The Miami Heat had the opportunity to tie their franchise record home-win streak on April 6, but they fell short against the Memphis Grizzlies, losing 97-82. With the loss, the Heat drifted further from the Eastern Conference leading Chicago Bulls, now trailing by three games.

Things went bad for the Heat right from the start, scoring only 12 points in the first quarter of the game. By halftime, the Heat were down by 16 points, and the Grizzlies never gave them a chance to get back into the game.

“They just beat us,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “Really, the tale was that first quarter. … The lack of concentration and focus in that first quarter, we couldn’t make up for that.”

LeBron James led Miami’s offense against the Grizzlies, finishing with 21 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were right behind LeBron, putting up 20 and 19 points respectively.

Unfortunately for the Heat, their role players – with the exception of Joel Anthony and Terrel Harris – put up dismal performances, walking away with a combined 5 points.

Anthony hasn’t been particularly impressive for the Heat this season, but he had one of his better games against the Grizzlies. Anthony was obviously on a mission to get his starting job back; putting up 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks (he went 3-3 from the field). Interestingly, Spoelstra failed to capitalize on Anthony’s energy, using him for only 15 minutes.

The Heat’s poor performance against the Grizzlies is completely inexcusable, and it really makes me wonder where the players are mentally. It wasn’t as if the game had no meaning (considering the fact the “big three” would have made franchise history with two more home wins), yet, the team failed to show up.

With a month left in the 2011/12 NBA season; the Heat will have to dig down deep if they want to secure the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Their next game will be against the Detroit Pistons on April 8.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Associated Press, “Grizzlies snap Heat’s 17-game home winning streak”

Player and game information from ESPN.com

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In this exhausting and compact 66-game NBA regular season the schedule makers somehow found a way to grant the Grizzlies a reprieve.

Sunday actually marked the first of three consecutive days without a game for the Griz. Coach Lionel Hollins & Co. will play just twice this week after 21/2 months of working at least every other day.

But don’t expect the surging Griz (22-15) to rest on their laurels. They will get back to work today after forgoing any basketball-related activity on Sunday. No matter how much the down time is needed for physical and mental recuperation, the Griz want to avoid having the time off disrupt their momentum.

Memphis, winners of four straight and 10 of the past 12 games, intends to keep fine tuning areas on both ends of the court.

“Once we rest back up, (the schedule) tightens back in terms of the number of games and days,” Hollins said. “We will have some time to work on some stuff.”

Hollins doesn’t plan to put his squad in a training camp atmosphere over the next two days like he did coming out of All-Star break.

The Griz have been easy on the eyes for Hollins because of suffocating defense and sharp offensive execution, particularly late in games. Memphis provided its latest clutch effort during last Saturday’s 100-83 victory over the Detroit Pistons in FedExForum.

When it would have been easy for the Griz to give in to fatigue playing for the third time in four nights, they instead showed incredible endurance. Memphis put the game away by scoring 17 unanswered points and holding the Pistons without a point for six minutes in the fourth quarter.

“It shows how much we’ve grown as a team,” forward Rudy Gay said. “I wouldn’t even say we would have lost that game three or four years ago. We would have lost that game earlier this season.”

Hollins has nothing but praise for a group that has increasingly rallied around the absence of Zach Randolph. The star power forward has healed from a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee but there still is no timetable for his return.

Meanwhile, the newcomers — Marreese Speights, Dante Cunningham and Quincy Pondexter — continue to keep the Griz running smoothly.

“Those two days after the All-Star break were huge,” Hollins said. “For the guys who haven’t been here their defensive understanding is getting better and their offensive understanding is getting better. Before we were just playing and trying to point people to where they’re suppose to be. Not having any practice time was a big reason.

“Now we are getting in the groove and playing. We just have to continue to play and continue to attack and continue to make the plays that are winning plays. We’ve done that.”

GRIZZLIES VS. WARRIORS

When, where: 9:30 p.m. CST, Wednesday, Oracle Arena, Oakland, Calif.

TV, radio: SportsSouth, NBA TV; WMFS 680 AM/92.9 FM

– Ronald Tillery: (901) 529-2353

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – The Memphis Grizzlies went long distance to break open a close game.    Memphis, 22nd in the league in 3-point shooting, hit 5 of 6 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter to beat the Detroit Pistons 100-83 on Saturday night.

O.J. Mayo scored 17 points, going 4 of 5 outside the arc and connecting on all three attempts in the fourth quarter, when Memphis scored 17 unanswered points.

“We’re not a big 3-point shooting team, but, believe it or not, we have 3-point shooters on this team,” said Memphis guard Mike Conley, the only Memphis player to miss a long-range attempt down the stretch. “Our philosophy is so much inside-out that we just don’t look to shoot the ball at the 3-point line.”

That was reflected in the scoring from the Grizzlies front line starters. Marc Gasol had 17 points and nine rebounds. Marreese Speights scored 16 points, and Rudy Gay added 15. Quincy Pondexter had 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter, while Conley finished with 10 points and 12 assists.    Rodney Stuckey led the Pistons with 20 points, although he was 6 of 22 from the field. Brandon Knight scored 15, and Greg Monroe had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Tayshaun Prince added 13 points.

The Memphis shooting in the fourth period – 11 of 20 for 55 percent – allowed the Grizzlies to outscore Detroit 31-13. Memphis forced seven turnovers in the frame.

“Defensively, the Grizzlies stepped up their game in the last 6 minutes,” Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said. “Because of their pressure, we lost our poise and had a hard time getting off quality shots. With their defensive aggressiveness, we lost momentum, and they took advantage of it.”

Despite hitting only eight of 25 shots in the third period, the Pistons carried a 70-69 lead into the fourth.    Neither team held more than a one-possession lead through the first half of the final period before Memphis’ big run. Mayo made a pair of 3-pointers, while Pondexter had one and a three-point play in the rally.

By the time the Pistons’ scoring drought of just under 6 minutes ended, the Grizzlies had pulled away to an insurmountable 15-point advantage.

“It was just awesome,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said of his team’s defensive play. “I thought we switched. We challenged shots. We got steals. Our energy level just rose.

“Through all of the foul trouble and all the things that were going on throughout the game, we stored it up, and, on that stretch, we exploded.”

The Grizzlies shot 49 percent, while the Pistons were held to 38 percent. Memphis also forced 21 turnovers, leading to 25 points.

“We just have to take care of the ball,” Stuckey said. “We turned the ball over a lot at the end of the game. I think if we would just take care of the ball and spread the court out a little more, we would have been fine.

“In the first half, we got pretty much whatever we wanted.”

The Pistons used 12 points from Stuckey and 10 from Prince to carry a 47-46 lead into the break. Detroit had 12 turnovers and the Grizzlies had 10.

Memphis held its biggest lead of the half at 40-32 on a 6-foot jumper from Speights with 7:31 left before the break. But the Pistons clicked off seven straight points, giving Detroit the momentum for its halftime lead.

The teams stayed close until Memphis’ fourth-quarter rally, and the unexpected accuracy from outside the arc.

“On any given night, it’s another player that steps up,” Pondexter said. “You never know how you are going to win games in this league, but as long as you win them, that’s all that matters.

 (Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — O.J. Mayo scored 17 points and sparked a fourth-quarter rally with his 3-point shooting, and the Memphis Grizzlies won their fourth straight with a 100-83 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.

Mayo was 4 of 5 outside the arc, connecting on all three attempts in the fourth quarter, when Memphis broke open a close game with 17 unanswered points.

Marc Gasol added 17 points and nine rebounds. Marreese Speights had 16 points, and Rudy Gay added 15. Quincy Pondexter had 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter, while Mike Conley finished with 10 points and 12 assists.

Rodney Stuckey led the Pistons with 20 points, although he was 6 of 22 from the field. Brandon Knight scored 15, and Greg Monroe had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Tayshaun Prince added 13 points.

Memphis was 5 of 6 from outside the arc while outscoring Detroit 31-13 in the final period.

Despite hitting only eight of 25 shots in the third period, the Pistons carried a 70-69 lead into the fourth.

Neither team held more than a one-possession lead through the first half of the final period before Memphis’ big run. Mayo made a pair of 3-pointers, while Pondexter had one and a three-point play in the run.

By the time the Pistons’ scoring drought of just under 6 minutes ended, the Grizzlies had pulled away to an insurmountable 15-point advantage.

The Grizzlies shot 49 percent, while the Pistons were held to 38 percent. Memphis also forced 21 turnovers, leading to 25 points.

The Pistons used 12 points from Stuckey and 10 from Prince to carry a 47-46 lead into the break. Detroit had 12 turnovers and the Grizzlies had 10.

Memphis held its biggest lead of the half at 40-32 on a 6-foot jumper from Speights with 7:31 left before the break. But the Pistons clicked off seven straight points, giving Detroit the momentum for its halftime lead.

Notes: Monroe was coming off a career-high 20 rebounds in Wednesday’s win over Charlotte. He had 11 against Memphis. .Detroit is now 3-15 on the road. .Memphis has a five-game winning streak in the series. .The Grizzlies are now 11-0 when scoring 100 points.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) The Memphis Grizzlies went long distance to break open a close game.

Memphis, 22nd in the league in 3-point shooting, hit 5 of 6 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter to beat the Detroit Pistons 100-83 on Saturday night.

O.J. Mayo scored 17 points, going 4 of 5 outside the arc and connecting on all three attempts in the fourth quarter, when Memphis scored 17 unanswered points.

”We’re not a big 3-point shooting team, but, believe it or not, we have 3-point shooters on this team,” said Memphis guard Mike Conley, the only Memphis player to miss a long-range attempt down the stretch. ”Our philosophy is so much inside-out that we just don’t look to shoot the ball at the 3-point line.”

That was reflected in the scoring from the Grizzlies front line starters. Marc Gasol had 17 points and nine rebounds. Marreese Speights scored 16 points, and Rudy Gay added 15. Quincy Pondexter had 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter, while Conley finished with 10 points and 12 assists.

Rodney Stuckey led the Pistons with 20 points, although he was 6 of 22 from the field. Brandon Knight scored 15, and Greg Monroe had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Tayshaun Prince added 13 points.

The Memphis shooting in the fourth period – 11 of 20 for 55 percent – allowed the Grizzlies to outscore Detroit 31-13. Memphis forced seven turnovers in the frame.

”Defensively, the Grizzlies stepped up their game in the last 6 minutes,” Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said. ”Because of their pressure, we lost our poise and had a hard time getting off quality shots. With their defensive aggressiveness, we lost momentum, and they took advantage of it.”

Despite hitting only eight of 25 shots in the third period, the Pistons carried a 70-69 lead into the fourth.

Neither team held more than a one-possession lead through the first half of the final period before Memphis’ big run. Mayo made a pair of 3-pointers, while Pondexter had one and a three-point play in the rally.

By the time the Pistons’ scoring drought of just under 6 minutes ended, the Grizzlies had pulled away to an insurmountable 15-point advantage.

”It was just awesome,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said of his team’s defensive play. ”I thought we switched. We challenged shots. We got steals. Our energy level just rose.

”Through all of the foul trouble and all the things that were going on throughout the game, we stored it up, and, on that stretch, we exploded.”

The Grizzlies shot 49 percent, while the Pistons were held to 38 percent. Memphis also forced 21 turnovers, leading to 25 points.

”We just have to take care of the ball,” Stuckey said. ”We turned the ball over a lot at the end of the game. I think if we would just take care of the ball and spread the court out a little more, we would have been fine.

”In the first half, we got pretty much whatever we wanted.”

The Pistons used 12 points from Stuckey and 10 from Prince to carry a 47-46 lead into the break. Detroit had 12 turnovers and the Grizzlies had 10.

Memphis held its biggest lead of the half at 40-32 on a 6-foot jumper from Speights with 7:31 left before the break. But the Pistons clicked off seven straight points, giving Detroit the momentum for its halftime lead.

The teams stayed close until Memphis’ fourth-quarter rally, and the unexpected accuracy from outside the arc.

”On any given night, it’s another player that steps up,” Pondexter said. ”You never know how you are going to win games in this league, but as long as you win them, that’s all that matters.

Notes: Monroe was coming off a career-high 20 rebounds in Wednesday’s win over Charlotte. He had 11 against Memphis. It was Monroe’s 19th double-double of the season. Detroit is now 3-15 on the road. .Memphis has a five-game winning streak in the series. .The Grizzlies are now 11-0 when scoring 100 points.

The Memphis Grizzlies are doing all they can to make the NBA Playoffs this season. Don’t expect the likes of Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, and O.J. Mayo to give up the fight. With a strong month of March, they will be one step closer to the NBA Playoffs.

Check with your service provider for channel listings in your area. With NBA League Pass, Grizzlies’ fans across the nation can catch every game and witness every play.

Note: All start times Central

March 2012

Fri 2, Memphis Grizzlies at Toronto Raptors, 6 p.m. (SSO-MEM)

Sat 3, Detroit Pistons at Memphis Grizzlies, 7 p.m. (SSO-MEM)

Wed 7, Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors, 9:30 p.m. (SSO-MEM, NBATV)

Sat 10, Memphis Grizzlies at Phoenix Suns, 8 p.m. (SSO-MEM)

Sun 11, Memphis Grizzlies at Denver Nuggets, 7 p.m. (SSO-MEM, NBATV)

Tue 13, Los Angles Lakers at Memphis Grizzlies, 7 p.m. (SSO-MEM)

Fri 16, Toronto Raptors at Memphis Grizzlies, 7 p.m. (SSO-MEM)

Sun 18, Washington Wizards at Memphis Grizzlies, 5 p.m. (SSO-MEM)

Tue 20, Memphis Grizzlies at Sacramento Kings, 9 p.m. (SSO-MEM)

Thu 22, Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers, 9 p.m. (SSO-MEM)

Sat 24, Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Clippers, 2 p.m. (SSO-MEM)

Sun 25, Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Lakers, 9:30 p.m. (SSO-MEM, ESPN)

Tue 27, Minnesota Timberwolves at Memphis Grizzlies, 7 p.m. (SSO-MEM)

Fri 30, Memphis Grizzlies at Houston Rockets, 7 p.m. (SSO-MEM)

Sat 31, Memphis Grizzlies t Milwaukee Bucks, 7:30 p.m. (SSO-MEM)

Sources:

All data provided by NBA.com

Paul Rados is a Cleveland based freelance sportswriter and Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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