The Memphis Grizzlies got the better of the Phoenix Suns in a tight battle at the Fedexforum in Memphis. It was an arm wrestle from start to finish but the home team won 95-93 in dramatic fashion.
Everyone will talk about the finish to this one as Courtney Lee found Jeff Green with an inbounds alley-oop dunk for the victory. A wild finish to a game that lacked a little quality but provided thrills in spades at the end.
The Grizzlies were 11-9 with six victories at home going into the matchup. They relied on some good teamwork to get the points they needed Marc Gasol contributed with 22 points and eight rebounds. Courtney Lee was huge in the fourth quarter with some clutch shots as he ended the night with 18 pints and six assists.
It was a night were six players ended with double digits for the Grizzlies in scoring as Mike Conley (12 points and six assists), Jeff Green (10) and Zach Randolph (10) all scored baskets.
The opening three quarters saw both teams really fight hard to stay in the contest. The Grizzlies had a ten point lead in the second quarter which then swung into a five point advantage for the Suns in the third quarter. Going into the crucial fourth quarter the visiting Suns had a one point lead and could dream of a first victory over Memphis since February this year.
Another big performance from Eric Bledsoe kept them in the game throughout. He finished the contest with a game-high 23 points, he also dished up six assists and pulled down seven boards. He was ably assisted by Brandon Knight, 17 points and five assists and Mirza Teletovic, 14 points. The Suns struggled with turnovers as they gave the ball away 18 times. Crucially for them Brandon Knights turnover with 0.8 second left handed the Grizzlies the ball and they won the game on that possession.
The end of the game was frenetic as the Grizzlies and Suns couldn’t get a big lead. There were tip-ins, turnovers and controversial refereeing calls. Ultimately a brave call with the scores tied had Memphis rocking. Lee’s pass was picture perfect and Jeff Green’s dunk was emphatic. It was a play worthy of winning any game.
The Grizzlies stretched their winning streak over the Suns to nine games with Phoenix having last beaten Memphis in February. The Suns came close this time, but the Grizzlies came up big when they needed to.
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