O.J Mayo the hero as Memphis Grizzlies come from behind to defeat Utah Jazz – NBA Recap
O.J Mayo scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a come-from-behind 103-98 victory over the Utah Jazz here at the FedExForum in Memphis.
Rudy g*y led the Memphis scoring with 26 points and also grabbed 12 rebounds in the process. The Utah Jazz came into this game looking for a win to increase their chances of making the playoffs, but lost their way in the final
quarter. Devin Harris scored 20 points for the Jazz.
“He's really maturing and embracing his ability. He has the ability to do a lot of things. He had 26 points, 12 rebounds, and he moved the ball well. That is the stuff we need from him. He is our most athletic guy. We need him
to be consistent” said Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins on Rudy g*y.
The first quarter was contested vigorously by both teams, with 6 lead changes and 7 ties in the period alone. Both teams were playing end to end basketball, with the largest lead of the quarter 5 points by Utah coming on an Al
Jefferson layup with 3:11 to go. The quarter closed with Utah leading 30-28.
Gilbert Arenas opened the second quarter with a three pointer to give Memphis the 31-30 lead. Utah came back soon and took the lead again, and then kept it throughout the remaining quarter. Memphis came close, tying the game on
a couple of occasions late – once at 44 and then at 46 -but Utah kept getting away and did not allow Memphis to take the lead. Utah finished the 1st half leading 51-50.
The third quarter was much of the same, contested equally by both teams. A couple of lead changes later, Utah took the lead and stretched it to 6, their largest of the night, to close the quarter leading 76-70. However, the 4th
quarter belonged to Memphis. They outscored Utah 33-22. O.J Mayo was unstoppable in that period, scoring 17 points including 3 of 4 from the three point range and all six of his free throw attempts.
With 45 seconds left in the game and Utah trailing by only 1, Mayo hit a crunch 3 pointer to give Memphis a four point lead. Randolph then hit one free throw, followed by a 2 by Rudy g*y to seal the victory for Memphis. Utah tried
hard to catch up but could not stop Memphis offensively. In the end, Memphis won 103-98.
Marc Gasol had 17 points and 9 rebounds, while Mike Conley added 17 points and 6 assists. Devin Harris and Al Jefferson both added 20 points for Utah and Paul Millsap had 17 points and 7 rebounds. Derrick Favors came off the bench
to score 10 points and grab 14 rebounds, including 7 offensive ones.
Both teams shot well from the field at nearly 48%, but Memphis was better from the three point line. They went 7 of 13 compared to 5 of 11 for Utah. Both teams were matched quite evenly in the statistics column, although Utah had
10 steals compared to 4 for Memphis.
With the loss, Utah are now in the 10th place in the Western Conference, behind 8th placed Denver Nuggets and 9th placed Phoenix Suns. They still have a realistic chance of making the playoffs,
provided they win their next couple of matches. Memphis are 8-2 in their last 10 games now, and two wins behind 4th placed L.A Clippers.
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