With a 40-point drubbing in Chicago on New Year's Day still fresh on their minds, the Grizzlies returned the favor to the visiting Bulls, winning 102-86 in a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day matinee. From the AP:
Bulls Vs. Grizzlies: With Derrick Rose Sidelined, Memphis Rolls Over Chicago, 102-86
“I said, `Let’s not forget what happened,” [Mike] Conley recounted from the pregame huddle.
“That was the last thing I said to them: `That was an embarrassing loss. Let’s go out there and just play hard and leave it all out there on the court,”’ he said.
Not only were the Bulls facing a team out for revenge, they were also playing without reigning MVP Derrick Rose, who sat for the second time in four games with a sprained left toe.
SI.com's Sam Amick: Rose, Gay among 2012 Olympic team finalists
Luol Deng tried to pick up the slack for Chicago with 20 points, with C.J. Watson and Taj Gibson coming off the bench to score 17 and 16, respectively. The Bulls missed Rose's playmaking ability, though; no one tallied more than three assists, and the team finished with just 12 dimes on 33 made field-goals.
Memphis, on the other hand, recorded 23 assists on 47 makes, led by Conley's eight assists to go with 20 points. The Grizzlies also received a dominating performance from their starting frontcourt: Rudy Gay led all scorers with 24 points while Marc Gasol (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Marreese Speights (16 points, 12 rebounds) each collected a double-double.
The loss dropped Chicago’s record to 12-3; the Grizzlies pulled even at 6-6.
For more on this game, check out Blog a Bull and Straight Outta Vancouver.
See More:
