Grizzlies top Hawks to earn third straight win
ATLANTA – The rejuvenated Grizzlies are again looking like a team no opponent would relish playing in the playoffs.
Since suffering the pain of a five-game losing streak, the Grizzlies have reeled off three straight victories — this time, a 103-91 win Thursday night over the Atlanta Hawks in Philips Arena.
For the second time in as many nights, the Grizzlies primary duo — Mike Conley and Marc Gasol — took turns punishing their opponent in pick-and-rolls.
Gasol’s triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists) and Conley’s double-double (22 points and 12 assists) were too much for the Hawks to handle. JaMychal Green added 14 points and 12 boards.
Gasol recorded his third career triple-double, which is the most for any player in Grizzlies history since the franchise moved to Memphis in 2001. Gasol wasn’t impressed. “I saw space. The ball got in the pocket with enough time to shoot it. We just played basketball,” Gasol said, later adding that his triple-double total wasn’t enough to celebrate. Who: Memphis vs. San Antonio Spurs When, where: 8 p.m., Saturday, FedExForum TV, radio: Fox Sports Southeast; WMFS 92.9 FM/680 AM “It’s only three, buddy,” he said. “It’s not like 23.” Even so, Gasol began the game seemingly on a mission. He had 11 first-quarter points and played in attack mode from the tip. Gasol routinely kept Hawks center Dwight Howard off balance with a balance of post-ups and 3-point attempts.
“You can see it,” Grizzlies coach David Fizdale said. “Can’t you tell with Marc when he’s like ‘I’m going after this one.’ You can tell with his aggression, scoring and making plays. I just saw it right away.”
Conley and Gasol’s numbers told the story of the Grizzlies’ resurgence behind their franchise players and an even more engaged defense.
Conley and Gasol didn’t just concentrate on scoring.
Late in the fourth quarter, Conley fed Gasol in a pick-and-roll set. Gasol, standing at the foul line, resisted a shot and fired a pass to Green along the baseline. Green launched a 3-pointer that swished through the nets, giving the Grizzlies’ a 99-84 lead and Gasol his 10th assist.
The Grizzlies took a 78-65 advantage into the fourth quarter. They led by as many as 18 points.
Memphis sewed a cushion with sharp execution on both ends of the floor after halftime. The Grizzlies began the third quarter on a 23-8 run that Conley began with a 19-foot pull-up jump shot and a step back 3-pointer. From there, the Grizzlies forced the Hawks to miss eight straight shots and commit two turnovers over a span of more than four minutes.
Memphis suppressed Atlanta’s offense throughout the period. The Hawks misfired on 14 of 17 shot attempts (17.6 percent) after they shot 50 percent in the first half.
“Our defense was really stellar tonight against a great offensive team and a great offensive coach,” Fizdale said. “We were really consistent with executing our coverage and doing it with great effort.”
Atlanta’s crowd had to be stunned at Memphis’ exuberance on the court. The Grizzlies played the second of a back-toback after winning at Chicago on Wednesday. The Hawks hadn’t faced competition since Monday.
Reach Tillery at Ronald.Tillery@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @CAGrizBeat