Memphis Grizzlies | Finesse at its best | Lakers Game Up

Grizzlies' bench shine in a win against Bryant and co.
105
94

The Memphis team was simply too much for Lakers' guard Kobe Bryant last
night. The Grizzlies reverted back to their old form after a tough loss to the
Celtics the night before, and looked dominant throughout the game.

Kobe Bryant had another strong performance, leading all scorers with 34
points on 13/19 shooting from the field, including 4/5 from beyond the arc.
Bryant tried to keep the Lakers in the game, cutting a 26 point deficit to only
5 points in the fourth.


It was a lonely night for Kobe Bryant, leading his team with 34 points.

Lakers' Lamar Odom ran into foul trouble early in the game, picking up 3
fouls in the first quarter, forcing him to miss a bulk of the game, and
did not play at all in the second quarter. Without Odom's presence, the
Lakers had all sorts of matchup problems and the Grizzlies were able to
run away with a 21 point lead at the half.

"It was all about the bench tonight," said forward Pau Gasol, who scored
a team high 24 points. "We were able to get strong production from them
the whole night, and the Lakers really had trouble keeping up, especially
in the second quarter."


Gasol did it all again on both ends of the floor.

Forward Shane Battier saw his first start of the season last night. After
having difficulties with his shooting guards this season, Mike Fratello
decided to move James Posey to guard and matched him up against
Bryant. Battier registered 12 points in the night, including a crucial
3-pointer late in the fourth. With the Lakers trailing 97-92 with 2 minutes
remaining, Battier calmly drains the shot with a man in his face to fight off
the Lakers' run.

The Grizzlies had 6 players in double digits, including a noteable
performance by Mike Miller. With Battier starting at small forward, Miller
had to come off the bench at SF to fill the void. He scored 15 points in 14
minutes. The Grizzlies' bench outscored the Lakers' bench 33-16.

Highlight of the night

Odom completes the alley-oop after a beautiful setup from Atkins.

Player of the game
Pau Gasol 24 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists
Gasol had yet another solid game for the Grizzlies, leading the team in
points and rebounds. He's certainly making a strong bid for his first
all-star appearance...

Box Scores



Notes
There have been trade rumours that Brian Cardinal will be trade within
the next couple of days. Cardinal has been a disappointment for the
Grizzlies so far this season. As of now, Shawn Bradley of the Dallas
Mavericks has been the only name mentioned.

bad job.... i mean nice job against my Lakers

another great update