Memphis Grizzlies defeat Denver Nuggets 116-108 (Part – 3)
With a momentous 17-point deficit in sight, late in the third quarter, the Grizzlies coach made a savvy substitution by bringing Tony Allen into the game in place of the misfiring Sam Young. Young, who was the only Grizzlies starter not to get into double
figures, had a night to forget. The forward only managed only six points on 3-of-11 shooting from field.
The move paid dividends for the Grizzlies big time as they got the much needed defensive boost from the inspirational guard. Allen literally turned the whole game upside down single-handedly. He quickly chipped in with three steals that led to fast-break
baskets, as the home team started gaining momentum.
The Memphis Grizzlies then turned on the defensive intensity, while starting to push the ball deep on nearly every possession at the same time. The offence jelled well upfront, making quick passes and breaking through the defensive perimeter of the Denver
Nuggets.
The Grizzlies, who were playing with a renewed confidence and belief, first rattled a 13-4 run to finish the third quarter before going berserk in the fourth. They out-scored Denver 14-4 in the first four minutes of the fourth to tie the game.
Carmelo Anthony tried to stop the one way traffic with a floating jumper and Aaron Afflalo followed with two shots from the charity stripe to give the Bronchos a four-point lead. That proved to be the last time that Denver saw the lead though, as Allen canned
in a reverse layup to initiate an eight point unanswered burst, which propelled the Grizzlies to a 104-100 advantage with over five minutes left on the clock.
Zach Randolph then came up with three straight layups as the Grizzlies started to pull away. Mike Conley nailed a pull-up jumper to follow Randolph’s exploits as the Grizzlies pushed their advantage to eight. The Grizzlies were never troubled after that
as they sprinted to a 116-108 win.
The Grizzlies simply blew the Nuggets down the stretch. Having trailed the visitors in every aspect until late in the second half, the Grizzlies ended up on the winning side. They thrashed the Nuggets 41-29 on the glass, had two more fast break points and
also led 58-50 in the paint.
Stunned by the vicious Grizzlies comeback, Nuggets Coach George Karl admitted post match that the final 15 minutes mess up was a combination of bad defence by his own team, along with Memphis becoming more aggressive.
The Nuggets ended the game with 15 turnovers, 10 of which came in the last 15 minutes.
Geore Karl said after the game, "I think from the last 15 minutes, I think we had two assists and 10 turnovers. That's a bad ratio, and we missed free throws in there. We never got anybody back into a rhythm offensively, and it snowballed on us. That makes
it a tough loss."
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