The Memphis Grizzlies suffered their fifth-straight loss, falling to the
Sacramento Kings 102-99 on Friday night in Golden 1 Center. The Grizzlies
dropped to 16-16 on the season and are now 7-10 on the road. The Grizzlies have
lost five-straight games. The Kings improved to 17-15 on the year.
Mike Conley led Memphis with 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Conley
tied his career-high for three-pointers in a game by going 7-for-11 (.636) from
long range. Conley has now made seven treys on seven different occasions in his
career. Garrett Temple scored 17 points against his former team to go with a
pair of steals. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 12 points – all in the first quarter –
to go with six rebounds and three blocks. Marc Gasol also added 12 points with
eight boards and five assists. Shelvin Mack chipped in with 11 points off the
bench. Kyle Anderson finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
The Grizzlies set a season-high for three-pointers made in a game, making
16-of-32 (.500) threes. It’s the third time that Memphis has shot 50 percent
from beyond the arc this year. The Kings shot 15-for-41 (.366) from long
distance. Memphis lost the turnover battle, committing 18 (tying a team high
this season) while Sacramento had just 10 turnovers. The Grizzlies led for 44:49
out of 48:00 in the game and led by as much as 19 in the game.
Buddy Hield led all scorers with 28 points while pulling down eight rebounds.
Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Aaron Fox each scored 14 points, while Iman Shumpert
and Nemanja Bjelica both finished with 11 points. Willie Cauley-Stein recorded a
double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Sacramento’s offense was rolling in the fourth quarter, going 11-of-19 from the
floor and 5-of-10 from three. The Kings retook the lead when Fox knocked down a
pair of free throws to put Sacramento up 98-97 with 1:17 remaining in the game,
giving them the first lead of the game since the 11:21 mark of the first
quarter. The Kings made 10-of-13 (.769) free throws in the quarter to put the
game away.
In the third quarter, the Kings used a brief 8-0 run from 8:46 to 6:41 (2:45
span) to trim the Grizzlies lead to 62-55, but Memphis reciprocated with a 12-2
run of their own over the next 4:46. Both teams shot exactly 5-of-10 from three
in the period.
The Grizzlies knocked down open looks in the first half, going 22-for-41 (8-13
3P) from the floor. Sacramento struggled, shooting just 14-for-48 (5-21 3P) from
the field. The Grizzlies also limited second chances for the Kings,
outrebounding them 27-18. Memphis had 10 turnovers in the half while Sacramento
committed only four.
Memphis started the game hot from long distance, shooting 5-for-7 (.714) from
three-point range in the first quarter. that percentage tied the highest
three-point percentage in any first quarter this season. Jackson Jr. scored 12
points (5-6 FG) in the quarter. The Grizzlies outrebounded the Kings 14-6 in the
quarter, holding Sacramento to no second chance points in the period. Kosta
Koufos made a 10-foot hook shot as time expired to cut the Grizzlies lead 32-24.
The second quarter opened with a 14-3 run by the Grizzlies over a 4:46 stretch
(10:55 to 6:09). The Memphis defense held Sacramento to 5-of-26 (.192) shooting
from the floor and blocking four shots in the quarter. Shumpert was the lone
bright spot, scoring 11 consecutive points for Sacramento during the second. The
Grizzlies made 3-of-6 (.500) threes in the quarter to lead 53-40 at halftime.
The Grizzlies wrap up the four-game road trip when they face the Los Angeles
Lakers on Sunday, December 23 at 8:30 p.m. CT in Staples Center. Tune in to FOX
Sports Southeast presented by Pinnacle Financial Partners or listen on 92.9 FM
ESPN to follow the action.
Fans who want to support the Memphis Grizzlies and purchase 2018-19 Season
Tickets or 6-Game Holiday Packs can do so now by calling (901) 888-HOOP or going
online to grizzlies.com/tickets. Single Game Tickets are also available for
purchase at the FedExForum Box Office, ticketmaster.com, online at
grizzlies.com/tickets or by calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX. For more information on the
Grizzlies, visit grizzlies.com, ‘like’ Memphis Grizzlies on Facebook or follow
on Twitter and Instagram (@memgrizz).
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