Gutsy Grizzlies fall short in Toronto
TORONTO – Grizzlies coach David Fizdale dubbed his squad the “Nasty Nine” and their opponent knew exactly what he meant.
The Toronto Raptors played most of Wednesday night with a bad taste in their collective mouth, courtesy of the feisty and undermanned Griz.
Playing with just nine active players, the Griz were hardly an easy out before losing 120-105 to the Raptors in Air Canada Center.
Fizdale is operating with six players out due to injury or heartache. Starting point guard Mike Conley became the latest on-court casualty when he suffered fractures in his lower back that will cause him to miss at least six weeks.
Conley, Vince Carter (right hip), Chandler Parsons Who: Memphis vs. Orlando Magic When, where: 7 p.m. Thursday, FedExForum TV, radio: Fox Sports Southeast; WMFS 92.9 FM/680 AM (knee), James Ennis (calf), Brandan Wright (ankle) and Zach Randolph (bereavement) were unavailable against the Raptors.
But the Griz led most of the first half and watched rookie point guard Andrew Harrison toss in a career-high 21 points. Marc Gasol chipped in 18 points and eight rebounds.
The Griz just couldn’t overcome a foe with two All Stars, Kyle Lowry (29 points) and DeMar DeRozan (24 points), in trying to tie the single-season franchise record with a seventh straight road
victory.
The game didn’t get away from the Griz until nine minutes remained in the fourth quarter. They trailed 91-90 following a Gasol tip-in after Troy Daniels ignited a fast break by diving on the court for a loose ball. The sequence was indicative of the Grizzlies’ effort. How? They forced the Raptors into a 24-second, shot-clock violation on the next possession.
Memphis led 57-55 at halftime despite Toronto shooting 58 percent. The Griz dived for loose balls and forced 11 turnovers in the first half. Toronto averages just 12 turnovers per game this season, which ranks third in the NBA.
Still, the Raptors’ talent, experience and depth trumped hustle.
The Grizzlies’ bench looked like an audience at a bad comedy concert. There were plenty of empty seats.
Memphis persevered just as it did two years ago under similar circumstances.
Healthy bodies were hard to come by for the Griz when they visited Toronto on Nov. 19, 2014, with just 10 active players because Courtney Lee, Tony Allen, Kosta Koufos, Jon Leuer and Beno Udrih were ruled out because of a stomach virus.
The Griz had just 10 players available for that game.