The Memphis Grizzlies are officially one of three teams in the NBA to have won at least 75 percent of their games this season, notching their 36th win of the year with a thrilling win over Phoenix. The game was fairly close all the way through, with neither team leading by more than 11 at any given point. Memphis won with their typical blue-collar basketball, as they hit only three shots from beyond the arc and out-rebounded the Suns, 46-38.
Memphis was led by point guard Mike Conley, who scored 23 points off of 9 of 15 shooting from the floor. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph combined for 34 points and 15 rebounds, while Gasol chipped in three blocks on the night. The most important one came at a pivotal moment in the game.
After a missed three-pointer from Mike Conley, forward Jeff Green corralled an offensive rebound and put up a five-foot jumper plus the foul. After sinking the free throw, the Grizzlies took a 102-101 lead with under 10 seconds left to play.
The Suns got the ball in to forward Markieff Morris' hand, but his 18-foot jumper was swatted by Gasol as time expired. The Grizzlies defense has been their calling card the past few seasons, and they rank third in the NBA in opponent points per game so far this year, as their defense came through again.
The Suns trio of guards shined as usual tonight, but it wasn't quite enough. Eric Bledsoe notched 21 points, eight helpers, and four steals, as he was a force on both sides of the floor. Sixth man Isaiah Thomas provided 24 off the bench, while Goran Dragic had 15 points and five rebounds in the starting slot next to Bledsoe. Brandan Wright was hot off the bench, hitting five of his six attempts from the floor for 11 points, but Phoenix just couldn't hold off the Grizzlies' late game rally.
The Suns are now just one game ahead of New Orleans and three games ahead of Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, find themselves at 36-12, and 2.5 games back of the Warriors.
The Suns will look to bounce back Thursday as they travel to take on the Blazers at 10:30 PM EST, while Memphis will travel to Salt Lake City to take on Utah on Wednesday at 9:00 PM EST.