Memphis Grizzlies rally against Celtics comes up short

The Memphis Grizzlies drop the second game of their back-to-back against the Boston Celtics, falling to 9-21 on the season.

First Quarter:

The Memphis Grizzlies started the game off very strong — meaning the first few minutes, the Grizzlies even led 5-4. After that, the Grizzlies fell victims to the best team in the Eastern conference. An 8-0 run following a 5-4 lead eventually led to the Grizzlies trailing by 19 at the end the first quarter.

Second Quarter Summary:

The Grizzlies bench unit started filtering in at the beginning of the second quarter and had a huge impact. The unit included Kobi Simmons, Deyonta Davis, JaMychal Green, Jarell Martin and Tyreke Evans.

After trailing by 19, the bench unit led by Martin and Evans trimmed the Boston lead to six. Gasol sat on the bench for almost all of the second quarter. He returned for about two and a half minutes left in the second quarter. In that two minute span, Gasol scored six points. The Grizzlies ended the second quarter trailing the Celtics 48-40.

First Half Summary:

Memphis showed signs of life after getting body slammed by the Celtics late in the first quarter. The Grizzlies used young talent, and a vet betting on his NBA future to claw back into the game after trailing by 19.

After the eight minute run by the young Grizzlies, Evans excited with 15 points in his 16 minutes of play. Without Evans and the young bears, the Grizzlies would be dead in the water. Some people say, it’s how you respond to adversity when you get hit, and the Grizzlies responded well in that first half.

First Half stat leaders

K. Irving: 12 points, four assists, and 4-9 FG

T. Evans: 15 points, three rebounds, and 4-10 Fg

M. Gasol: Seven points, two rebounds, and 3-7 FG

Third Quarter:

Memphis opened up the second half with a complete team effort, penetrating the paint which led to open shots. The Grizzlies tied the Celtics at 53 with nine minutes left in the third quarter.

After battling the Celtics back and forth for the lead, the Celtics made another run. Celtics, leading 69-60 with 3:17 remaining. J.B. Bickerstaff sat Gasol for most of the second quarter, and he went off toward the end of the third quarter. He scored 21 points in the third quarter, leading the team in points. Memphis had the lead at the end of the third quarter 73-71 after trailing by 21.

Forth Quarter:

The fourth quarter started just like the game

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did, horrible. Terrible fouls, and missed shots led to a 82-73 Celtics lead. Bickerstaff called timeout at the 8:59 minute mark, which left the Grizzlies with one timeout the rest of the way.

The Grizzlies made slight runs throughout the nine minutes, but it would come down to offensive rebounding. The Celtics had 14 offensive rebounds throughout the game, and three big offensive rebounds in the final tow minutes. In the end, the Grizzlies ran out of gas, and fell to the Celtics 102-93 in Memphis.

Final Stats:

M. Gasol: 30 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes of play

T. Evans: 25 points, five assists, 7-16 FG in 38 minutes of play

K. Irving: 20 points, six assists, 7-17 FG in 30 minutes of play