The Grizzlies had to be looking forward to a Thanksgiving break after running into a hot Utah team on Wednesday. The Jazz, who had the services of guard Deron Williams for only the third time this season, put up their highest point total of the season in dispatching the Grizzlies 117-100.
Williams had 11 points and dished out 15 assists for the Jazz (10-6), while Paul Millsap filled in nicely for Carlos Boozer with 24 points and 16 rebounds. The Grizzlies (4-11) were in a hole from the start, and with the Jazz shooting at a 60 percent clip in the first half, they never had a chance to get in the game. The Grizzlies had one of their better offensive nights, shooting 53 percent while the Jazz finished at 54 percent. It's just a shame they ran into the Jazz on this night. For the most part the Grizzlies played good defense, too. Some of the shots that fell for the Jazz probably only go in once every ten tries.
O.J. Mayo had another spectacular night, finishing with 22 points, but this time he had help. Rudy Gay played his best game of the season to lead the Grizzlies with 27.
The Grizzlies gave away too many points, with the Jazz getting 15 points off nine Grizzlies turnovers in the first half alone. They need to do a better job of protecting the ball. One particularly frustrating turnover involved Rudy Gay holding the ball on the wing for six seconds, oblivious to the fact that the shot clock was nearing zero.
The Grizzlies lost the third quarter 36-25, dropping to 0-10 in games in which they are outscored in that period.
Keywords: Deron Williams, Memphis Grizzlies, Rudy Gay, Utah Jazz
