So is the Bizzaro run over? Maybe. At least the agonizing home defeats are. Last night the Grizzlies used solid production from their bench and the terrible play of the New Jersey Nets to end an eight game losing streak at home and finally hear Rick Trotter yell “Grizzlies Win!” as the confetti fell for at FedExForum for the first time since Feb. 1.

It wasn’t exactly pretty…
The Grizzlies third quarter woes continued in this one, as they were outscored 26 to 14 there. Despite the miserable quarter, the Grizzlies never trailed after the first, as they had built a 20 point lead in the second quarter, and went into the half up 16. The closest the Nets got was two points.

Coach Hollins said after the game that the lackadaisical play in the third quarter was perhaps his team not realizing how important it was for them to snap their losing streak at home, but was happy with the win.

No Z-Bo, no problem?
Well not exactly. While the Grizzlies rebounding numbers were still ok (52 compared to 45 from the Nets), Grizzlies big men Marc Gasol and Hamed Haddadi were stretched defensively, picking up fouls more quickly than usual without Randolph to help on the defensive end. Gasol and Haddadi both finished with 5 fouls.

The team did not discuss Randolph’s absence before the game, staying focused on playing with who they had. Hollins said the real detriment to having Randolph out was missing “that dominant post player who always draws a double-team,” but added that they were still able to win because of the bench players stepping up.

Big Night for the Bench
When asked about how Randolph’s absence affected their game, center Marc Gasol looked irritated.

“We’ve got a lot of good guys here,” he said. “We’ve got enough good guys that we should be able to win without him for a few games.”

At least last night he was right. Sam Young continued his solid production with 10 points, Marcus Wliams had 8, Hamed Haddadi added 3 points and 2 rebounds, and Darrell Arthur had 7 points and 3 rebounds in his first start of the season. The bench star of the night however, was DaMarre Carroll, who finished with a season high 10 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals.

Benefiting from a small New Jersey lineup that allowed Hollins to play him at power forward rather than small forward, Carroll got most of his points the same way he did in college, from offensive rebounds and putbacks, but he even added a jump shot for the first time in a while. Carroll clocked 24 minutes and almost hit his first NBA double-double.

Carroll had not been playing much in February or March, and saw Randolph’s absence as an opportunity.

“I’ve just been sitting at the end of the bench, patiently waiting, lifting weights and coming in at night to get in extra shots, and tonight I just tried to come out and stay true to myself,” Carroll said.

But Carroll also said that Lionel Hollins gets on him more than any other rookie, which is odd considering Carroll wasn’t demoted to the d-league.

You had to be there
The crowd was tiny - announced at over 10,000 but appeared to be about half that in reality. First signs of life from the crowd came when Tiger favorite Chris Douglas-Roberts checked in. The crowd responded with a big applause even before Grizzlies announcer Rick Trotter said his name.

Really he should just add the Chris to make a complete circle.
Photo by Chase Gustafson

Although small, the crowd was excited the entire game, cheering loudly during the first half, booing even louder during the third quarter, and enjoying the win at the end. They even paid enough attention to boo a botched game of Grizzlies Tic-Tac-Toe during a timeout in the second.

Dunk of the Game
There were a bunch in this one, especially in the first half. Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo kept in simple with their dunks, preferring to just get the ball in the basket, rather than show off (which is probably good when you’re on an eight game losing streak). His dunks still looked good, but we’ll have to give this one to DaMarre Carroll, who found a wide open back door late in the fourth and pounded home a two handed jam to put the Grizzlies one point shy of 100 and essentially put the game out of reach for the Nets.
Dunk Count: 5, Carroll - 1 Gay – 1, Gasol -2, Mayo -1,

Twitter Watch
Hasheem Thabeet
GoodMornin Wonderful World!!!!! I’m Back.. Ya’ll Have a nice and Blessed Day!!!

Rudy Gay
No disrespect to Hurt Locker! But Avatar was the greatest of all time! (Kanye shrug) lol

Grizz
Well it’s the end of my b day weekend, thx to all my furry homies for coming out and hangin with me. Best b day game yet!!

Final Shots
Hasheem Thabeet was back in Memphis after being recalled from the D-League (See tweet above). He sported a new, shorter haircut and sat the bench. New Jersey guards Courtney Lee and Devin Harris lit up the Grizzlies for a combined 58 points. Games are much more comfortable without Ronald McDonald ruining Black History Month. The Grizz should keep honoring players through March without the clown just to make up for February.

The Grizzlies next game is on the road at Boston Tomorrow at 6:30 pm. You can follow @douggillon and @cerrito for tweets during the games, or come watch the game with the entire Memphis Sport crew and rapper Teflon Don tomorrow night at the Poplar Lounge.

It started as a lethargic showing from the team and the crowd. It ended as one of the signature wins of the season. Last night the Grizzlies proved, yet again, that they can take on and defeat any team in the league. They contained Superman. They withstood a barrage of threes. They won another defensive game. They beat the reigning champs of the East, and finally moved into that last playoff spot.

Superman Conquistó
Two Titans clashed last night in fashion worthy of a Japanese Monster flick, and it was Marc Gasol who won. While Dwight Howard’s stat line was better (27 pts, 15 boards, 6 blks), Gasol’s ability to keep Howard in check with mostly single coverage gave the Grizzlies extra opportunities on both sides of the ball. Gasol played a physical, but smart game, notching a career high four steals and hammering in a three point play that essentially sealed the game. So if this was a Monster Movie, Howard would be Gamera, the all-powerful super-dragon from outer space, and Gasol would be Godzilla, the hometown favorite who wins in the end.

The Best Win?
Last night’s win tied the Grizzlies with Cleveland and the Lakers for home win streaks this season. Between the water main, beating LeBron, Denver, Phoenix on MLK day, and even the blowout against Minnesota, it’s been an amazing streak. But last night’s victory may have been the most special. The team came out looking like they were still hungover from Saturday’s Grizz Gala, but overcame a 16 point second quarter deficit, and weathered 20 lead changes and 10 ties. Orlando wasn’t tired, unhealthy, or just having an off night. The Eastern Champs played the best they had, and the Grizzlies still came out ahead. It’s no wonder Lionel Hollins, when asked after the game which of the 11 wins stood out, said, “I can only remember this one.”

Full Court All-Star
Just in case his consistent 20-10 performances aren’t enough to convince All-Star voters to push him in before the selections are announced Thursday, Zach Randolph had an even better game than normal (23-19) and gave the voters a shot to remember, a 3/4 court shot at the buzzer to give the Grizz a two-point lead at the half. The shot hung in the air for at least a full second before draining the net and officially waking up the announced crowd of 12,273. Officials had to review the shot during halftime after it broke the box scorer’s awesome meter.

O.J. Wants You to Talk to Your Friends
We tried to tell you here after the last game, that this team needs to be seen. Last night when asked what he would say to those fans who haven’t come out to see this team yet, Mayo said, “They better ask somebody.”

You Had to Be There
Grizzlies MC Rick Trotter perfectly captured the moment after the final buzzer by adapting his usual “Grizzlies Win!” to “Grizzlies Win! Again!” Small adjustment - great for the crowd - and probably repeated about 12,273 times after the confetti fell.

Dunk of the Game
Only one for the Grizz! Mayo had one opportunity on a fast break, but was under tight guard from Rashard Lewis and chose to execute the safer layup instead. The only dunk came from Gasol with 1:35 left in the first, when the Conquistador beat Superman to the basket for a two-handed slam.
Dunk Count: 1 – Gasol

Post Game Twitter Watch
Rudy Gay
@DwightHoward lol. Good luck on the next one

@DwightHoward you mess with me your gonna get a TECH! Lol

Note: Howard received a technical foul with 7:16 left in the third after taunting Marc Gasol. Howard’s reply to Rudy’s twitter taunt: @rudygay22 next time imma say and one to the crowd. Good game though

Hasheem Thabeet Note: The dream must have been upset about something... he was tweeting up a storm. See his Twitter page for everything, a few selections here.

hhahaha the Critics.. WHere Ya'll At?? LOL I Love my life man.. there was haters.. Oh now.. They GONE!!!

ok tonight i just decide imma go off on ya haters and critics, i been quiet for a minute.. i been doin alot of stuff all over the wolrld..

Final Shots
The Grizzlies are 1-0 this season when Grizz cuts a woman in half during a timeout. Memphis Sport Managing Editor Kevin Cerrito has a massive man-crush on Jason Williams. Zach Randolph is 1-1 this season from the opposing three-point line. Dwight Howard smiles as much as O.J. Mayo does the stone face. Mike Conley is playing really well – doing point guard things and shooting .600 from beyond the arc in January. Howard came out to warm up early and spent about 10 minutes taking pictures and signing autographs for fans. Howard and  Magic point guard Jameer Nelson both gave their jerseys to fans after the loss. Patrick Ewing was in the house.

The Grizzlies play at Detroit on Wednesday and at San Antonio on Friday. They return to Memphis on Saturday against New Orleans. You can follow @douggillon and @cerrito for live updates and insight from the games.

If you’re looking for entertainment for the next few months, a Grizzlies game at FedExForum seems to be your best bet. The Grizz have now won a franchise record 10 in a row at home, and aren't showing any signs of slowing down. All the apathy and pitiful play is gone, replaced with a confident, committed, and talented squad.

Dunk of the Game
Rudy Gay. While not even close to being big #22’s biggest play of the game, Rudy had two soaring one handed jams in the first half, with the most impressive executed under tight coverage from Serge Ibaka.
Dunk Count: 3. Gay – 2, Gasol – 1

Worthy of a Conquistador
Marc Gasol dominated inside, making KU product Nick Collison look silly (0 pts, 2 turnovers, 5 fouls), and wrecking considerable havoc on Jeff Green. His biggest contribution? Boards. The patented one-handed Gasol rebound is becoming such a force that it now has a name, the Latin Lasso, courtesy of MS Twitter follower @steph38103.

Double Deuce is Loose
Rudy Gay did a good job defensively in his tough matchup against Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and also dominated offensively, scoring 25 and sinking the game winner with 1.5 remaining. Clearly trade rumors are not bothering him in the least.

Finding a Way to Win
In the current home win streak, the Grizzlies have consistently adapted their game plan as necessary to pull out the W. Early in the streak Z-Bo pounded the inside. Last weekend outside shooting became a key factor. Against Oklahoma City it was solid rebounding and tough defense. Coach Lionel Hollins said recently that he’s only able to adapt this much because of the versatile talent on his squad.

Big Minutes from the Big Man
Hasheem Thabeet earned career highs in minutes and rebounds (23 and 9 respectively) and tied his career high for blocks (4). He was as much of a presence in controlling the inside as he’s been all season.

What’s Up Bench? Not the Scoring…
Of the Grizzlies 86 points, the Memphis bench scored… wait for it… two (a jumper from Sam Young). Based on the initial box it appeared only three bench players would even enter the game (Thabeet, Young and Tinsley), but DaMarre Carroll did come in for two minutes in the fourth. 

Post Game Twitter Watch
Note: Marcus Williams has protected his tweets, so MS will not publish them here without permission. You can request to follow him @mw1II.

Rudy Gay
RT @KevinDurant35: Tuff loss..good shot @rudygay22...( Thanks bra)

Hasheem Thabeet
http://twitpic.com/zbvvg - Mommy in The HOUSE!! Mean Muggin @ Ya Haters!!! #thuglife Lmao

Randoms
Grizzlies are undefeated when Great Balls of Fire plays during the Ball Blaster segment. Sumo Thunderdome is the greatest timeout contest of all time, if only because it features Grizz in turquoise spandex. It’s fun to see former Jayhawks do poorly. The win put the Grizzlies a half game out of the final playoff spot in the West, just behind the Thunder. 

Doug Gillon covers the Grizzlies for MS when not getting angry about Allen Iverson being selected as an All-Star Starter. You can follow him and MS managing editor Kevin Cerrito live during games @douggillon and @cerrito respectively.

The Memphis Grizzlies went for their eighth consecutive home win tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. Thanks to some clutch last second free throw shooting, the Grizz managed to top the Spurs as well as debunk several trends which had been working against them.  The San Antonio Spurs were 5-0 against Memphis in their previous five meetings. Many things worked against the squad tonight, yet Gay, Mayo and company still escaped with a ‘W’. It almost seems appropriate that Zumba, a new dance fitness group, performed before the game. While Zumba might be the hottest new thing in the exercise world, the Grizz are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They are now 20-10 since November 11^th, their last home loss, tying them with the team the Grizz lost to, the Celtics, for the best record since that time.

Let’s start with the obvious…

Eight for Eight

Obviously the big story of last night’s game is the Grizz setting a franchise record for most consecutive home victories. Over their last eight, the team has been holding their opponents to 101 points while picking up 110. The win also marks the first time Memphis has beaten San Antonio in the two teams’ last five meetings. This is the fifth “0-for” streak which the Grizzlies have broken this season. The others? Utah (0-11), Denver (0-8), Portland (0-7), Cleveland (0-7), and Phoenix (0-7).

Dunk of the Game

This one was easy. It was a choice between either a Rudy Gay slam early on, or an OJ Mayo crowd energizer with less than two minutes left in the third. Have to go with Mayo. As the Spurs broke up the court, Zach Randolph fully extended to pick off an errant pass in front of the Grizz bench. Mayo reacted to this and was well ahead of the pack before he received the pass to slam the ball home.

Total Dunk Count – 2. Gay, Mayo

Age v. Youth

Coming into the season, the Grizz were the NBA’s youngest team. They had only one player above 30 (Tinsley) and no one with more than 10 years worth of experience. San Antonio is on the opposite end of that spectrum, being the league’s oldest team with five players over 30, four of whom had 10 years of experience. This came into play last night as the Grizz ran the court against their older challengers and wore the Spurs down. Excluding the start of the game and second half, the Grizz visibly out hustled and out worked the Spurs.

Are Ya Feeling Me Memphis?!

Last night’s crowd was, again, insane. The FedEx Forum packed 14,000 in for the victory, though it often sounded like double or triple that. It was tweeted by the Grizz that the atmosphere was that of a “big game feel” and there can be little doubt about that. Several times San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was forced to use his timeouts to try and calm the crowd, while other times all he could do was sit and watch. At the close of the 2^nd half, after a DeMarre Carroll two, the building literally seemed to explode. This happened again after Mayo’s dunk, and a hustle play were the Memphis pressure did not allow the Spurs to grab an offensive rebound.

Quick Hitters

The Grizzlies last home loss was December 14^th against the Celtics. Since then they have defeated Indiana, Denver, Golden State, Washington, Utah, the Clippers, Minnesota, and San Antonio at home to break a franchise record for most consecutive home wins.

For whatever reason, the Grizzlies refuse to listen to Memphis Sport Live and change the Pepsi Ballroom Blast song from the Ballroom Blitz.

Tim Duncan averaged 1:37 for every call which he disagreed with.

Memphis is undefeated when Zumba performs before the game.

The Grizzlies play next on Monday at 4:30 against the Phoenix Suns.