Grizzlies 104, Bulls 97 / Holding on -- Shorthanded Bulls battle hard, but Grizzlies win

It took a good 12 minutes for the Grizzlies to figure out the hodge-podge group they were facing.

Once they did, the Griz jumped on the undermanned and unrecognizable Chicago Bulls and then hold on for a 104-97 win Tuesday night in FedExForum.

The Griz closed out a three-game home stand with another wild victory - their seventh in the past 10 games. Memphis led by 25 points in the third quarter - a lead that dwindled to 94-90 with 3:39 left in the fourth.
At that point, the Griz went back to what helped them establish what seemed to be a comfortable cushion.
They earned defensive stops and overpowered the smaller Bulls in transition. The Griz quickly pushed their lead back to double digits. Memphis' clutch free throws in the final minute helped send Chicago to its eighth straight loss.

The Griz haven't won against a team with a winning record at home since Feb. 1. But losing teams hardly ever escape FedExForum no matter how dramatic the game closes.

Memphis improved to 11-1 at home against teams with a sub-.500 record. Winning home games they were supposed to count as one of the reasons the Griz (36-32) now own a mark that is 12 games better than last season's final record.
"They kept changing lineups and they kept going smaller and smaller and trying to create bad matchups," Griz coach Lionel Hollins said. "But I felt overall that we did a good job."
Chicago played without its top four scorers as Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah were out with injuries. Kirk Hinrich had to serve a one-game suspension for bumping a referee Friday.
Memphis also started with a different look with center Marc Gasol out because of a strained neck muscle. Rookie Hasheem Thabeet made his first career start and was active early on. In his first minute of play, the 7-3 center and No. 2 overall draft pick swatted a Brad Miller shot. Thabeet then raced down the court and finished off a fast break with a tomahawk dunk.
"That's exactly what we need," Griz point guard Mike Conley said.
Still, the Griz found themselves down by 10 points to the Bulls eight minutes into the game. Instead of Rose, Hinrich and Deng doing damage, the Bulls befuddled the Grizzlies with the likes of Jannero Pargo and Acie Law.
"We were discombobulated early offensively because we saw a lot of mismatches and we were standing around trying to take advantage of the mismatches instead of just playing," Hollins said. "Once we got control of that, we took control of the game."
Memphis trailed 37-32 and went on a 17-0 run. The Griz increased a 55-44 halftime lead to 81-56 late in the third.
"We were closing out the lane and helping each other," said guard O.J. Mayo, who led the Griz with 24 points. "We've just got to get to the point that once we get a team down we have to step on their throat."
The Grizzlies' lead was 85-67 to start the fourth. Former Griz Hakim Warrick came off the bench to score 10 of his 22 points in the final frame when the Bulls made their run.
Memphis didn't help its cause by missing 10 of its first 12 shots in the fourth.
"It's always something," Griz forward Rudy Gay said with a grin. "At first, its third quarters. Now, its fourth quarters."
Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro lamented his team's 19 turnovers - seven of which came in the fourth.
"We had way too many turnovers," Del Negro said. "We had a couple of stops but we didn't value the possession of the basketball well enough. It's frustrating because you don't even get a shot at the basket."
The game was sloppy for long stretches. The Griz turned the ball over 22 times, and had seven turnovers in the opening period. Memphis overcame its trouble handling the ball by holding Chicago to 43-percent shooting, and getting strong offense from its backcourt.
Conley finished with 19 points and 10 assists while Thabeet tied career highs with 10 points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes.
"I played OK," Thabeet said. "I've got a lot of stuff to work on work. I just need to stay with it."
Tip-ins: Griz swingman Ronnie Brewer returned to action after missing 13 games with a partially torn right hamstring. .Griz owner Michael Heisley told a group of season ticket holders that the team intends to match any offer Gay might receive as a restricted free agent this summer. Heisley spoke before the game at the team's annual "State of the Franchise" Chalk Talk where season ticket holders could ask questions. ...The Bulls have allowed at least 100 points in 11 straight games. .Memphis won its fifth straight over Chicago. .Gasol missed the first game of his career after appearing in the first 149. . Rose on missing the game: "We only play here once a year and for me to miss out on this game feels kind of bad."