Grizzlies Are Real Kings Of The Court, Win 97-85

November 30, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Carl Landry (24, left) and Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50, right) fight for a loose ball during the first quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies ended Sacramento’s hopes of coming up with a revenge victory by dominating them on the road with a 97-85 win on Sunday night.

These two teams were guaranteed to have an intense battle on the hardwood with the Grizzlies visiting Sacramento– just a couple weeks after one of the craziest endings to an NBA game in 2014 occurred in Tennessee between these same two teams.

The Kings protested the officials’ on-court and final ruling of a Courtney Lee game-winning buzzer-beating shot and sent their argument to the NBA’s head office for review. The NBA made a final decision this past week in which they took the Grizzlies’ side and ruled in their favor. Players and front office personnel from the Kings have voiced their opinions on the infamous game and highlight play, and after losing their argument following their protest, Memphis was well-aware that it would not be an easy match on Sunday night when they stepped on the court with the Kings.

The Grizz continue to get big wins, both at home and on the road, against even the biggest of foes. Tonight was no different. Memphis earned yet another impressive victory while keeping their win streak alive and well.

You can find all of the Grits of the Grind below.

First Half

Memphis was able to jump out to an early start, which is oftentimes a common problem for them. In this game, that was greatly needed because it has been made clear that the Kings were hungry for a revenge win. The Grizz held a 14-4 lead until the Kings made their first quarter push which cut the M-Town lead to two.

Zach Randolph came out fighting from the beginning, scoring 12 points in the first quarter alone. All of Grizz Nation knows that once a fire has been lit underneath Z-Bo, the opponent most likely will not escape alive.

The Grizzlies ended the first quarter with a 28 to 20 lead.

The second quarter was a similar story to the first 12 minutes of the game for Memphis. The hot start continued into the first three minutes of the second, building a 35-22 lead on top of Sacramento– leading to a Kings’ timeout. For anyone counting, Randolph was up to a Z-total of 15 points by this mark while adding six rebounds and three assists to compliment his scoring.

The jumpers kept falling for Memphis. The lead grew to 51-30 after a Beno Udrih layup off of a Jon Leuer assist.

There was plenty of teamwork and contribution going around in the first half for M-Town. All but one player (Koufos) that had checked into the first half managed to score, with seven of 10 different players scoring at least five first-half points.

Memphis held a 58 to 42 lead over Sacramento at the half. Z-Bo led the Grizz with 15 points while forward Rudy Gay had 15 of his own points for the Sacramento Kings.

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Second Half

After holding tight to their 16-point halftime lead, the Grizzlies gave up some of their ground to Sacramento. With 5:22 remaining in the third quarter, the Kings cut the deficit to eight after a pair of Darren Collison free-throws. This led to a back-and-forth pattern between the Grizz and Kings to finish out the quarter. The Grizzlies are normally an excellent squad when it comes to performing in the third quarter, but the Kings were able to outscore them 23-16 in the third period.

Memphis owned a nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Reggie Evans of the Kings was the key factor for the Kings being able to hang in the game. He was a rebounding beast, even when battling in the post with Randolph and Gasol. It did get a little heated between Z-Bo and Evans, which should not come as a surprise because both players like to brawl in the mud.

Marc Gasol was able to lend a helping hand when it mattered most– as usual! Crafty moves made by Big Spain never get old. The Randolph and Gasol tandem is nearly unbeatable when the pair are both clicking.

Sacramento attempted a somewhat new tactic in the last period of tonight’s game– Hack-a-Tony-Allen. Joey Crawford was also blowing the whistle on some questionable calls, something all NBA fans are accustomed to seeing by now. Regardless, the Grizzlies were able to Grit ‘N’ Grind their way through the fourth quarter without giving up their stout lead.

Memphis prevailed by a final score of 97-85, riding on the coattails of Zach Randolph’s 22 points and 12 rebounds. The Grizzlies are now 2-0 against the Sacramento Kings this season.

The box score, produced by ESPN, can be found here.

Key Game Notes

• The Grizzlies had a rare occurrence of being outscored in the third quarter tonight
• Zach Randolph earned his 11th double-double of the season
• Reggie Evans (Sacramento) recorded an astounding 17 points and 20 rebounds
• Memphis had just 13 turnovers while Sacramento recorded 23 of them
• All five Grizzlies starters had double-digit scoring
• Sacramento made just one three-point field goal (Ben McLemore)
• The Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins did not play
• Ryan Hollins (Sacramento) was ejected from the game in the third quarter after picking up his second technical foul
• Vince Carter was assessed a technical foul in tonight’s contest

Fantasy Watch: Grizzlies Edition

• Zach Randolph: 22 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three steals, 0 turnovers
• Marc Gasol: 18 points, six rebounds, five assists, one steal, one block
• Mike Conley: 10 points, three rebounds, six assists, one steal, three turnovers
• Tony Allen: 13 points, three rebounds, two assists, four steals, four turnovers

Next Game

The Memphis Grizzlies will have two days off before they travel to Houston to take on the Rockets on Wednesday. The Grizz will be looking to improve upon their season record of 15-2.

Go Grizz!