Grizzlies praising Rockets: Clutch free throws push Rockets to win

OK, it's 4:00am in CA & my eyes are falling out of sockets. But I am still amazed to read after game comments by Grizzlies.

Grizzlies continue tailspin

Clutch free throws push Rockets to win

By Ronald Tillery
tillery@gomemphis.com
January 28, 2003

Once hopping, the Grizzlies have suddenly become hazardous to themselves at home. for a moment I thought this is a description of Rockets


"We've played well here. Now all of a sudden we can't get over the hump," Griz coach Hubie Brown lamented after watching the Grizzlies lose another close game - this time, a 100-95 decision to the Houston Rockets Monday night before an announced crowd of 12,352.

The last time the Grizzlies won in The Pyramid was Jan. 6 when they beat the New Orleans Hornets.

In losing their fourth straight home game, the Grizzlies shot just 39 percent and committed five of their 10 turnovers in the fourth quarter.

Those miscues negated a decent finish on offense. The Grizzlies made 10 of their last 15 shots, but the Rockets converted eight straight free throws in the game's final 30 seconds to preserve the win.

Steve Francis made four of those free throws as the Rockets won in The Pyramid for the first time in four tries. and many more wins will follow...


Houston snapped a season-high, four-game losing streak.

"I'm not trying to say that Memphis is not a good team," said Francis, who amassed 22 points, nine assists and six rebounds. "It's just that we have been losing to teams that we had a good chance of beating."

The Griz were fragile even on a night when Jason Williams ended a two-week old shooting slump, Pau Gasol (26 points, four blocks) again delivered in the paint and rookie Drew Gooden's energy and aggression produced 19 points and 11 rebounds.

"We know what we can do," Gooden said. "We just need to bounce back and play harder. We know we can win." the same can be said about rockets...


Shane Battier gave the Griz a shred of hope once his three-pointer fell good with 24.9 ticks left in the game.

That cut the Rockets' lead to 94-91. However, Cuttino Mobley immediately sank two free throws before Gasol split two foul shots.

Houston went 15-for-15 from the free throw line in the fourth.

"It's hard to stop them from scoring," center Lorenzen Wright said. "Once you double, they pass really well out of it." why does this not happen more often ?



The Grizzlies' offensive lapses came at the most inopportune times. Wright turned the ball over with a chance to cut the deficit to two points when 49 seconds remained. James Posey intercepted Wright's pass to Battier in the corner.

The miscue led to Francis making two free throws that put Houston up 94-88.

"We are losing by so few points," Gasol said. "We are so close. It's the little things we mess up."

One not-so-small problem is the team's poor shooting. The Grizzlies took 13 more attempts at the basket but made just three more field goals than the Rockets.

"We had a lot of open shots, and we didn't make them," Brown said.

The Grizzlies trailed by four points at the two-minute mark but stayed close. Yao Ming was called for goaltending on Gasol's hook in the lane. Gordan Giricek then buried a 20-footer in front of the Grizzlies' bench.

However, Giricek struggled with his shot for a third straight game. He made just 6-of-14 shots. The Grizzlies also got little production from the bench. Battier chipped in nine points on 3-of-4 shooting. The rest of the reserves made 2-of-14 shots for four points.

It was hardly enough to counter 32 points from the Rockets' bench. Backup forward Maurice Taylor scored 16 points in 30 minutes.

"They got a big lift from a guy that hasn't done much up to this point," Brown said of Taylor. "He stepped up and played a big game."

Taylor accounted for one of the Rockets' consecutive three-point plays that increased their one-point advantage to 86-79 with four minutes left. Taylor's basket and free throw came after Gasol lost the ball to Posey.

"We had three 4-on-2 fastbreaks, and three times we tried to make a fancy play and all three times it resulted in turnovers," Brown said. "They scored all three times."

Houston responded with a run every time the Grizzlies threatened.

The Rockets had built a seven-point lead after scoring the first two baskets of the fourth quarter. Ahead 68-66, Francis exploded for a dunk along the baseline and Eddie Griffin followed moments later with a three-pointer.

"I feel real good about this win," Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "They presented a lot of problems on offense with their skilled players and they have some different defenses. I'm happy to get out of here with a win."


- Ronald Tillery:

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