NBA Update: Grizzlies hold their nerves to down the Mavericks in a thrilling encounter
Marc Gasol made one out of two free throws with 6.2 left to give Memphis Grizzlies the lead and O.J. Mayo made key defensive play in the dying seconds to edge past Dallas Mavericks in a nail biting encounter at the American Airlines center. The 20,060 strong
crowd desperately witnessed their home team flawing in the last moments of the game.
The result means that the Grizzlies have put a stop to a nine match on the road losing streak against the Dallas Mavericks dating back to Nov 6, 2005. The odds were heavily stacked against the Grizzlies this time around as well, as they were without Zack
Randolph, who injured his lower back in the first quarter of a losing cause against the Atlanta Hawks.
However, they were boosted by the arrival of Marc Gasol, who missed the opener due to a strained left ankle but decided he was fit enough to play after the warm ups. He did have a very crucial impact on the match and added 10 points to go along with 15 rebounds
and 4 assists for Memphis. Rudy g*y was also in the zone as he scored 21 points accompanied by 8 rebounds and three assists, while O.J. Mayo also added 20 points for the Grizzlies.
The Mavericks were led by an impressive Dirk Nowitzki who slipped in 27 points shooting 11-for-15 with seven rebounds and two assists in the thirty seven and a half minutes he played. Caron Butler netted 18 points, however he could have done better with
his 8-for-17 shooting. J.Terry and S. Marion also chipped in with 13 and 12 points respectively.
Dallas had all the early momentum going into the game, and they displayed that confidence on the court. The Mavericks kept a check on the Grizzlies right throughout the first quarter and continued their tempo into the second, to go at intermission with a
lead of 9 points at 50-41. The Memphis team rallied for a comeback in the third period to go into the lead but the Mavericks rested the initiative back in their favour late in the quarter. They went on a 10-2 run in the last 1:22 seconds that started with
a Barea three pointer and finished on a stylish note with a Terry running layup shot.
It was in the fourth quarter though, that the slide really started for the Mavericks and they made crucial errors paving way for the Memphis fight back. The Dallas Mavericks shot 6-for-18 and committed nine turnovers in the fourth period. While the Grizzlies
were slowly reducing the lead, the Mavericks were faltering at the other end. Marion and Terry in particular, missed a series of shots as g*y’s jump shot levelled the score at 79 each with 7:02 remaining in the game.
Memphis went into the lead soon after as Dallas tried to maintain parity. Nowitzki 18 foot shot put the Dallas in front with 1:10 to go but Conley slipped one of two free throws with 47 seconds remaining to level it 90 points. With six seconds remaining
in the match, Tyson Chandler committed a personal foul on Gasol during a fight for a rebound. Gasol converted one of them to give Grizzlies the lead. The Mavericks had the ball in the last six seconds but could not score and conceded the match by a point.
The Mavericks who were boasting of players like Dirk Nowitzki and T. Chandler, their latest acquisitions, let the match slip away at the crucial moments. In reality, except for Nowitzki who had a conversion rate of more than seventy percent, nobody came
up with the goods. The Mavericks could not even capitalize over a poor shooting percentage of the Grizzlies and lost by the slightest of margins.
Nowitzki the star player for the Mavericks highlighted the poor performance at the back end of the match.
"Bad execution down the stretch,” He said. “We had enough chances. We had the ball with 6 seconds left, that's plenty of time. But we didn't even get a look. It's a bad loss, a game we've got to win."
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