The Memphis Grizzlies are the West's second-best team, right behind the Golden State Warriors. This scrappy bunch has always found a way to pull through games.
The Sacramento Kings are the fourth-worst team in the West. This is surprising, considering they have lots of young talent in addition to having experienced stars in DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay, a former Grizzlies player.
Memphis and Sac-Town don't seem to be similar teams at all, yet they made for a very intriguing matchup on Wednesday night.
Sacramento broke out to a very successful first half of play. Memphis was in a 62-52 hole after 24 minutes of play, and the Kings seemed to have the momentum and control of the game.
The Grizzlies were not happy with their first half performance. Right out of the second half, Memphis imposed their will on both ends of the court, and narrowed the gap enough to be able to take a one-point lead by the end of the third quarter.
Quarter number four definitely had to determine our victor. The Kings really wanted this one.
The final quarter was all Kings. Sacramento shut the Grizz down and stuck it out for a monumental 102-90 victory. Rudy Gay and company had a phenomenal 26-13 run that lasted the whole fourth.
Gay finished with 28 points, six assists, and five rebounds, clearly the MVP of this contest. DeMarcus Cousins and Ben McLemore added 16 each as well. Cousins fouled out eventually, but not before he grabbed nine boards and dished out six whole assists. Ray McCallum and Jason Thompson added 10 each, and Thompson added 11 rebounds for a double-double.
For the Grizz, this was not one to lose. Zach Randolph did lead the team with 20 points. Center Marc Gasol added 14 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, while Mike Conley racked up 12 points and seven assists, and Jeff Green also recorded 11 points for Memphis. This shocking loss may have an influence on the team's self-esteem, but the Grizz are still one of the league's top teams. It just wasn't their night. It was the Kings'.
Memphis is still comfortably in place to earn the West's second seed. The Kings will have to play their inexperienced players and hope for a run next year. It's too late for a turnaround. However, the Kings are 2-1 since hiring George Karl.