It was the tale of two halves.
After appearing lethargic for the first 26 minutes of the game, the Memphis Grizzlies (21-18) simply flipped a switch, and just like that, they proceeded to blow the 21-point deficit that the Boston Celtics (19-18) had created en route to a devastating 101-98 victory at FedEXForum for the green, who have now dropped three consecutive contests.
Memphis power forward Zach Randolph dominated the Celtics big men on the glass en route to 13 rebounds, eight of them coming on the offensive boards, to accompany his 25 points in 38 minutes off of the bench, serving as the primary catalyst for his team's revival in the second half.
Grizzlies shooting guard Tony Allen, playing against his former team, also displayed his full potential as he garnered 15 points and 10 rebounds to go along with a pair of steals on the night, while point guard Mario Chalmers added 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Small forward Matt Barnes was also key in the Memphis win, contributing a near double-double of 12 points and nine rebounds while center Marc Gasol chipped in a plethora of crucial buckets down the stretch en route to a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas shouldered the offensive load for his squad with an 11-for-19, 35-point performance to accompany his eight assists, however, it was not enough to pace Boston as they suffered mightily on the boards, being outrebounded 58-39.
21 of those rebounds came on the offensive side of the glass for Memphis, who received a number of extra opportunities down the stretch against a Boston team which failed to box out on a multitude of occasions.
Despite their feebleness on the glass, the Celtics managed to an abundance of commotion on the defensive side of the ball, grabbing an exceptional 17 steals on the night.
Shooting guard Marcus Smart forced five of those steals while small forward Jae Crowder recorded four steals to go along with his 10 points, wreaking havoc on defense.
In addition, shooting guard Avery Bradley and power forward Amir Johnson dropped in 14 points apiece for the Celtics, however, their disappearance in the latter stages of the fourth quarter proved costly for the team.
Boston began the contest on a tear, cashing in on nearly every opportunity they received while riding a 19-1 run to a 19-4 lead halfway through the first quarter.
This lead jumped to 34-16 at the end of the stanza following jumpers from Smart and power forward Jared Sullinger, and it proceeded to remain steady as the Celtics dominated the momentum in a second quarter highlighted by a Smart steal and behind-the-back dime to power forward David Lee at the outset of the quarter.
Boston then jumped out to an 8-2 run to begin the second half as their lead ballooned to 61-40 with 10 minutes to go in the third quarter, the Grizzlies facing a seemingly insurmountable deficit.
However, slowly but surely, Memphis inched back into contention.
A Randolph jumper with 9:49 remaining kicked off a 16-2 Memphis run which lasted over five minutes, as the Celtics hit just one field goal during the span as the Grizzlies narrowed the gap to 63-58 with 4:41 left in the third quarter.
A three-pointer by Thomas boosted the advantage to 66-58, however, Memphis kept it close as they entered the fourth quarter trailing by eight points.
After a Bradley make with 7:11 pushed the Celtics lead to 83-74, the Grizzlies proceeded to obliterate the deficit.
Shooting guard Vince Carter hit two free throws, Allen flushed home a breakaway dunk after a steal by small forward Jeff Green, Green himself converted a fast-break bucket, and Gasol knocked down a midrange jumper off of a pick-and-roll to cut the Boston advantage to 83-82 with 4:46 left.
A three-point play by Gasol a minute later gave the Grizzlies a 87-85 lead, one they would extend with offensive rebounds and free-throw makes.
Four consecutive makes at the line by Randolph resulted in a tied ballgame with 1:45 remaining, and following a free throw by Bradley, Barnes collected a three-point miss by Chalmers on the offensive glass and knocked home a floater to give his team a 93-92 lead with 50 seconds left in the contest.
Chalmers proceeded to hit two foul shots to push the advantage to 95-92 with 33 ticks remaining, and following a rushed three-point miss by Thomas, Allen knocked down a pair of free throws to give his team a five-point lead with 27 seconds left.
The Celtics had one last opportunity to send the game into overtime on the game's final possession as Thomas stole a poor inbounds pass by Green with five seconds left and his team trailing 101-98 after hitting two free throw of his own.
Thomas dove on the floor and tapped the ball out to an open Bradley at the top of the key. However, Bradley missed long on the game-tying attempt, sending the Celtics to Madison Square Garden for a matchup against the New York Knicks on Tuesday with a sour taste in their mouths.