his last two games, scored 17. Marc Gasol finished with 16 points for Memphis, which lost for the first time at home this season.
Nov 10: Suns 107, Grizzlies 102
The AP reports: Rookie O.J. Mayo did all he could to rally Memphis in the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies had no answer for Leandro Barbosa. Mayo had 19 of his game-high 33 points in the final period, but the victory went to the fifth-year veteran known as the Brazilian Blur and Phoenix as the Suns won 107-102 on Monday night. Barbosa almost went shot-for-shot with the rookie in the fourth, scoring 16 of his team-high 27 points in the period, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 43.8 seconds left… Amare Stoudemire scored 18 points, Boris Diaw added 13 and Nash had 12 points and six assists for the Suns, who have won five of their past six games overall… Rudy Gay scored 20 and Marc Gasol finished with 15 for the Grizzlies, who were 1-3 on their four-game Western road trip.
InsideHoops.com Notes: Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley shot 0-of-6 for no points, 3 steals and almost nothing else in almost 25 minutes. Kyle Lowry struggled off the bench behind Conley, however, shooting 1-of-6 for 2 points.
Nov 9: Nuggets 100, Grizzlies 90
The AP reports: Chauncey Billups is learning on the job. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets keep winning. Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points, Billups had 16 points and 10 assists and the Nuggets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 100-90 on Sunday night… The Nuggets had 22 turnovers, but they played tough defense in the second half, holding Memphis to 36 points and 28 percent shooting. They shut down rookie guard O.J. Mayo, who scored a season-high 31 but managed only five after halftime… Nene had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Nuggets, who had six players score in double figures.
Nov 7: Grizzlies 109, Warriors 104
The AP reports: O.J. Mayo is making a quick adjustment to the NBA. “At the end of the day it’s just basketball,” Mayo said after scoring 20 points and grabbing a career-high nine rebounds in the Grizzlies’ 109-104 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night… Mayo had 11 points, two assists and two rebounds in the third, while Rudy Gay added six of his team-high 23… Hakim Warrick had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Darrell Arthur had his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Grizzles, who beat Golden State for the second time in five days. Stephen Jackson had 27 points to lead Golden State, while Andris Biedrins had 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Nov 5: Kings 100, Grizzlies 95
The AP reports: Kevin Martin scored 33 points and John Salmons had 21 points and nine rebounds in the Sacramento Kings’ first victory of the season, 100-95 over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night in the NBA’s final home opener. Spencer Hawes had 13 points before fouling out for Sacramento, which opened the season by losing at every stop on a difficult four-game trip… O.J. Mayo scored 28 points and hit six 3-pointers for the Grizzlies, who opened a four-game West Coast trip with the best performance of the No. 3 overall draft pick’s short NBA career… Rudy Gay had 18 points for Memphis, and Kyle Lowry added 14 points and seven assists.
Nov 3: Grizzlies 90, Warriors 79
The AP reports: The Golden State Warriors should have paid more attention to Memphis rookie Marc Gasol. While the Warriors were worrying about high-profile Grizzlies Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo, Gasol had 27 points and 16 rebounds to help the Grizzlies beat the Warriors 90-79 on Monday night… Gasol went 9-for-11 from the field and the free throw line for Memphis, which ended a seven-game skid in the series against Golden State. The rookie also blocked three shots… Andris Biedrins had 16 points and 22 rebounds for Golden State. Stephen Jackson finished with 17 points and Corey Maggette scored 13 despite sitting out the second quarter with an injury… Rudy Gay scored 14 points and Mayo added 13 for Memphis. Kelenna Azubuike scored 10 for the Warriors, who shot 34 percent from the field.