Toronto Raptors spoil Zach Randolph’s return; Edge Memphis Grizzlies in overtime: NBA Recap
On a night when Zach Randolph returned to the Memphis Grizzlies after a 37 game knee injury layoff, Jared Bayless erupted with 28 points and 9 dimes to help the Toronto Raptors carve out a 114-110 win in overtime.
Randolph finished his comeback night with 25 points and nine rebounds while Marc Gasol dropped a season high 28 with 8 boards. The real henchman for the Grizzlies was Rudy g*y. Returning to the line-up after missing the last game
with concussion like symptoms, g*y was huge deep into the fourth quarter. With 21.7 seconds remaining in the game and the Grizzlies trailing by 97-92, g*y slipped in a driving layup and nearly eight seconds later, after the Raps has stretched their advantage
to 100-96, the Grizzlies wing man knocked down a dagger from distance to make it a one point game.
The game was however not done yet and Andrea Bargnani, who ended the night with 18 points, responded with a pair of free throw to place Toronto at 102-99. Then after Mike Conley and Gary Forbes split a pair of free throws at either
end, g*y brought back the feeling of déjà vu. In the last two contests involving these two teams, g*y had hit game winners at the death and tonight he nearly did the same, by making a three with 0.9 seconds left in regulation.
Bargnani tried a half court shot after the time out, but it failed to fall in and the game headed to overtime.
Rudy g*y fouled out within the first 20 seconds of the bonus time to give the Raps a boost. Three minutes inside the overtime, the Grizzlies were leading by 109-108. Bayless slipped in a layup on the following possession and the
Raps never trailed after that.
g*y finished the game with 26 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis, who also got 10 points from O.J. Mayo.
For the Raps, Gary Forbes had a career night with 20 points for, while DeMar DeRozan chipped in with 18. DeRozan exploded with 12 of those in the first quarter as the Raps overcame 10 points from g*y and Gasol to edge ahead at
26-24.
Memphis overcame the deficit early in the second and were leading 29-28 inside the first three minutes before the Raptors raced off to a 8-1 run for a 36-30 advantage. The hosts however never allowed Toronto to pull away and an
O.J. Mayo buzzer beating three made it 46-47 as the game headed to halftime.
The pendulum swung right at the start of the third as the Raptors erupted with a 15-4 run to take a 62-50 lead. The Grizzlies got 11 points from Randolph in 16-8 run at that point and with 1:58 left in the third, the hosts came
right back to make it 66-70. A pair of free throws from g*y early in the fourth made it 71-72 and it seemed that the Grizzlies will roll the Rasp over.
However, starting with a three point play from Forbes, the Raps initiated a 12-2 response and then managed to keep the Grizzlies at an arm’s length till the last 1:44 of regulation, scores at 95-87. The hosts however owned the
clutch time and outscored the Raps 16-8 to take the game into overtime.
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