The Memphis Grizzlies could do no wrong on Tuesday night as they whipped the Sacramento Kings 109-94 to halt a four-game losing skid. The Grizzlies led wire-to-wire and held advantages as large as 23 points en route to their fourth win of the season.
Playing for the first time since Friday's stunning loss to Milwaukee, the Grizzlies faced a major test : Would the layoff help or hurt them? Coach Marc Iavaroni told his players to take it easy during the break, but he also said they had some of their best practices of the season in that time. As it turned out there was no rust whatsoever, and the Grizzlies might instead wish they could take a few days off after every game if it would lead to a shooting performance like they had on Tuesday.
Everyone contributed to the shooting clinic for the Grizzlies, who made 54 percent of their shots in what was easily their best overall performance of the season, possibly the best they've ever played. Rudy Gay led the team with 22 points, while Hakim Warrick came off the bench to contribute 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Grizzlies (4-7) connected on 10-of-16 3-pointers and dominated the boards 46-33. Darko Milicic played his best game with nine rebounds in 20 minutes.
For the first time all season the Grizzlies played four solid quarters of basketball. The Kings (4-8) managed an 8-2 run to start the second quarter that trimmed the lead to 34-33, but a 16-4 Memphis run put them away for good. The teams traded baskets more in the third quarter, but the Grizzlies maintained their shooting touch and played relatively good defense. Even playing with a large lead didn't throw off their concentration. Hopefully this will give them the confidence they need to rid themselves of their third-quarter demons for good.
Marc Gasol had an excellent passing game, picking up four assists as he fed teammates slashing through the lane for easy layups. The Grizzlies pushed the tempo in the fourth quarter to get fast-break layups by Quinton Ross and Gay.
O.J. Mayo got into foul trouble in the game's first few miutes but still finished with 11 points, making him one of only two NBA rookies to score in double figures in every game this season, along with Chicago's Derrick Rose.
The Kings played the game without Mikki Moore, Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia, which undoubtedly made a difference for them, especially on the boards. Martin scored 33 in the first meeting between the teams, but even another performance like that wouldn't have changed the outcome of this game.
The Grizzlies return to action Friday night when they travel to Dallas to take on the struggling Mavericks.
Keywords: Darko Milicic, Hakim Warrick, Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies, O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, Sacramento Kings
