Final
Mayo helps Memphis beat Minnesota 109-89
Oct 31, 2010 - 4:14 AM MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- O.J. Mayo and the Memphis Grizzlies had a sound defensive strategy and, wow, did it ever work against the sloppy Minnesota Timberwolves.Mayo scored 29 points and the Grizzlies had a franchise-record 22 steals in a 109-89 victory against Minnesota on Saturday night.
"We just wanted to be aggressive on the ballhandlers. Make it tough for them to bring the ball up court," said Memphis guard Mike Conley, who had 14 points, seven steals, and matched his career high with 11 assists. "And when their bigs got it, just try to clamp down on it as soon as possible, and hit them from different sides where they weren't looking and not expecting it."
Rudy Gay added 25 points and Darrell Arthur scored 18 for Memphis, which has won two of its first three games for the first time since the 2005-06 season, the last time the team went to the playoffs.
Wayne Ellington led the Timberwolves with 15 points, and Kevin Love had 14 points and 13 rebounds. Sebastian Telfair scored 12.
Minnesota finished with 30 turnovers and shot 35 percent from the field.
"I feel like we were a disgrace to the game of basketball," said Michael Beasley, who turned it over six times. "We had 30 turnovers. Thirty turnovers, man. That's not basketball. That's not team basketball. That's not basketball at all. Everything we worked on since training camp just went out the window. Defensively. Offensively. We didn't play as a team. It was just bad from every aspect of the game."
Mayo's dunk with 4:36 left extended the Grizzlies' lead to 100-79 and was set up by Conley's record-breaking steal, No. 20 for the game.
Memphis got off to a fast start and maintained a double-digit lead through most of the first half, carrying a 59-46 edge into the break. Mayo had 19 at intermission, including a 3-pointer as time ran out in the half.
Love had 10 points in the first half and got some offensive help from Ellington in the third, but the Timberwolves, coming off their first win of the season, couldn't sustain any sort of momentum.
"We had the energy before the game, but once the game started, I think we didn't set the tone for the rest of the game," Love said.
Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said his team's ability to control the game was based on the defense that not only contributed to the franchise record for steals, but also disrupted the Timberwolves' offense.
"I think it's effort," he said. "It's getting back to what we do. ... We had 32 deflections and nine times we had three stops in a row. We had some consistency with our effort."
NOTES: The game featured the league's youngest and least-experienced teams. The Grizzlies are the least experienced (2.6 years to 2.7 for Minnesota), while the Timberwolves have an average age of 24 years and 84 days, compared to Memphis' 24 years, 225 days. ... Memphis F Zach Randolph missed his second straight game with a right hip contusion. Randolph was injured in the first quarter of Wednesday's season opener against the Atlanta Hawks. ... Memphis now hits the road for a West Coast swing, playing four games in five nights. ... Memphis rookie G Greivis Vasquez saw his first action, playing the final three minutes. ... It was the first road game this season for Minnesota, which was 5-36 away from home last season.
- NBA
MINNESOTA 89
MEMPHIS 109 FINAL
Oct 30 10:33 PM - NBA
MINNESOTA 75
MEMPHIS 87 0:00 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Oct 30 9:54 PM - NBA
HALFTIME 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
MINNESOTA 19 27 46
MEMPHIS 34 25 59 HALFTIME
HIGH SCORERS AT HALFTIME
MIN - KEVIN LOVE 10, WAYNE ELLINGTON 8,
SEBASTIAN TELFAIR 7
MEM - O.J. MAYO 19, RUDY GAY 14, TWO
PLAYERS WITH 10
Oct 30 9:07 PM - NBA
END 1ST QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
MINNESOTA 19 19
MEMPHIS 34 34 END 1ST QTR
HIGH SCORERS AFTER 1ST QUARTER
MIN - NIKOLA PEKOVIC 5, SEBASTIAN TELFAIR 5,
COREY BREWER 4
MEM - RUDY GAY 12, O.J. MAYO 9, MIKE CONLEY 7
Oct 30 8:37 PM
Related News
- NBA Injury Updates: Karl Anthony Towns and Ben Simmons to Miss Significant Time Mar 7
- Wolves 110, Kings 98: Ant Crowned the King Dec 24
- Game Preview #28: Wolves at Kings Dec 23
- Wolves’ NBA 2K24 Ratings Jump as Team Continues To Soar Dec 23
- Wolves 118, Lakers 111: L.A.’s Championship Hangover Continues Dec 21
- Game Preview #27: Wolves vs. Lakers Dec 21
- In the Loopus with Canis Hoopus: Ja’s Back, Simons’ Dominance, and Phoenix’s Dilemma Dec 21
- 76ers 127, Wolves 113: Embiid Torches Minnesota for 51 Points Dec 20
- Game Preview #26: Wolves at 76ers Dec 20
- How is the Wolves’ Towns/Gobert Duo Finding Success Offensively? Dec 20
- Can Jaden McDaniels Unlock Another Level for the Timberwolves’ Offense? Dec 19
- Wolves 112, Heat 108: Edwards, Towns Combine For 50 In 17-Point Comeback Win Dec 18