Kyrie Irving scored 28 points in the second half to help lift the Boston Celtics
past the Memphis Grizzlies, 122-116, on Friday night in TD Garden. The Grizzlies
fell to 19-26 on the season and are now 8-16 on the road. The Celtics improved
to 26-18 on the year. Boston has now won six-straight games against Memphis.
Mike Conley led Memphis with 26 points. Conley has scored 20 or more points five
times in the last eight games. Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 23 points and
four rebounds. The rookie has reached 20 points in eight games this season.
Shelvin Mack supplied 15 points and seven assists off the bench. Justin Holiday
reached double-digits for the first time in a Grizzlies uniform, finishing with
14 points and six boards. JaMychal Green and Omri Casspi chipped in with 12
points off the bench. Marc Gasol recorded the first double-double without
scoring in double figures in franchise history, grabbing 11 rebounds and handing
out 12 assists, while finishing with 4 points.
The Grizzlies shot 41-for-92 (.446) from the field in the game, including going
16-for-35 (.457) from three-point range, the most threes made since Dec. 21 in
Sacramento. The Celtics went 44-for-86 (.512) overall and made 17-of-38 (.447)
treys. Memphis dominated the turnover battle, forcing Boston into 17 turnovers
(20 Grizzlies points) while committing nine (12 Celtics points). The Grizzlies
shared the ball well, logging a season-high 33 assists in the game while the
Celtics finished with 29 dimes. Memphis also won in the paint, outscoring Boston
48-34 inside. Seven different Grizzlies made at least two three-pointers.
Kyrie Irving notched his 10th double-double of the season, scoring a game-high
38 points and dishing out 11 assists. Marcus Smart added 20 points, going
6-for-8 (.750) from three-point range. Smart has reached 20 points twice this
season. Al Horford finished with 18 points on 8-of-10 (.800) shooting. Jaylen
Brown added 12 points off the bench, while Terry Rozier scored 10.
Boston maximized their possessions in the fourth quarter, shooting an efficient
9-for-16 (3-4 3P). The Grizzlies forced the Celtics into six turnovers during
the period, but Boston outrebounded Memphis 16-6 in the period, allowing no
offensive rebounds for Memphis. The Grizzlies were ineffective from beyond the
arc, missing eight of their 12 three-point attempts in the final quarter.
Boston was rolling in the third quarter, making 14-of-26 (7-13 3P) shots.
Memphis wasn’t far behind, going 10-of-22 (5-10 3P) from the field in the third,
with Conley providing 11 points. Both teams moved the ball well, combining for
18 assists during the period. Irving heated up in the quarter, scoring 20 points
on 7-of-10 shooting to help Boston lead 96-91 after three quarters.
The teams shot almost exactly the same in the first half, as Memphis went
21-for-45 (.467) and Boston was 21-for-44 (.477). The Grizzlies were more
effective from long range however, making 7-of-13 (.538) threes during the half
while the Celtics were 7-of-21 (.333). Both teams also only missed one free
throw apiece in the half. Boston turned the ball over nine times in the first
half, leading to 13 points for Memphis, while the Grizzlies committed seven
turnovers which the Celtics converted into 10 points. Conley (12), Green (12),
Jackson Jr. (11) and Holiday (10) all reached double-digit points by halftime.
Memphis struggled from the floor to open the game, going just 8-for-23 (.348)
while also turning the ball over five times in the first quarter. Boston shot
12-for-26 (.462) in the quarter, but made only 4-of-13 (.308) three-pointers,
with three of them coming from Smart. The teams combined to make 13-of-14 free
throws, with Memphis missing the only one during the quarter. The Grizzlies went
on an 11-0 run midway through the first from 6:07 to the 3:01 mark, but the
Celtics followed it with an explosive 19-2 stretch of their own to close the
first quarter with a 35-24 lead.
The Grizzlies adjusted in the second quarter, outscoring the Celtics 38-23.
Memphis made 13-of-22 (.591) shots in the quarter, including going 5-for-7
(.714) from three. Boston also shot well in the period by going 9-for-18 (.500),
but committed seven turnovers which led to 10 points for Memphis. The Grizzlies
outscored the Celtics 16-6 in the paint during the period. Holiday made
back-to-back corner threes late in the period, and Conley dashed through the
lane to sink a layup with 1.6 seconds left, to help Memphis take a 62-58
halftime lead. Memphis has outscored Boston 76-41 in the second quarter of their
matchups this season.
The Grizzlies finish the back-to-back with a trip to Canada when they take on
the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, January 18 at 6:30 p.m. CT in Scotiabank Arena.
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 10-Game Flex 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, all Ticketmaster locations,
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).
Download or Update the Official Grizzlies App
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