Taking the fifth
Griz use hot start, close fast to extend winning streak to 5
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — As sure as it is January, heavy snow fell outside The Palace of Auburn Hills.
As sure as the Detroit Pistons are in a painful rebuilding phase and average a league -low 85 points, they exhibited little firepower.
And as sure as the Grizzlies are on a roll, they stayed true to form.
Memphis got off to another fast start, took off one quarter Friday night and then methodically put away Detroit to earn a 98-81 victory — its fifth straight after losing three in a row.
The Grizzlies’ winning streak ties their season-high from last season. They’ll try for six consecutive wins tonight when the Sacramento Kings visit Fedexforum. Memphis hasn’t won six or more in a row since it captured seven straight from March 14-26, 2006.
One sign that the Kings might be in trouble is how forward Rudy Gay described the team’s approach during its streak. The Griz have moved on from every victory no sooner than they’ve accomplished it.
“It has to be a game -by-game mentality,” Gay said after leading the Griz with 24 points on 10- of-17 shooting. “We have to have shortterm memory. And that’s what we have right now.”
It didn’t take long to discern that the Griz (8-6) were intent on backing up Gay’s assertion. Memphis went on a 15-2 run to take a 22-12 lead after the first quarter. The Grizzlies, who shot 60 percent in the first half, took a 49-30 advantage into intermission.
“We came out and executed,” Griz TV, radio: Sportsouth, WMFS 92.9 FM/680 AM
coach Lionel Hollins said. “And we really executed down the stretch.”
The Grizzlies’ largest deficit over the past two games was three, and that lasted two minutes. They hit cruise control against the Pistons in the third period.
Detroit took advantage of a suddenly disinterested Memphis squad and put together a 25-9 run that included 13 straight points. Playing at a fast pace and attacking the basket served the Pistons well.
They cut a 23-point deficit to 64-57, getting as much of a rise as any team could out of an extremely sparse crowd. Memphis took a 73-65 advantage into the fourth quarter after allowing the Pistons (3-13) to shoot 61 percent in the third. Detroit had 16 points in the paint to start the second half after scoring that many the entire first half.
“Our effort was spotty,” Pistons guard Ben Gordon said. “We came out and made a concerted effort in the third to step up our intensity level, be more aggressive and that’s something we didn’t do throughout the game. That was pretty much the game.”
The Grizzlies’ lead had been sliced to six early in the fourth. They put the game away behind a 16-2 run that began with O.J. Mayo’s 3-pointer when 8:32 re- mained in the game. Gay’s shot from beyond the arc capped the surge, giving the Griz a 95-74 lead with four minutes left.
“No team wants to get blown out on their home floor, so you have to expect them not to lie down,” Mayo said. “I thought we did well by keeping our composure and tightening up our defense.”
In losing for the 10th time in 11 games, the Pistons couldn’t handle the Grizzlies’ pressure in the fourth quarter. Memphis forced 11 of Detroit’s 25 turnovers in that final period.
Tony Allen spearheaded the Grizzlies’ final defensive stance by grabbing a steal that led to two Marc Gasol free throws. Allen then forced a Detroit turnover that turned into a 19-foot shot from Gay during that decisive run.
“Coach smacked his hand on the board and went crazy (during a timeout),” Allen said. “The guys responded to that. As soon as we went back in we took control. It was a collective effort .”
The Griz scored 32 points off Pistons turnovers. Allen had five steals and Mike Conley added four to go with 14 points and 11 assists. Gasol chipped in 17 points for the Griz, who won comfortably despite being outrebounded 38-27 and having the Pistons match them with 38 points in the paint.
“The way we finished shows some mental toughness,” Gasol said. “We can still get a lot better. But we’re getting better.”
— Ronald Tillery: (901) 529-2353