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 After the Bulls overcame a 13-point deficit with a 17-4 run in the
fourth quarter to take an 88-84 lead with 5:58 left, the Grizzlies
outscored Chicago 17-3 the rest of the way for a 101-91 victory.
Point guard Mike Conley and forward Jeff Green each scored five
points in the run and guard Tony Allen scored four to seal the win,
which split the two-game season series.
"We've seen pretty much everything as a group," Conley said. "This
group's been together for a long time, so we know that with time you
can make some plays and you can chip into leads. They made a great
run at us there. We decided to hunker down defensively for three or
four possessions. Then we executed offensively."
Marc Gasol led all scorers with 23 points for the Grizzlies (45-18),
including 15 in the third quarter to stave off another Bulls'
comeback bid. His older brother, Pau, scored 13 points and grabbed
11 rebounds for Chicago (39-26). The double-double was his
NBA-leading 43rd and tied his career high set in 2010-11 with the
Los Angeles Lakers.
"Defense was the key for the whole game," Marc Gasol said.
"Offensively, we made some shots and that made them come out of the
(paint), but defensively, that was the key. Even though they made
some tough shots, we were able to contain them and play an
aggressive game on the defensive end."
Green finished with 19 points, Zach Randolph scored 16 points and
Allen added 11 points for Memphis, which hasn't lost in Chicago
since Jan. 1, 2012. Guard Tony Snell led the Bulls with 21 points,
rookie forward Nikola Mirotic scored 18 and guard Aaron Brooks added
15.
Chicago, which tied its season-long losing streak at three, is
currently without injured forward Taj Gibson, and starting guards
Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler. The Bulls also played their fourth
game in five days, losing the last three.
"Our margin of error is smaller, but we are battling," Pau Gasol
said. "We work hard to give ourselves a chance."
The road team has now won five straight games in the series, and
Memphis improved to 21-11 on the road, the second-highest road win
total in the league.
The key is defense.
"You're not going to hold a team to zero points for the whole game,"
Marc Gasol said. "They're going to make some shots, they're going to
make a run, but if you play through it and stick to what you believe
and what you practice in the game plan, more than likely you're
going to be in a good situation to win the game."
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That's exactly what happened against the Bulls.
Memphis scored the first five points of the fourth to build its
biggest lead of the game, 78-65, but the Bulls stormed back. Led by
Snell, they erased the deficit with their big run during a 3:05
span.
Snell, who scored 11 points in the fourth, drilled two 3-pointers
and added a dunk. Snell and Hinrich buried 3s following a timeout to
give the Bulls the 88-84 lead they couldn't protect.
"I thought the second shot hurt us down the stretch," Chicago coach
Tom Thibodeau said. "Even though we were shorthanded, the fight was
strong but we came up short. With four games in five nights, I
thought they put in a great effort."
NOTES: Bulls PG Derrick Rose met with reporters for the first time
since undergoing meniscus surgery Feb. 27 to relieve pain in his
right knee. Rose said the plan is to return this season, but he
won't come back unless he feels 100 percent healthy. "The way I'm
feeling right now, it's a good chance I'll come back," Rose said.
"Whenever I'm ready to step back on the court, that's when I'm going
to come back." ... Rose isn't cleared to jump yet, but he is doing
rehab work to strengthen his legs and is able to take shots
flat-footed. ... Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau didn't have much to
update on the status of reserve PF Taj Gibson (ankle sprain). Gibson
is still day-to-day. ... Grizzlies G Russ Smith and C/F Jarnell
Stokes are still on D-League assignments and not with the team.
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