Grizzlies don’t forget
For more Bulls coverage:
See more articles and follow the Northwest Herald's Bulls coverage for the latest information.
|
|
| Injured Bulls guard Derrick Rose (right) watches the game against the Memphis Grizzlies from the bench with Bulls forward Carlos Boozer (center) in the second half Monday in Memphis, Tenn. The Grizzlies won, 102-86.(AP Photo/Nikki Boertman) |
| Buy Northwest Herald Photos » |
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Mike Conley delivered a direct message to his Memphis Grizzlies before they played the Bulls.
“I said, ‘Let’s not forget what happened,’ ” Conley recounted from the pregame huddle.
“That was the last thing I said to them: ‘That was an embarrassing loss. Let’s go out there and just play hard and leave it all out there on the court,’” he said.
Beaten by 40 points by the Bulls on New Year’s Day, the Grizzlies bounced back Monday to defeat the Bulls, 102-86.
Rudy Gay scored 24 points, and Conley added 20 points and eight assists as Memphis ended the Bulls’ five-game winning streak. The Bulls played without leading scorer Derrick Rose, who missed his second game in the past four with a sprained left toe.
Quite a different outcome than the Grizzlies’ 104-64 drubbing at the United Center two weeks ago.
“Without having D-Rose out there, we had to take advantage of it,” Conley said.
Marc Gasol had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Marreese Speights finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds for Memphis, which extended its winning streak to three games. Gay was 11 of 18 from the field while Gasol and Conley both hit nine of their 13 shots.
Luol Deng led the Bulls with 20 points, and C.J. Watson finished with 17. Taj Gibson had 16 points, and Carlos Boozer added 13 points, all in the first half, and seven rebounds.
“I don’t think we did a good job mentally preparing for them. We should have been ready for that,” Deng said of the potential retaliation factor. “We should have known that anytime you beat a team like that in the NBA, next time, they can’t wait to see you. We should have been more prepared.”
The Bulls rallied late in the third quarter and cut the lead to nine early in the fourth. They got no closer.
The Grizzlies overcame eight first-quarter turnovers by shooting 78 percent to open the game. Memphis led 58-38 at halftime.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau noted that the Grizzlies dominated key parts of the game by outrebounding the Bulls, the league’s leading rebounding team, 46-34.
“They got great shots. They killed us on the boards. They turned us over,” Thibodeau said. “If you don’t defend, you don’t rebound and you turn it over, you don’t give yourself much of a chance to win.”
NOTES: The game was played on the holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. The Grizzlies annually play on the date. Before the game, former NBA stars George Gervin and Clyde Drexler were recognized for their contributions to civil and human rights. Memphis is 5-5 on MLK Day games. ... Rose played one year at the University of Memphis. ... The game drew 18,119, Memphis’ second sellout of the season. Memphis was only the fourth team this season to score 100 points on the Bulls. The Bulls are a different team at home. Entering the game, the Bulls have allowed teams only 66.8 points a game. On the road, they had allowed 93.2 before Monday’s game.
