Grizzlies hold off late surge to defeat Portland, 106-96

[La Bomba]

As halftime speeches go, the Grizzlies likely heard the simplest and shortest one of their careers.

 

What else could Griz coach Lionel Hollins say but “keep it up?”

 

The Grizzlies experienced their best stretch of basketball in recent memory when they scored 21 unanswered points in the first half Friday night, and then cruised to a 106-96 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

 

Box score.Grizzlies 106, Trail Blazers 96

That 21-0 scoring barrage bridged the first and second quarters, tying the Grizzlies’ all-time record. The Griz had never scored so many consecutive points on the road.

 

The decisive sequence staggered the Blazers and hushed a normally raucous Rose Garden crowd. The Griz routinely earned defensive stops and turned them into patient, unselfish offensive possessions in snapping an eight-game losing streak to the Blazers.

 

“It was an awesome performance from start to finish,” Hollins said. “It actually started (Friday morning) at shootaround. They were very focused.”

 

Zach Randolph’s 21 points led the Griz, who also got 19 points apiece from O.J. Mayo and Marc Gasol.

 

Gasol added 15 rebounds — one of the many areas of the game that the Griz controlled. Memphis only turned the ball over 10 times, shot 54 percent and held Portland to 40-percent shooting.

 

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/nov/27/grizzlies-hold-late-surge-defeat-portland-106-96/