A CLEAR ANSWER ABOUT INTENSITY
Grizzlies take out Suns, replay monitor with physical play
Grizzlies coach David Fizdale expressed moderate concern about his squad matching the Phoenix Suns’ intensity.
Vince Carter promptly amplified the message when he got ejected for connecting with an elbow above the shoulders of Suns guard Devin Booker.
Marc Gasol delivered haymakers by hitting his five three-point attempts. Toney Douglas even took out the official replay monitor after he dived over the scorer’s table for a loose ball.
The Grizzlies were a scrappy and relentless bunch Tuesday night throughout Who: Memphis vs. Dallas Mavericks When, where: 7:30 p.m., Friday, American Airlines Center TV, radio: Fox Sports Southeast; WMFS 92.9 FM/680 AM a 130-112 victory in FedExForum.
Just as they did Sunday afternoon during a road win against Denver, Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph served as Memphis’ offensive catalysts.
Conley’s 29 points and eight assists led the Grizzlies, who also enjoyed 28 points, five rebounds and five assists from Gasol. Randolph added 23 points and eight boards.
The trio combined to shoot 30 of 50 from the field in helping the Griz win their second straight following a twogame skid.
Memphis began to pull away with a run that bridged the third and fourth quarters.
Griz reserve James Ennis’ corner 3pointer put the Grizzlies ahead 98-85 a minute into the fourth and forced Suns coach Earl Watson to call for time. Zach Randolph then threw down a two-handed slam dunk that capped a 20-6 run for the Grizzlies.
Memphis shot 61 percent in the
third, and Phoenix struggled to get into offensive sets and find a rhythm. Memphis’ lead was just 80-79 with four minutes left to play in the third.
Phoenix didn’t scare easily by Memphis’ defense in the first half.
The Suns used their athleticism to routinely beat defenders off the dribble and score at the rim. Phoenix led 30-24 in points in the paint during the first half.
Conley and Gasol provided enough offense to keep the Grizzlies afloat. Gasol had 14 points and Conley 13 while Randolph added nine over the first two quarters.
Carter was tossed with 3:54 left in the opening period.
The veteran swingman took issue with Booker hacking him on a drive to the basket, and swung his right arm. The officials whistled Booker for a common foul.
Then, players on both teams exchanged heated words that resulted in three technical fouls. Carter received two technicals that meant an automatic ejection. After picking up a technical for the elbow, Carter received the other for his verbal jousting with Suns center Alex Len.
The referees also tagged Len with a technical foul.
Memphis trailed by five points at that point but regrouped and cut the deficit to 56-55 by halftime.
The last time these teams met a fracas broke out Feb. 8 in FedExForum. In the final minute, the officials handed out three ejections and six technical fouls. Booker and Grizzlies guard Troy Daniels’ trash-talking escalated after.
Phoenix guard Tyler Ulis stepped in and was shoved by Daniels. Officials spent 10 minutes reviewing things. And the players who were ejected, including Daniels, were later fined by the NBA.
Tip-in
Grizzlies big man Brandan Wright rejoined the team after missing the two previous games due to personal reasons.
Reach Tillery at Ronald.Tillery@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @CAGrizBeat.