Grizzlies vs Lakers 2_1_10
The Memphis Grizzlies had won a franchise best 11 straight games in front of the home fans at FEF before finally falling to a Chris Paul-less Hornets team Saturday night. Z-Bo and company are going to need to be on their A-game if they intend on starting up a new home winning streak as things won't get any easier Monday night.
Warning: this year’s Kobe show subject to change.
The circus is coming to town. The Grizzlies franchise-record 11 game home winning streak was snapped with a 109-102 loss to New Orleans on Saturday night. Now, Memphis must get back on track with the toughest game of the year coming to FedExForum–the L.A. Lakers.
The Grizzlies head to Cleveland to take on a hot Cavs team that has reeled off eight straight wins despite missing not only their starting PG in Mo Williams, but also backup guard Delonte West. Daniel Gibson has filled in quite nicely in their absence assuming the starting role at the PG spot. He’s been lights out from the arc since coming into the starting lineup and is currently first in the league in 3P% at 47.9%. Clevland (38-11) has the best record throughout the NBA and hasn’t lost since falling at Utah 96-97 on January 14. Memphis (26-21) has been one of the hotter teams in the league over the past two months posting records of 9-4 and 10-5 in December and January. After an outstanding performance just last night against the defending champion Lakers, the Grizzlies have started off February on the right foot. However, the Grizzlies are 1-9 on the second game of back-to-backs with their only win coming at home against the Spurs (who were also playing the back end of a back-to-back for that matter) a couple weeks ago. This is the second and final time these two teams will face each other this season, with the Grizzlies winning the overtime thriller 111-109 back in early December. Read the rest of this entry »
The national media will tell you that Kobe became the leading scorer in Lakers history Monday night.
AP Photo/Mark Weber
The Grizzlies’ coaches will tell you that his one was just about getting the win, “we got a win and we’ve got to go to Cleveland tomorrow. It’s great to get off the two-game losing streak and great to get off another win at home”, said Lionel Hollins.
To an extent, Hollins was right. The improbable win over the reigning NBA Champs puts the Grizzlies right back into the 8th playoff spot that they let slip away Saturday against the Hornets.
“It was a great team win”, said the coach.
But after a 95-93 win over the Lakers Monday night, the fans in FedExForum told us more than either.
The smiling faces, the cheering fans, the shouts echoing down the halls of the Forum, and the high-fives flying all over Beale Street tell the real story.
This game was about more than a win. It was about more than Pau Gasol, and, for once, it was about more than the annual Kobe Show coming to town. This one was about standing up to the league bully. It was about proving the Gasol-trade skeptics wrong (for the record, Marc won the battle with 11points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks to Pau’s 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 0 blocks). But more than anything it was about bringing the city of Memphis back on the Grizzlies’ bandwagon-including the thousands of Laker fans inside FedExForum. Read the rest of this entry »
MEMPHIS- Rudy Gay scored 25 points and Zach Randolph chipped in 22 points and 17 rebounds in a win over the Western Conference leading Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 44 points on 16-28 shooting surpassing former Grizzlies boss and Laker great, Jerry West, as the all time leading scorer in Laker history. Bryant did all he could to keep the Lakers close with the Grizzlies all night but he was unable to launch a game winning attempt instead passing to Ron Artest who’s 3-point shot bounced off the rim ending a 4 game home losing streak for the Grizz against the Lakers in the FedEx Forum.
Bryant and the Lakers had the benefit of several questionable calls in a closely contested game but Rudy Gay delivered the dagger with a 3-pointer with 29.5 seconds left. The young Grizzlies were able to keep their composure and pull out a much needed home win to stay in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.
Memphis entered Monday night in the 10th spot in the Western Conference. They were a half game back of New Orleans and Oklahoma City for the 8th and final playoff spot. New Orleans lost to Phoenix as Oklahoma City was idle.
Lester Hudson provided a spark off the bench for Memphis scoring 13 points in just 12 minutes of action. Mark Gasol got the best of the sibling rivalry with a solid 11points and 13 rebounds as his brother, Pau Gasol, former Memphis star chipped in 10 points and 9 rebounds for the Lakers.
Things will not get an easier for the Grizzlies as they travel to Cleveland tomorrow night to take on Lebron James and the Eastern Conference leading Cavs. Memphis beat Cleveland in the Forum back in December 111-109 setting up a grudge match tomorrow night in Cleveland. The Grizz broke a 2 game losing streak tonight and look to continue their winning ways over the best teams the NBA has to offer.
The Memphis Grizzlies had won a franchise best 11 straight games in front of the home fans at FEF before finally falling to a Chris Paul-less Hornets team Saturday night. Z-Bo and company are going to need to be on their A-game if they intend on starting up a new home winning streak as things won’t get any easier Monday night. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and the defending champs come into town concluding a season-long eight game road trip in which the Lakers (37-11) are an impressive 5-2 thus far. Since going 1-2 in the first three away from The Staples Center, L.A. has reeled off four in a row, and comes into Memphis off a thriller at Boston, in which Kobe hit yet another game-winner to beat the Celtics 90-89. As for the Grizzlies, the last couple haven’t gone quite as well for the youngest team in the NBA. After winning 24 of its last 35 games, Memphis (25-21) has dropped two straight, something they have not done since losing to Boston and Atlanta over a month ago. Read the rest of this entry »
