- LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
- Could the Hasheem Thabeet era be coming to a (merciful) end?
After getting blitzed Tuesday night by a short-handed but frisky Denver Nuggets team in what felt a little like a giddy “Home Alone” game for the home team, the Grizzlies got back on track last night, picking up a 104-95 road win against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game they controlled from the opening tip. After subpar performances against the Nuggets, Zach Randolph (24-10-5) and Mike Conley (22-5-9) bounced back with strong games, and the wing rotation without Rudy Gay looks decent two games in: Tony Allen has averaged 21 points, 5.5 boards, and 1.5 steals over the two games. Sam Young has averaged 13 rebounds and 2 steals but, more significantly, has replicated Gay’s recent strong rebounding from the small forward position with 8 a game. And while O.J. Mayo’s three-point stroke hasn’t really been there with 3-14 long-range shooting over two games, he’s played with both more swagger and impact off the bench these past two games, scoring 21 points on 8-14 shooting against the Nuggets and scoring 9 points but with 6 assists and 3 steals against the Wolves.
The Grizzlies also got some help with losses by the Utah Jazz and Portland Trailblazers last night.
The Standings: With the win over the Timberwolves and the Jazz loss to the Mavs, the Grizzlies moved back into the final playoff slot, half a game ahead of the Jazz and a game behind the Blazers, who are 7th. The Grizzlies are 1.5 games behind the 6th-place Denver Nuggets and 2 games back of the 5th-place New Orleans Hornets. Game of consequence tonight: The Nuggets are at home against the Boston Celtics.