Heat keep Grizzlies on the skids
Heat keep Grizzlies on the skids
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- In the Miami Heat locker room, guard Goran Dragic was standing in front of his locker and talking about his team’s ever-improving defense.
“These last two games, we’ve really felt comfortable with our defense,” said Dragic, who led the Heat with 19 points in a 107-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night at FedExForum. “We’re in the right position every time.”
In the Grizzlies’ locker room, center Marc Gasol (19 points and six rebounds) sat in front of his locker and spoke about the lack of team defense after Memphis (8-19) dropped its fourth straight and lost for the 15th time in the past 16 games.
”We gave up 40 points (37) in the fourth quarter,“ Gasol said. ”We always had a mindset where you can have a tough night offensively, but if we don’t score you don’t score. When you play defense together, basketball has a way of taking care of you on the other end. You get stops, you get an open court, the ball gets moved better. Communication. Guys see that you care about them because they might have a mismatch.
“I don’t see guys on a string. I see guys worrying too much about their own situation, their own dilemmas and that’s not something you can build on.”
Leading by three points at halftime, the Heat carried a 70-60 lead into the fourth quarter. Dragic scored nine points in the third. Miami led by as many as 27 points in the fourth quarter.
The Heat (13-13) shot 56.1 percent from the floor and went 14 of 27 from 3-point range, 51.9 percent.
Miami got 17 points from guard Josh Richardson and 14 points each off the bench from center Bam Adebayo and guard Tyler Johnson. Forward James Johnson chipped in 11 points, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Wayne Ellington scored 12 points, and Dion Waiters contributed 10.
“His aggressiveness was good tonight,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Waiters. “He got some switches, bigs were on him, and he drove those right into the paint.”
Dragic added five rebounds and five assists and Adebayo, a 6-10 rookie, had four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. He picked up five fouls but played almost 23 full minutes.
“Bam kept his head even after some tough calls,” said Spoelstra. “He really used his technique, energy, multiple efforts and his mental stability to be in a lot of places that were pretty disruptive.”
Guard Andrew Harrison had 16 points, four assists and two steals for Memphis. Tyreke Evans finished with 11 points, and JaMychal Green had 10.
Memphis shot 38.9 percent from the field while going 8 of 27 from distance, 29.6 percent.
Interim Memphis head coach J.B. Bickerstaff did not sugarcoat what he saw as the Heat outscored the Grizzlies 37-22 in the final quarter, made 11 of 14 shots from the floor (78.6 percent) and cashed in open looks behind the arc by going 8 of 9 (88.9 percent). Miami also doubled up Memphis on rebounds in the quarter 10-5.
“The effort wasn’t there,” Bickerstaff said. “We didn’t give the fans what they deserve tonight. It was disappointing to say the least.”
While the Grizzlies’ home record fell to 5-11, the Heat improved its road mark to 8-7 and, by winning in Memphis, closed a 2-1 trip.
“With this team, we learn by pain,” Spoelstra said. “It was good to finish off the trip. It was a very good trip even with that loss in San Antonio. We grew as a team.”
Gasol is hoping to see growth in his team as well.
“Everybody has to look in the mirror and as a man you have to take it personally,” he said, “because wearing this jersey means a lot.”
NOTES: The Heat played in Mexico City on Saturday, defeating the Brooklyn Nets 101-89. ... Grizzlies G Tyreke Evans has produced 20 or more points 11 times this season. He had 11 such games in the two previous seasons combined. ... With Miami’s win over Memphis on Monday, coach Erik Spoelstra now has 453 victories with the Heat, one short of tying Pat Riley for the most in franchise history. ... Memphis F Chandler Parsons went into the Monday game ranked third in the NBA in 3-point field-goal percentage at .473, but he made just 1 of 5 long-range attempts against Miami. ... Recently fired Memphis coach David Fizdale was an assistant under Spoelstra. “Had lunch with him today,” Spoelstra said. “That’s my brother ... Fizz is a star. He’s going to get another opportunity.”