In what had the makings of a blowout, the Memphis Grizzlies had to use grit-and-grind down the stretch to hold off a game Boston Celtics team 110-106 without their emotional leader Kevin Garnett, in front of a sellout crowd of 18,119 at FedExForum.
The Grizz did in fact start slow, being down in the first quarter at one point 12-2. But once head coach Lionel Hollins inserted instant offense in Jerryd Bayless, Memphis quickly fought back to close the gap to within two, 31-29 by the end of the first 12 minutes of action.
“I thought that JB gave us a huge lift early on because I didn’t know how were we going to score,” Hollins said. “He came in and started making shots, got on a roll and carried us in the first half. And Darrell Arthur also had a nice first half, and then everyone else started to chip in afterwards.”
Arthur, making just his second start of the season in place of All-Star forward Zach Randolph, had 12 points at the break to help pace the Grizzlies to a 61-51 lead. Arthur got the start because Randolph was late to a team shoot-around, but he and Bayless picked up the slack. Bayless also had a tremendous first half, scoring 20 points en route to a 30-point night. That effort was needed because the Grizz were without center Marc Gasol – whom re-injured an abdominal tear and doctors are saying that there is no timetable for his return and is listed as day-to-day, or indefinite.
“We miss Marc but it wasn’t a big impact defensively,” Hollins said. “They (Celtics) scored 34 points in the paint and was 45 percent from three-point range. Maybe from a rebounding perspective and offensively, but we did score 110 points – so it was just one of those nights.”
The Celtics now have a four-game losing streak going. But that wasn’t due to a lack of effort on their part. Being down by as many as 20, head coach Doc Rivers decided to sit captain Paul Pierce midway through the fourth quarter in favor of his younger mates and it worked. Using a smaller, quicker lineup, Boston was able to cut the big Memphis lead to just 102-98. But it became a free throw contest in the end, and Grizzlies pulled out the victory. Pierce did lead a balanced C’s attack with a team-high 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field. Three other players finished in double figures as well.
The Grizzlies had their own version of a balanced attack. Seven players scored in double figures for the current five-seeded Memphis squad. Other than Bayless and Arthur, Randolph, TayShaun Prince, Ed Davis, Tony Allen and Mike Conley all did their part – scoring 15,12, 11, 10 and 12 respectively.
“We saw this challenge as an opportunity for other guys to step up,” Conley said. “Obviously JB had a great night, but Ed Davis, Tayshuan and Darrell all made big plays and showed up in Marc’s absence. We all are a confident bunch, we all have to take on a bigger role and responsibility and have to make do as long as we can without him.”
This game wasn’t without its drama either. As the tide turned in the second quarter, and in typical Celtics fashion, guard Jordan Crawford and Bayless mixed it up a bit when Bayless went to block a breakaway layup and had the ball thrown at him by the Boston player.
“I mean I’m really a nice guy, but don’t push me” Bayless said. “But it is what it is.”
The Grizzlies will next be in action when they hit the road to play the Washington Wizards on Monday night. The tipoff is scheduled for 6pm.
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