The Grizzlies squandered most of a 25 point third quarter lead, but managed to hang on Tuesday night, for a 104-97 win over the Chicago Bulls at FedExForum.
Playing without starting center Marc Gasol, who sat out with a muscle strain in his neck, the Grizzlies faced a team with four starters out: former University of Memphis standout Derrick Rose (sprained left wrist), Joakim Noah (plantar faciitis), Luol Deng (strained calf), and Kirk Hinrich (suspension for contact with a ref in an earlier game).
But several Bulls stepped up, notably Ronald “Flip” Murray (25 points) and former Grizzly Hakim Warrick (22 points). Fill-in guard Acie Law added 18 points as the Bulls made a game of it.
It certainly looked like the Grizzlies had things in hand, as they stretched an eleven point halftime lead to 25 during the third quarter, entering the fourth with an 18 point lead. But the Bulls found some energy, got a few stops defensively, and capitalized on seven fourth quarter turnovers to whittle the lead to four (94-90) with 3:39 to play.
Then, suddenly, the Bulls caught the turnover bug, Zach Randolph made some plays down low (5 of his 18 points and a steal over the final 3:30), and the Grizzlies made enough of their free throws to seal the win.
O. J. Mayo had the hot hand for the Grizzlies: 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-5 three point attempts. There were two double-doubles, the usual from Zach Randolph (18 points, 12 rebounds), and Mike Conley (19 points, ten assists).
Props also to Hasheem Thabeet, who started for Gasol, and played 28 minutes with ten points and nine rebounds, both career highs. Thabeet still has a long way to go (passes still seem to bounce off his hands far too often), but he contributed without getting into foul trouble.
The game also saw the return of Ronnie Brewer after three weeks out to heal a partially torn hamstring. Brewer was rusty, and therefore limited offensively (5 points on 1-for-3 shooting), but made two critical free throws with 26 seconds to go, and was a disruptive force on defense.
Coach Lionel Hollins had hoped to be able to rest his starters, with a road game on tap in Houston Wednesday, but the Bulls fourth quarter comeback forced his hand, and the four regular starters all logged over 34 minutes.
The Grizz get another breather after Wednesday’s game at Houston, one of the last before the brutal stretch run in April. The next game is Saturday at home against the Golden State Warriors.
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