Kings 100, Grizzlies 95

Make it 1-25 for the Memphis Grizzlies in Sacramento.

Kevin Martin went off for 33 points as the Kings (1-4) led nearly wire-to-wire in a 100-95 win on Wednesday.

The Grizzlies (2-3) were fortunate to find themselves with a chance to win this game over the final few minutes after falling behind by as many as 18 points in the second half.  A furious 18-3 rally over the game's final five minutes made the final score respectable, but it was no representation of the struggles Memphis had in the rest of the game.  They opened the fourth quarter with three straight turnovers, including two shot-clock violations.  They ended numerous possessions throughout the game with awkward-looking shots or ill-advised passes that resulted in transition opportunities for the Kings.  Along with a solid defensive effort from the Kings, it looked like the Grizzlies had lost their identity. After sparkling in the team's first few games, Marc Gasol disappeared against the Kings, in part because of the Kings' physical defense.  He managed only a buzzer-beater in the first half and was never really a factor, finishing the game with five points, six rebounds and four turnovers.

The Memphis offense looked out-of-sync most of the night.  Other than accurate 3-point shooting and an ability to get to the free-throw line with regularity, they could do little in their half-court sets. Birthday boy O.J. Mayo provided the spark, leading the Grizzlies with a career-high 28 points.  Rudy Gay and Kyle Lowry joined him in double figures with 18 and 14 points, respectively.

To their credit, the Grizzlies kept their deficit stable in the second half.  They just couldn't make a run to get closer than five points down.  Martin scored 12 points in the third quarter as the Kings shot 58 percent in the period to take a 13-point lead. Although the Memphis defense was disappointing at a glance, they forced 11 first-half turnovers while committing only eight.  What is really hurting them is their inability to make runs when they need them.  They have to shoot better than 44 percent to win on the road.  Only their late stretch of offense got their percentage to that mark.  They began the game by shooting 28 percent in the first quarter.

Fouls also plagued the Grizzlies. Mayo and Gay each finished with five fouls.  Two of Mayo's came in a 30-second span early in the third quarter with his team trying to keep the Kings' lead from growing to double digits, including one that allowed Martin to complete a 3-point play and give the Kings an eight-point advantage.

Darko Milicic isn't the answer inside.  He did make a few shots, but he is not a good defender and sometimes looks lost on offense. When Gasol is struggling, someone needs to pick up the slack down low, and Milicic is not going to give you 20 points and 10 rebounds in very many games. The Kings held a key advantage in the post with Mikki Moore scoring six points and grabbing 11 rebounds and Spencer Hawes putting up 13 points, three rebounds and a block.

I'm not sure what Hakim Warrick's role is on this team.  He was an athletic player at Syracuse and came up with the title-saving block against Kansas a few years ago.  Maybe he just isn't strong enough to be effective at this level.  There has to be a reason he hasn't been getting playing time, especially on defense. The Grizzlies don't have a whole lot of shot-blocking options on this small roster, so I think it's worth giving him a shot.  The defense hasn't been bad this year, but last night he could have made a difference.  Offensively, he's pretty quick around the basket.  He may not be a 20-10 guy night in and night out, but those numbers aren't out of his reach.

The Grizzlies continue the road trip in Denver on Friday with a 7 p.m. CST tipoff against the Nuggets.