NBA Game Summary - Washington at Memphis
(Friday, February 1st)
Final Score: Memphis 85, Washington 76
Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - Tayshaun Prince looked pretty comfortable in
his Memphis debut, making several clutch shots down the stretch to help the
Grizzlies down the Washington Wizards, 85-76, at FedExForum on Friday.
Prince received the most playing time of the three new players acquired in
Wednesday's trade, in which the Grizzlies shipped Rudy Gay to the Toronto
Raptors. In 32 minutes of play, Prince scored 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting,
while Ed Davis and Austin Daye saw limited action in their respective debuts.
"It was tough, but they tried to keep it as simple as possible for the first
game and we were able to manage it real well," Prince said about his first
game with his new team.
Mike Conley scored a team-high 18 points and Marc Gasol contributed 13 points
and 15 rebounds for Memphis, which bounced back after a loss to Oklahoma City
on Thursday.
Nene was Washington's only scorer in double-figures, tallying 14 points. John
Wall contributed nine points along with seven rebounds and six assists in the
Wizards' third straight defeat.
"They just executed their offense and we just missed a couple of open, easy
shots," Wall said about Memphis. "They did a great job of making shots."
Neither team shot very well in the first half, but Washington held a slim
40-39 edge at the break. However, Memphis started to find its rhythm midway
through the third quarter.
They shot 6-for-10 in the final six-plus minutes of period, with Darrell
Arthur's jumper sending the Grizzlies into the fourth with a 61-56 lead.
Memphis never trailed in the final session, and while Trevor Ariza knocked
down a triple early in the fourth to pull Washington within 67-66, Prince
made key baskets down the stretch to keep the Grizzlies ahead.
He scored eight of his points in the fourth, finishing a driving score to push
the Grizzlies' lead to five and then increased the cushion to eight later in
the stanza with a desperation 21-footer.
Prince sealed the victory with another jumper with just over a minute
remaining to give Memphis an 82-72 advantage. Washington never came closer
than six the rest of the way.
Game Notes
Memphis captured its ninth consecutive home win over Washington ... The
Wizards haven't won at FedExForum since Nov. 3, 2004 ... Bradley Beal sat for
a second consecutive game for Washington with an injured wrist ... Zach
Randolph tallied seven points and 11 rebounds for Memphis.
02/02 02:08:16 ET
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