NBA Game Summary - Memphis at Phoenix
(Sunday, January 6th)
Final Score: Memphis 92, Phoenix 81
Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Zach Randolph had 21 points and eight rebounds
to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Phoenix Suns, 92-81, at US Airways
Center.
Rudy Gay followed with 20 points and Marc Gasol filled the stat sheet with 10
points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocks for the Grizzlies, who have
won three of their last five.
"It was a good game for us, from both ends," Randolph remarked. "We played
defense and we got off to a good start and we came out in the second half and
we didn't drop down or let them play up."
P.J. Tucker finished with 17 points and five rebounds for Phoenix, which has
dropped two straight and eight of nine overall.
Marcin Gortat was the only other member of the Suns to score in double digits
with 12 points.
"We really could never get anything going," Suns coach Alvin Gentry admitted.
"We got bogged down offensively and struggled to make shots."
Memphis scored the first six points of the first quarter and never trailed
throughout the remainder of the game.
Phoenix battled back to tie the game at 8-8 before the Grizzlies responded
with an 8-2 push to go back on top by six points and they carried a 21-16 edge
into the second quarter.
The Suns managed to cut their deficit to one early in the second before a
Marreese Speights jumper sparked a streak of six straight points by Memphis,
handing the Grizzlies a 31-24 lead with 7 1/2 minutes left in the half.
Memphis later stretched its lead up to 37-28 on a Gay layup, but Phoenix
closed out the second quarter with a 10-4 run to get within 41-38 at the
break.
After Gay and Gortat traded baskets to start the third quarter, Memphis reeled
off an 8-2 spurt to take a 51-42 advantage.
Tucker put an end to the run with a 3-pointer at the other end, but the Suns
would get no closer and Memphis scored 12 of the next 18 points to jump out to
a double-digit lead, 63-51.
The Grizzlies held a 71-62 lead entering the fourth quarter, which Markieff
Morris opened with a three-point play to cut Phoenix's deficit to six points
before a 10-3 run by Memphis put them on top, 81-68, with less than five
minutes to play.
The Suns got no closer than eight for the remainder of the game.
Game Notes
Memphis now leads the season series between the teams, 3-2 ... The Grizzlies
had lost 11 of their last 13 trips to Phoenix ... Phoenix shot just 39.2
percent from the field, while Memphis connected on 53.6 percent of its shots
... The Grizzlies turned the ball over 20 times, resulting in 15 Phoenix
points ... Memphis scored 18 points off 14 turnovers by the Suns.
01/07 01:41:55 ET

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