Gametime: Grizzlies vs. Mavericks - Feb. 29, 2012

Gametime

Final: Grizzlies 96, Mavericks 85 - February 29, 2012

Highlights

Locker Room Video

Photos

Key Stat of the Night

After Dallas shot .541 (20-of-37 FG) in the first half, Memphis limited the Mavericks to a .357 clip (15-of-42 FG) after halftime.

Key Run of the Night

Memphis scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to extend its lead to 15 points (82-67) with 8:01 left in the game… Dallas would get no closer than seven for the rest of the game.

Player Notes

- Leading the Grizzlies in scoring (22 points) and rebounding (11 rebounds), 2012 All-Star Marc Gasol recorded his seventh 20-10 game this season.

- Mike Conley scored 20 points and handed out 10 assists for his sixth double-double of the season, one shy of his total from all of the 2010-11 season.

- Quincy Pondexter scored eight points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds off the bench… He surpassed his previous high of six recorded on Feb. 8 against MIN

Marc Gasol tallied 22 points and 11 rebounds in the Grizzlies' 96-85 home win over the Mavericks on Wednesday. Mike Conley had a double-double (20 points, 10 assists) and Rudy Gay scored 18 points. Next, Memphis travels to Toronto on Friday at 6 p.m. 

Game Notes

  • Memphis extended its home winning streak to a season-high five games… The last time the Grizzlies won five-in-a-row at home was during a five-game streak that stretched from Feb. 11- March 1, 2011.
  • Winners of eight of the last 10 games, Memphis began the second half of the season by moving a season-high five games above .500.
  • Memphis has won seven out of the last 11 meetings with Dallas… Before that, the Grizzlies held a 7-46 overall record against the Mavericks.
  • When at FedExForum, the Grizzlies are 11-0 this season when leading at the end of the first quarter.
  • The Grizzlies snapped the Mavericks’ five-game road winning streak against Western Conference opponents… The Mavericks’ last road loss against a Western opponent was on Jan. 18 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
  • Tonight marks the third overall game and first-ever Leap Day victory for the Grizzlies… The other two instances were losses at Houston (95-116) in 2008 and at Sacramento (87-112) in 2000.

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They said...

Coach Hollins

On the game:

“They were attacking us, and we were playing too conservative on defense in terms of trying to take them off the three point line instead of taking away the paint first. In the second half I thought we did a much better job. We gave up 17 points in the second half in the paint. Usually we’re somewhere in the 35-40 range for the whole game. They had 35 at halftime. We corrected that a little bit and did a much better job in their pick- and- rolls. They tried to go small. We were able to switch a lot of things that took them out of rhythm, and our offense versus their zone was outstanding. Our ball movement and our aggressiveness of attacking the zone was one of the keys to winning the game because it made them have to play man-to-man, which is what they didn’t want to do against us because of the size they were playing with. Once Dirk (Nowitzki) went out and (Brendan) Haywood got into a little bit of foul trouble, they weren’t able to really match up with us but our execution against the zone was superb.”

On the players:

“He (Quincy Pondexter) played extremely well. He was a little bit bigger than O.J. (Mayo) and when they had (Rodrigue) Beaubois and (Jason) Terry, I wanted to get a bigger guy on Vince Carter and let Tony Allen guard Terry and we slowed him down after that match up in the fourth quarter. Rather, it was key for us ballooning the lead up.”

On Dirk Nowitzki leaving the game:

“We didn’t have to worry about that. I thought overall we played extremely well. We shot the ball decent. They were shooting 54 percent in the first half and they wound up at 44 so they had to be somewhere in the 30’s through the second half. That was also key thing we did in the second half was predicated to our defense. Then when they went back to zone, we attacked and attacked and we wound up getting a very sweet win. It’s nice to have taken care of business.”

Tony Allen

On the game:

“We were getting after it in practice the past few days and the guys came in ready to work. Today was a reflection of that. The guys took care of themselves over the weekend. They came home from the weekend and were ready to work and brought it here tonight on our home court.”

On the upcoing game in Toronto:

“When we get to Toronto, it is business. We have to bring the same focus and be ready to come out with nothing less than a win.”

Mike Conley

On the game:

“Our tempo was better in the second half, defensively. We did a great job running them up the three-point line. We played our style defensively and did a good job in our transition. When we play in a comfortable zone like that we are hard to beat. It was a great win, it says a lot about our discipline. Throughout the last five days, we have had a lot of time to think and rest and the guys came back from the All-Star Weekend with the right focus and mindset to be ready to play tonight and to beat a team like Dallas. Marc (Gasol) played well tonight. We tried to play through our big guys. Marc can find guys and be aggressive when the time is needed.”

On the weekend:

“It’s a very winnable game, we understand that it’s going to be tough especially being on the road in Toronto. We have to come with the right mind set being focused from the start with high energy.”

On the season:

“This season is so condensed that every game means as much as the last. Believe it or not, but the Toronto game is bigger than the Dallas win. Each game gets bigger and bigger, so we have to take it one game at a time.”