Griz fall under Wizards’ spell
Memphis is 3rd in Western Conference after Saturday’s loss to Washington.
Coach Dave Joerger recently acknowledged the difficulties his Grizzlies were having adjusting to the role of a hunted team.
This was during the Grizzlies’ two practice days last week, when finetuning also meant establishing a sense of urgency to finish the regular season.
“We play better with our backs against the wall,” Joerger said.
Memphis’ newfound spirit lasted one game. The Griz were mostly on their heels Saturday night and stumbled backward in the Western Conference standings after a 9283 loss to the Washington Wizards in FedExForum.
The setback meant Memphis fell to third in the Western Conference playoff standings — a halfgame behind idle Houston.
Joerger’s team appeared listless after bringing playoff intensity and focus Friday night in a win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
If most everything seemed to come easily for the Wizards, that’s because it did.
Washington left with a 26-5 advantage in fastbreak points. Both teams played the second night of a back-to-back, but the Wizards hardly looked weary.
John Wall led a track meet with 18 points and 14 assists, while Bradley Beal added 20 points for the Wizards, who out-hustled the Griz despite traveling after playing at home the night before.
“They played with a little bit more force in the first half,” Joerger said. “It was a tough night with too many turnovers, and we missed a lot of shots.”
Marc Gasol finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds and the Griz outscored the Wizards 52-38 in the paint. But Memphis shot 42 percent, turned the
ball over 15 times and couldn’t overcome poor transition defense.
If the Wizards weren’t attacking the rim for easy scores, they were connecting on open 3-pointers set up by Wall penetrating the lane. Washington made 8 of 22 shots from beyond the arc; Memphis went 1 for 15.
“It seemed like they had an answer for every time that we did make a run,” Griz guard Courtney Lee said.
The Grizzlies’ bursts of energy were fleeting.
The Griz looked a step slow from the opening tip.
Washington led 29-18 after ending the opening period on an 11-2 run capped by a Rasual Butler 3-pointer.
Memphis trailed 49-38 at halftime after shooting 39 percent. Wall had 12 points by intermission and his quickness in the open court helped Washington establish a 15-1 advantage in fast-break points during the first half. Memphis’ largest deficit was 12 points after Wall lobbed an alley-oop pass to Otto Porter for a slam dunk.
The Griz entered the fourth quarter trailing 71-59 and never seriously threatened.
“We came out focused,” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. “John again got us into a great pace right from the start. We were able to get our feet set defensively. That’s been a big key for us, getting into the quick starts. A lot of it is John, but you have to run with him. You have to have guys run to spots.” Both teams were short-handed. Griz swingman Tony Allen missed his fourth straight game because of a left hamstring strain. The Wizards rested Paul Pierce and Nene. And when Griz forward Jeff Green left the game in the third quarter because of back spasms, Joerger turned to forward JaMychal Green and rookie guard Jordan Adams in search of much-needed vigor.
But the mistakes kept piling up. Memphis’ poor offense helped ignite several Washington fast breaks. The Griz trailed by nine midway through the fourth quarter when Vince Carter dribbled under the basket and threw a bad pass out near the 3-point arc.
Wizards forward Drew Gooden intercepted the basketball and only needed to flip it to Wall, who sprinted three-quarters court in an instant for an uncontested dunk.
“We just didn’t get back well enough,” Joerger said. “That’s a good team over there and they came to play.”