Grizzlies end Hawks winning streak 96-77

By The Associated Press
Febraury 2, 2012

ATLANTA — Memphis had not won a game in Atlanta in more than six years.

The Grizzlies took care of that skid in a big way. Rudy Gay scored 21 points, four other teammates were in double figures and Memphis blew out the listless Hawks 96-77 Thursday night.

"It was outstanding defense from the start," said coach Lionel Hollins, whose team came up with 13 steals. "We started executing and our defense just took over from that."

Memphis snapped a five-game losing streak at Philips Arena, winning for the first time since an 85-84 triumph on Nov. 12, 2005.

"We haven't won here in so long," Gay said. "We know we can beat teams, but the reality is there's still a long way to go."

Memphis pulled away late in the first half, closing on an 18-7 run that gave the Grizzlies a 10-point lead at the break. They totally blew it open in the third quarter after Atlanta missed its first seven shots and turned it over three times.

The Hawks were coming off a 4-1 road trip that left them tied with Miami for the Southeast Division lead. But they looked exhausted in their return to Atlanta, putting up ugly jumpers, playing pedestrian defense and struggling just to hang on to the ball.

While fatigue could've been a factor after a grueling road trip in the compressed, post-lockout schedule, that didn't totally explain why the Hawks were so sloppy with the ball.

"When you have this kind of season, it happens," center Zaza Pachulia said. "But that's not an excuse. We're a good team. Good teams have to find a way to regroup."

Gay and the Grizzlies ran the court with abandon and slammed down several thunderous dunks. The sparse crowd at Philips Arena began booing in the third quarter, then mostly headed for home early in the fourth as Memphis stretched the lead as high as 30 points.

Tony Allen and O.J. Mayo scored 18 apiece for Memphis, while Mike Conley had 15. Marc Gasol turned in a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Dante Cunningham chipped in with 10 rebounds off the bench.

Josh Smith led the Hawks with 11 points, playing only 19 minutes.

Both teams cleared their benches in the final minutes and the only thing the Hawks could take solace in was avoiding their worst loss of the season, which remains a 22-point defeat at San Antonio.

The Hawks got an omen of things to come when backup center Jason Collins tumbled to the court chasing a loose ball late in the first quarter. His left arm was pinned under Cunningham, leaving the 7-footer writhing on the court with a sprained elbow that finished him off for the night. The Hawks were already shorthanded in the middle with Al Horford recovering from surgery for a torn pectoral muscle that will keep him out for most, if not all, of the regular season.

Collins isn't much of a factor statistically. Still, his big body was missed when Gasol and the Grizzlies started going inside.

"We knew after Collins went out that they were a little small in the front court, so we wanted to try to get some penetration and get it to our big fella, Marc," Conley said. "We felt like we had an advantage there and we tried to use it all night."

The Hawks never found an answer for Memphis' inside game. The Grizzlies finished with 58 points in the lane, matching the most allowed by Atlanta this season.

"We just didn't have the size to match up with Gasol," Willie Green said. "We put (Pachulia) on him, and he did a good job, but it takes a team effort. We'll see how the injury is and try to move forward as a team. But it's definitely a tough loss if he's out."

Atlanta was up 36-35 with 5 minutes left in the opening half. That's when the game turned Memphis' way.

Mayo knocked down a jumper, Gasol hit a turnaround hook and Allen laid it in off a nifty pass from Gay. After Jeff Teague missed a jumper, Gay broke ahead of the pack, took a pass from Conley and jammed it down. Then Mayo stole the ball from Joe Johnson, feeding Allen for another layup.

The Hawks got a bit of a spark when Marvin Williams swished a 3-pointer, but Allen matched it with a 3 of his own just ahead of the buzzer, sending the Grizzlies sprinting to the locker room up 53-43.

Atlanta never got closer.

Johnson was smothered by the Grizzlies and finished with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting. Ivan Johnson, also with 10, was the only other Hawks player in double figures.

NOTES: X-rays on Collins showed there was nothing broken, but the team isn't sure how long he'll be out. ... The Hawks also surrendered 58 points in the lane in a Jan. 5 loss to Miami, but that game went to triple-overtime. ... Gay had three steals and became Memphis' career leader in that category. ... Memphis outrebounded the Hawks 49-36.

Have you been to any Memphis Grizzlies games? Tell us about it here with a 500 word article. We will publish your Memphis Grizzlies story on our gls55 holdings blog and toss you a FREE t-shirt to boot! (t-shirts availabele ONLY in Canada and the United States)

NBA news archive:
2012, 2011, 2010, 2009

Memphis Grizzlies tickets

Do you need Sports Ticket Depot to help you hunt down some cheap Memphis Grizzlies tickets or tickets to the NBA finals? Contact us or fill out our Memphis Grizzlies tickets information request form. We will hunt down your cheap Memphis Grizzlies tickets and your tickets to the NBA finals for you!

Cheap Memphis Grizzlies basketball jerseys

it’s Memphis Grizzlies time!you need airfare, a hotel, a car rental.

it’s Memphis Grizzlies time!
you need airfare, a hotel, a car rental.