National Basketball Association
Memphis 88, Utah 79
When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 8, 2017
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Officials: #64 Justin VanDuyne, #18 Matt Boland, #8 Marc Davis
Attendance: 16112

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Before the Memphis Grizzlies gave any thought to guarding Utah's Gordon Hayward or trying to pull Jazz center Rudy Gobert away from the rim, they knew they had to defend against an emotional letdown.

On Friday night at Golden State, the Grizzlies overcame a 24-point deficit and beat the Warriors in overtime on national television. It was a statement. But statements don't have much endurance in an 82-game schedule and Sunday at FedExForum presented a new test.

"That was the No. 1 thing for us, to build off that win and not be happy with it, not come out and lay an egg," said point guard Mike Conley, who scored 19 points with nine assists as Memphis held off the Jazz for an 88-79 victory.

Although the Jazz put up 28 points in the fourth quarter as they rallied from a 17-point deficit, the Grizzlies held them to 18 points or less in each of the other three quarters and forced 18 turnovers that translated into 26 points.

"That is what they do," said Hayward, who had a game-high 22 points with five rebounds. "They're good at it. They've got guys that pressure the ball and are good defenders, forcing you to do things you don't want to do at times and speed you up."

The Jazz (23-16) pulled to within five at 82-77 with 1:09 to play on a basket by guard George Hill (15 points). But with 24.6 seconds left in the game, Gobert (five points, 13 rebounds) fouled Memphis center Marc Gasol (17 points) from behind the 3-point line.

Gasol made all three free throws to hike the lead to 85-77 and Utah never drew closer than six points.

"Those are always tough calls," said Jazz coach Quin Snyder. "Especially in a game like this where it's physical."

Memphis (24-16) closed the third quarter on an 8-0 run that included back-to-back threes from guard Troy Daniels (six points) and Vince Carter (three points) in the last four seconds. The Grizzlies carried a 63-51 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Grizzlies didn't score until the 8:42 mark in the fourth, when forward James Ennis (eight points) made a pair of free throws. That started another 8-0 run that boosted the Memphis lead to 71-54 with 7:49 left to play.

"I was really happy with the effort," Grizzlies coach David Fizdale said. "We gave it from start to finish."

Power forward Zach Randolph gave Memphis a double-double off the bench with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Forward Trey Lyles chipped in 11 points off the bench for Utah.

Utah shot 38.9 percent from the field and hit 9 of 23 from 3-point range for 39.1 percent. The Grizzlies shot 43.6 percent and were 9 of 24 from distance for 37.5 percent.

Memphis forward JaMychal Green (eight points, six rebounds), who was wearing a mask because of a fracture in his face, fouled out with 4:01 to play and then picked up a technical foul.

The Jazz wrapped up a five-game road trip with a 2-3 record, but lost all three games against teams with winning records while beating Minnesota and Brooklyn.

"It could have been a lot worse for us," Hayward said.

Randolph said by following the win over the Warriors with this victory, the Grizzlies "showed how versatile we are."

Conley agreed.

"Tonight was more of our old-school-style," he said. "We knew it would be that way with Utah's defense and the way they methodically move the ball. And with Golden State, you knew it was gonna be a rat race. But it's about getting the one or two stops at the end to get you the win and we were able to do that there as well."

NOTES: When Memphis erased a 19-point deficit entering the fourth quarter at Golden State on Jan. 6 to win 128-119 in overtime, it snapped a 662-game losing streak (regular season) for NBA teams trailing by at least 19 points after three quarters. ... This was the Grizzlies' second victory over the Warriors this season, making Memphis the first team with two regular-season wins over San Antonio since the 2014-15 season. ... Utah C Rudy Gobert added to his franchise record with his 24th consecutive game of 10 or more rebounds. Gobert is the only player in the NBA averaging at least 12.5 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. ... Grizzlies G Troy Daniels had made at least three 3-pointers in five straight games before going 2-for-2 from beyond the arc Sunday.
Top Game Performances
 
Utah   Memphis
Gordon Hayward 22 Scoring Mike Conley 19
Rudy Gobert 2 Assists Mike Conley 9
Rudy Gobert 12 Rebounds Zach Randolph 11
Gordon Hayward 7 Free Throws Made James Ennis III 3
Rudy Gobert 3 Steals Marc Gasol 3
Boris Diaw 1 Blocks JaMychal Green 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Utah 79 38.9 9-23 14-23 14 43 3 8 17
Memphis 88 43.6 9-24 11-14 19 37 2 11 14
Upcoming Games
  • Memphis will play their next game on the road against Oklahoma City. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .565 after a win and .647 after a loss.
  • Utah will play their next game at home against Cleveland. The Jazz have a W/L % of .609 after a win and .562 after a loss.