GASOL FINDS HIS SHOOTING TOUCH
Big man’s key 3-pointers fuel 28-point game, runaway win
Grizzlies center Marc Gasol arrived to work Friday night in a bit of shooting slump from beyond the arc by his standards. The Sacramento Kings couldn’t tell. Gasol made three 3-pointers that fueled a decisive third-quarter run during the Grizzlies’ 107-91 victory over the Kings in FedExForum.
Memphis snapped a two-game losing streak.
Gasol is a career 31-percent 3-point shooter on less than one attempt per game. He’s averaging 3.4 long-range shots with a 38.3 percentage this season. He connected on 3 of 6 3-pointers against the Kings and finished with 28 points and nine rebounds. He had shot just 18 percent from 3-point range over the previous 10 games.
Gasol’s last long-range dagger in the third period put the Grizzlies ahead 7762 with 38 seconds left. The big man’s deft shooting became contagious because forward Zach Randolph beat the quarter buzzer he calmly buried a 3pointer to the joyful noise of a near-sellout crowd.
Memphis took an 83-64 advantage into the fourth quarter and led by 20 points with six minutes left to play.
Randolph chipped in 20 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Mike Conley added 16 points, eight rebounds and
eight assists on a night when the Grizzlies’ defense matched their offensive firepower.
Sacramento shot 40 percent. Memphis pounded the boards with a 58-35 edge in rebounding.
The Grizzlies never trailed in the second half and weren’t seriously threatened.
Gasol and Vince Carter each scored 11 points in guiding Memphis to a 49-42 lead at halftime.
The Grizzlies allowed just 41.7 percent shooting and dominated the glass in the first half. Memphis’ 29-18 rebounding advantage led to it outscoring Sacramento 10-0 in second-chance points.
Both teams led by nine points. Sacramento began scoring the game’s first nine points. Memphis then scored 11 unanswered points behind the strength of its defense. The Grizzlies held the Kings scoreless for slightly more than four minutes.
The score see-sawed until Memphis made a run late in the second period. Conley’s driving layup caped the Grizzlies’ 7-0 run that spanned two minutes. Memphis led 44-36 with 1:35 remaining before halftime.
Reach Tillery at Ronald.Tillery@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @CAGrizBeat