The AP reports: Rudy Gay led five players in double figures with 28 points and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Los Angeles Lakers 114-111 despite 53 points by Kobe Bryant against the NBA’s worst road team Friday night… Bryant was limited to six points in the fourth quarter, when the Lakers nearly erased all of a 10-point deficit. He had 10 rebounds and one assist while taking 37 of the Lakers’ 94 shots. They attempted a franchise record 45 3-pointers, making 15. Darko Milicic had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Hakim Warrick 16 points, Kyle Lowry 11 and Mike Miller 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who are 6-30 on the road and 2-20 away from home against Western Conference teams.
Category: Memphis Grizzlies Blog
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Mar. 26: Kings 107, Grizzlies 106
The AP reports: Kevin Martin scored 36 points and made two free throws in the closing seconds of overtime Wednesday night to give the Sacramento Kings a 107-106 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies… Ron Artest had 24 points and six steals for the Kings, who have beaten the Grizzlies 19 straight games at Arco Arena. Brad Miller contributed 15 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists. Mikki Moore added 15 points and seven rebounds. Hakim Warrick had 26 points and eight rebounds for Memphis, which committed 24 turnovers. Lowry had 16 points, Miller scored 14 and both Rudy Gay and Javaris Crittenton added 13.
Mar. 24: Nuggets 120, Grizzlies 106
The AP reports: Allen Iverson had 26 points and seven assists, while Carmelo Anthony finished with 23 points and nine rebounds as the Nuggets used a big second half to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 120-106 on Monday night. “We wanted to end this road trip the right way,” said Marcus Camby, who had 15 rebounds… J.R. Smith led the Nuggets, scoring 25 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, as Denver stretched the lead to as many as 22 in winning its third straight. Smith was 8-of-10 in the period, including seven outside the arc. “Amazing,” said Kenyon Martin, who missed only one of his eight shots while recording 14 points and 10 rebounds… Rudy Gay led Memphis with 30 points, while Hakim Warrick finished with a season-high 29. Mike Miller added 19 and Javaris Crittenton 14.
Hakim Warrick getting buckets and boards
Memphis Grizzlies forward Hakim Warrick has taken advantage of increased playing time since the team traded Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles lakers.
Checking out his recent games:
Feb. 12: Against the Kings, Warrick shot 10-of-16 for 24 points and 13 rebounds.
Feb. 13: Against the Sixers, Warrick shot 11-of-17 for 23 points and 8 rebounds.
Feb. 19: Against the Sonics, he shot 10-of-18 for 22 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Feb. 20: Against the Clippers, Warrick shot 8-of-14 for 20 points and 7 rebounds.
Feb. 22: Against the Mavericks, he shot just 5-of-15 but got to the line enough for 15 points and 9 rebounds.
Feb. 24: Against the Cavs, Warrick shot 8-of-15 for 21 points and 9 rebounds.
Feb. 26: Against the Suns, he shot 8-of-12 for 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Now the bad news. Warrick is barely getting any assists, literally just 1 or 2 per game. And the only game the Grizzlies won was that Feb. 13 game against the Sixers. They’ve lost every single other game, not only above, but since a January 26 win over the Clippers. They’ve lost 12 of 13.
Still, for Warrick as an individual player, it’s progress.
Grizzlies waive Marcus Vinicius
The Memphis Grizzlies waived forward Marcus Vinicius (Va-NEE-Shus), club General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.
The 6-8, 225-pound forward was acquired in a three-team trade on February 21. Memphis received Vinicius from the New Orleans Hornets along with the draft rights to Malick Badiane (Muh-LEEK Bah-Dee-En) and cash considerations from the Houston Rockets. In return, the Grizzlies sent the draft rights to Sergei Lishouk (Sir-GAY Leesh-CHUK) to the Rockets.
The 43rd overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft averaged 2.2 points in 5.3 minutes in 13 games for New Orleans this season. Vinicius owns career averages of 1.9 points in 6.6 minutes in 26 games over two seasons with the Hornets.
Mike Miller, Kyle Lowry available
The Memphis Flyer (Chris Herrington) reports: We’re about 24 hours from tomorrow’s trade deadline and the odds look pretty good that the Grizzlies could make at least one more deal, with Mike Miller and Kyle Lowry the most likely players to be dealt. People I’ve talked to who are connected with the team tend to think a deal is a 50-50 proposition at this point, but also say that there’s very little tangible information floating around the team offices.
Dwight Howard wins Slam Dunk contest
By InsideHoops.com
It’s 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend, and the hottest Saturday night event is up: the Slam Dunk contest.
Jamario Moon went first, started from the right side, lobbed it high, lept, 360-jumped, caught it just as he was completing the 360, and slammed. Beautiful. He has huge extension and great hang-time. Judges gave him a 46 out of 50.
Rudy Gay is next. He started from the right side, ran at the rim without dribbling, rocked it back and forth, and missed. And then did it again, slamming with the left hand. It was sweet but not mind-boggling, and he got a 37.
Big Dwight Howard is third. And he’s starting from out of bounds, behind back of the right side of the basket. He bounced it off the back of the backboard, caught it, soared from behind the basket to the front side of it, and missed — but the attempt itself was awesome. And then did it again, this time putting it down, almost hitting his head on the rim. He caught it off the back of the backboard with two hands, swung it around, and put it down with the left hand. Absolutely beautiful. Judges gave him a perfect 50.
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Defending champion Gerald Green is last but not least. Assistant Rashad McCants is holding a cupcake with a candle in it, and using a ladder climbs up, puts the cupcake on the back of the rim, on the support that connects it to the backboard. McCants then lit the candle. Green is apparently going to dunk, while blowing the candle out! This seems both dangerous and impossible. Yet – bam! – he got it! Insane! He caught the lob, put it down with two hands dunking on the left side of the rim and successfully blew the candle out! Judges gave him a mere 46. I thought he got robbed.
And now, the second set of dunks.
First up is Rudy Gay, assisted by Kyle Lowry. They both started from the deep left corner, with Lowry dribbling, Gay following. Lowry then bounced the ball off the back of the basket support, and Gay caught it on his left side and wrapped it around to his right side, dunking it nicely. It was impressive and creative but not quite as awesome as what Dwight Howard did. Judges gave it a 48, which may have been a point or two high.
Next is Jamario Moon, assisted by Jason Kapono. They’re putting white tape on the ground, almost a foot behind the free throw line. It would be mind-boggling if he really takes off from there. And now it appears Kapono is going to be near the basket and bounce the ball high up in the paint. And misses the first attempt. Moon did hit the second, but the tape on the ground was pointless — Moon took off about a foot inside the free throw line, which is still absolutely incredible. Judges gave him a 48.
Gerald Green is third. A ladder is in the paint again, with MCants climbing it and sitting on the top. The ladder is positioned slightly to the right of the rim. McCants is holding the ball in one arm, which is extended so he’s holding the ball in front o the rim. Just as Green launched himself up, Mccants flipped it up so Green could grab it with two hands, windmill it and slam it down. Awesome. He got a 48.
And now, Dwight Howard, assisted by Jameer Nelson. More white tape. And then Nelson reveals a red Superman cape. Then Howard, smiling, pulls off his away magic jersey to reveal a sleeveless Superman top. Howard then puts the cape on (everyone who reads the InsideHoops.com nba rumors page knew he was going to do this). The crowd loves it. Howard then stands at the baseline, center-court, right side, runs in, catches a pass, leaps from the dotted circle, soars high in the air and is up so high that rather than dunk it, he literally throws it down. A throw-dunk. Like how you might throw a crumpled up piece of paper down into a garbage can. That is possibly the most awesome dunk I’ve ever seen, aside maybe from some stuff Vince Carter did years ago. He got another perfect 50.
Total points at the end of the first round: Howard 100, Green 91, Moon 90, Gay 85.
We’re in the second and final round, with Howard against defending champion Green.
Green is up first, starting from the left elbow in three-point range, McCants, standing behind the basket on the right, is lobbing it over the top of the backboard. After some imperfect passes, and then one miss, Green came in, caught with two hands, windmilled it through his legs and slammed it down with one hand. Awesome.
No scores are being reported. It’s just picking one of the finalists or the other, after the dunks are over. Each judge has one vote, and the collective fan world, voting on the league’s official site or through text message, combine to have one vote.
Howard is up. He started from the right side, halfcourt, lobbed it, so it bounced in the paint, ran, jumped, and in mid air tapped it with his left hand against the backboard, then caught it off the glass with his right hand and dunked it. That is one of the most amazing dunks ever, second only to stuff InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner does in secret gyms against NBA players during the off-season.
Green, trying to be creative, took his shoes off, autographed them, put them on the judges table, and did a through-the-legs windmill. It was a slightly lesser version of his earlier dunk, minus the shoes.
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For the final dunk, Howard’s assistant, Jameer Nelson, has put a little Nerf-looking mini-hoop on the lower right corner of the front of the backboard, and then rested a full-sized basketball on it. Howard is starting from the right side of the court, outside the three-point elbow. He runs in, jumps, takes the ball off the little rim and tires to slam, but misses. And then runs in, takes it off the little rim, windmills it and slams it in. It was the least impressive of his dunks tonight, and the only one he did that didn’t truly wow the crowd, but it was still very good.
And now, the voting.
The judges picked Dwight Howard. So, he’s going to win, regardless of what the fan voting says. That’s assuming I understand how the voting works this year. And the fan vote is in: 70% voted for Dwight Howard.
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Mavs notes after beating Grizzlies
Dallas Mavericks notes after beating the Memphis Grizzlies Friday night.
Jerry Stackhouse returned to action tonight after missing the last 8 games with a strained right hamstring. He finished the game with 7 points, 3 assists, 1 steal, 11 minutes off the bench.
Erick Dampier was unavailable tonight due to a sprained right ankle. Gana Diop started in his place and contributed 8 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks, 26 minutes.
Diop’s 12 rebounds were the most since he came down with 11 vs. DEN (1/27).
Dallas improved to 2-1 when at least 3 reserves score 10+ points. Tonight, Devean George (14), Brandon Bass (13), Jason Terry (11) had at least 10 off the bench.
George’s 13 points (6-8 FGs, 1-2 3FGs) marked a season-high. (previous high was 12 at UTA, 12/26).
Memphis’ Rudy Gay recorded his 7th double-double of the season (team-highs 18 points, 12 rebounds).
The Mavericks have won their last 3 games by an average of 10.3 points per game.
Dallas has now won 10 straight games over Memphis – 14 games when including the 1st round sweep of the Grizzlies in the 2006 NBA Playoffs.
The Mavs have won 9 consecutive home games. They lost, 81-88, vs. CLE (12/27) at AAC.
Tonight’s attendance was 20,315 fans (19,200 capacity). The Mavs have sold out 259 consecutive regular season games at AAC and 297 games including the postseason. Dallas currently owns the longest running sellout streak in the NBA. The Sacramento Kings previously held the streak but failed to sellout their home opener this season. The Mavs are now ranked #10 on the all-time NBA sellout streak list.
Nets trade Jason Collins to Grizzlies for Stromile Swift
The Memphis Grizzlies acquired center Jason Collins and cash considerations from the New Jersey Nets in exchange for forward/center Stromile Swift, club General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.
“Let me first thank Jason Collins for his contribution to the Nets over the past seven years. He was a vital member of the core group of players that went to the playoffs six consecutive years, including two NBA Finals, and we wish him the best of luck for the remainder of his career,” said Nets president Rod Thorn. “With that said, we are pleased to add Stromile to our roster. He is a player who will add athleticism and experience to our frontcourt rotation.”
“We are pleased to add a veteran big man with Jason’s team defensive skills and outstanding intangibles to the Grizzlies,” Wallace said. “He has considerable playoff experience with the Nets and will add depth and a defensive presence at the center position. The entire organization wishes Stromile all the best with the Nets.”
Currently in his seventh season, Collins owns career averages of 4.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 510 games (404 starts). A strong post defender, Collins had spent his entire NBA career with the Nets after they acquired his draft rights (18th selection in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft) along with Richard Jefferson and Brandon Armstrong from the Houston Rockets for the draft rights to Eddie Griffin on June 27, 2001.
Collins, who attended Stanford with twin brother and current Utah Jazz member Jarron, was the starting center for two NBA Finals teams (2002, 2003) and averaged 3.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 23.7 minutes in 75 career playoff games (58 starts) with the Nets.
In 43 games (23 starts) this season, the 29-year-old is averaging 1.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in 15.9 minutes. He will wear jersey No. 34 for the Grizzlies.
Swift, who was originally selected with the second pick overall in the 2000 NBA Draft by the Grizzlies when the team was still located in Vancouver, has played all but one of his seven-plus seasons with the Grizzlies (2005-06 with the Houston Rockets).
The 6-9, 220-pound forward/center has appeared in 507 games (97 starts) with the Grizzlies and Rockets, and has posted averages of 8.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 20.4 minutes per game. In 35 games (four starts) this season, Swift is averaging 6.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 15.7 minutes.
Swift, 28, ranks among the Grizzlies’ top five all-time franchise leaders in games played (441, 2nd), rebounds (2,128, 5th), free throws made (984, 3rd), free throws attempted (1,387, 3rd), steals (307, 5th) and blocks (607, 2nd).
Exact, official details of Gasol-to-Lakers trade
The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired forward Pau Gasol in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak. The Lakers will also receive the Grizzlies second round draft choice in 2010. In exchange Memphis will receive forward Kwame Brown, guard Javaris Crittenton, guard Aaron McKie (who the Lakers signed earlier today), the draft rights to Marc Gasol and first round picks in 2008 and 2010.
Gasol, a 7th year player out of Spain, is averaging 18.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.44 blocked shots per game this season. The 27 year old 7’0” forward/center has career averages of 18.8 points and 8.6 rebounds. A 2006 NBA All-Star and 2001-02 NBA Rookie of the Year, Gasol also won a gold medal with Spain at the 2006 FIBA World Championships while being named tournament MVP.
“We’re extremely pleased to be able to make this trade.” said Kupchak. “Pau is a proven player of all-star caliber in this league who can score and rebound and he’s still a young player. We feel this move strengthens our team in the short term as well as the long term.”
More quotes, more info about each player, and our reaction to the trade is here.