Memphis Grizzlies overcome Detroit Pistons 107-99
The Memphis Grizzlies snapped a two-game losing streak with a 107-99 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Three of the Memphis players scored in double figures. Zach Randolph was impressive, as he scored a game-high 34 points and 17 rebounds for the Grizzlies, to record his third 30-point game. The performance marked the ninth double-double
of his career.
Rudy g*y continues to thrive in his new role as second scorer. He finished with 26 points in Memphis’ 18th victory of the 2010-11 season.
Memphis Coach Lionel Hollins was pleased with the performance of his players. He said after the game, "The road is tough and it's hard winning anywhere in the National Basketball Association. To come in and get one, it's always
nice and we just move forward.”
Ben Gordon scored all of his 25 points in the second half, as he tried to get the Pistons back into the game. Tracy McGrady came in for Ben Gordon and contributed 16 points, four assists and six rebounds. While Rodney Stuckey
came off the bench to score 15 points, six assists and seven rebounds.
Greg Monroe did all he could as he had his fourth straight double-double, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds in the Pistons 26th defeat of the 2010-11 season. Monroe, who did not have a double-double in his
first 32 games, now shares the team lead in that department with Villanueva. He is the first Pistons rookie to have four straight double-doubles since Terry Tyler did it during the 1978-79 season.
Match Analysis
The Grizzlies should gain a small dose of confidence from this one, because now they know they can win without Ben Wallace. After looking dreadful at times against the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday night at Time Warner Cable Arena,
it has to be reassuring to come out and thoroughly dominate an opponent. The Pistons are not great, but the Grizzlies did not give them a chance to come back in this one. They put the hammer down and ended it early.
The Pistons got out to a five-point lead early in the first quarter and then took their foot off the gas. Stuckey played well for Detroit in the opening quarter, taking a 26-21 lead into the second.
Detroit's new-look line up started the second quarter quickly, building a 31-25 lead at the ten-minute mark. However, the Pistons could not sustain the momentum, allowing their opponents to cut the deficit by two. They maintained
a 46-43 lead at the half time.
The Grizzlies got right back into the game in the third quarter. The Pistons have been the league's worst third-quarter team in the 2010-11 season, and their woes continued as they were outscored 30-18. Randolph and g*y scored
nine third-quarter points as Memphis turned a 46-43 half time deficit into a 73-61 lead before the final stanza.
Detroit Head Coach John Kuester praised his opponents by saying, "The third period ended up hurting us again. They were much more aggressive. Randolph went to the line 17 times, and he was very aggressive with the basketball."
Gordon scored Detroit's first six points of the fourth to make the score a respectable one. However, Randolph had 24 points and 10 rebounds in the second half, as Memphis scored 64 points to seal the win.
Memphis Coach Hollins was happy that his team managed to step up when it mattered. He said, "Obviously, Ben Gordon got hot - I think he scored 19 points in the fourth quarter - and we had to stave that off. You have to make
plays down the stretch, get stops, and hit your free throws."
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