Courtney Lee’s career night could not save the Nets in Memphis.
Lee scored 30 points and Devin Harris added 28, but they received little help as New Jersey fell to the Memphis Grizzlies, 107-101.
New Jersey almost completed a comeback that would have mirrored Memphis’ win in New Jersey on Feb. 21. The Nets squandered an 18-point lead on that night and Memphis nearly blew a 21-point lead tonight.
Rudy Gay saved the day, though.
The Nets trimmed the Grizzlies lead to 94-91 with 3:08 left in the game, but Gay erased any chances of New Jersey finishing the comeback attempt.
Gay drove to the bucket with 2:08 left and converted a layup while getting hammered by Lee. Gay knocked down the free-throw and the 97-91 lead was too much for the Nets to overcome.
Gay scored six of his 21 points in the final 2:08 of regulation.
The Nets were only in the game due to a spirited third quarter. New Jersey limited Memphis to a season-low 14 points in the third quarter after yielding 67 in the first half.
Terrence Williams, who scored 14 points off the bench, cut the Grizzlies lead to two when a breakaway layup pulled the Nets to within 79-77 late in the third quarter. Memphis responded with a 6-0 run, however.
For the seventh time this season, the New Jersey Nets failed to put together back-to-back wins. After the first half, the Nets made it apparent why.
New Jersey spotted Memphis a 21-point lead in the first half, looking every bit of a 55-loss team.
“You can’t spot them 20, 21 points and then decide to play,” interim head coach Kiki Vandeweghe said. “We have to come with better effort. We’ve started a few games like this.”
The most recent came in the win against the Knicks. The Nets trailed by as many as 16 points in the first quarter of that game.
Despite nearly knocking off the Grizzlies, the Nets’ first-half struggles are the Nets’ biggest points of contention.
“It’s frustrating because the way we played in the first half wasn’t the way we played in the second half,” Lee said. “We need to compete from the tip. We need to figure that out so we can correct that…we need to change that.”
Marc Gasol played a big role in the Nets’ struggles.
Gasol frustrated Brook Lopez early and often, outplaying the Nets big man for most of the night. Lopez managed just 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting while Gasol scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
Gasol and the Grizzlies, playing without All-Star Zach Randolph, bottled up the middle. Outside of Lee and Harris’ combined 58 points, the remaining three starters in the Nets’ frontcourt combined for only 16 points.
Lee and Lopez credited Memphis’ scheme for the Nets’ big man’s diminished output.
“I think its all credit to their defense,” Lee said. “They were sending people right away. As soon as Brook got it, he was getting doubled.”
In addition, Lopez had no problem deferring to the guards.
“I think Courtney and Devin were still doing a good job of hitting (shots),” Lopez said.
The Nets jumped out to a 16-10 lead in the first quarter, but it was short-lived. Mike Conley buried a three-pointer with 1:45 left in the first quarter to give Memphis a 29-27 lead, and the Grizzlies never trailed again.
Conley, who averages 10.6 ppg, scored 12 in the first quarter and finished the game with 21 points.
The Nets trailed, 40-38, in the second quarter and then the Grizzlies exploded for a 23-4 run. New Jersey closed the half on a 9-4 run.
The Nets entered the game riding a 3-game winning streak on the road. Memphis had lost its last eight games at home in the FedEx Forum.
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