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Grizzlies 86, Magic 81
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
ORLANDO, Fla. — Veteran forward Zack Randolph scored 20 points and grabbed five rebounds, leading the Memphis Grizzlies to an 86-81 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.
Rookie point guard Nick Calathes, who has replaced injured Mike Conley in the starting lineup, had 12 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals for the Grizzlies (29-23).
Memphis guard Courtney Lee added 17 points, including four free throws in the final 35 seconds to ice the victory.
The Magic (16-38) were led by center Nikola Vucevic, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Forward Tobias Harris finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.
Orlando led 79-78 when guard Jameer Nelson scored on a running jumper with 2:01 remaining, but the Grizzlies grabbed the lead and never let go after Randolph hit a basket with 1:35 remaining. Randolph added another basket, and Lee hit his free throws.
The Magic’s five-game home winning streak was snapped.
The Grizzlies lost center Marc Gasol midway in the third quarter when he limped off the court and went to the locker room holding his troublesome left knee. He was setting a screen when his knee collided with Nelson. Gasol missed 23 games earlier this season because of a left knee sprain.
After trailing by eight at halftime, the Magic rallied behind Vucevic and guard Arron Afflalo, who scored nine and eight points, respectively, in the third period. Afflalo hit a 3-pointer for the 53-52 lead, Orlando’s first lead since early in the game.
The Grizzlies led 42-34 at halftime, dictating the slow-paced game that they wanted. They led by as many as 13 points in the first two periods. Both Lee and Randolph scored nine points before intermission.
Davis led everyone in the first half with 10 points, hitting five of his eight shots. Afflalo was scoreless in the first half and took only two shots. He finished the night with 10 points.
NOTES: Memphis PG Mike Conley (right ankle sprain) missed his seventh consecutive game, but the Grizzlies were pleased with replacement Nick Calathes. In his previous six starts, Calathes led the team in total assists (28), steals (14) and 3-point field goals made (nine). Only Zach Randolph has scored more points (109). Calathes played high school basketball in Central Florida, and he needed more than 40 tickets to satisfy family and friend requests Wednesday. … Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said he would remind rookie G Victor Oladipo not to “overdo it” during the festivities at All-Star Weekend. … Oladipo, a starter earlier this season, averaged 19 points and 60 percent shooting from the field during his previous three games in a sixth-man role. The Magic won all three. “I have to look at what works rotation-wise,” Vaughn said before the game. “This situation has been good for us.”
