NBA: Grizzlies dominate down low, get best of Heat
FILE–Tyus Jones #21 of the Memphis Grizzlies. Dylan Buell/Getty Images/AFP
Tyus Jones, subbing for an injured Ja Morant, scored a career-high 28 points and added a game-best 10 assists as the host Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Miami Heat 101-93 on Monday night.
Tyler Herro led Miami with 23 points and 13 rebounds, but he made just 3 of 11 3-point attempts. Jimmy Butler added 18 points, eight assists and six rebounds in the loss.
Article continues after this advertisementMemphis, which improved to 9-2 at home, was without its top three scorers: Morant (sore left ankle), Desmond Bane (sprained right big toe) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (right foot).
Memphis has won five of its past six games.
The Grizzlies also got 18 points and 10 rebounds from Santi Aldama, and Dillon Brooks added 17 points.
Article continues after this advertisementMiami, which is just 3-9 on the road, had just 24 points in the paint compared to Memphis’ 64.
Tyus Jones had a career night! #BigMemphis
🔥 28 points *career-high*
🔥 10 dimes
🔥 2 steals pic.twitter.com/1DZg19bZ2j— NBA (@NBA) December 6, 2022
Miami led 32-27 at the end of the first quarter, thanks in part to Caleb Martin’s 4-of-5 shooting on 3-point tries. Memphis had a 20-6 edge in the quarter on paint points, which mitigated the Grizzlies’ 1-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Miami shot 6-for-9 from deep.
Memphis went on an 11-2 run — capped by Kennedy Chandler’s layup and 3-pointer on consecutive possessions — to take a 45-40 lead with 4:09 left in the second quarter.
By halftime, Memphis led 58-51. Jones had 17 points, seven assists and no turnovers in the first half, having shot 7 of 9 from the floor, including 2 of 2 from 3-point range. Herro led Miami with 15 points before intermission.
Miami cut its deficit to 82-77 after three quarters. The margin might’ve been closer, but Gabe Vincent’s 35-foot swish was released a split-second after the third-quarter buzzer. Memphis kept up its low-post dominance in the third quarter with a 14-8 advantage in points in the paint.
Memphis poured it on in the fourth quarter, winning despite shooting just 8-for-32 (25 percent) from distance for the game.
Miami shot 14-for-40 from deep (35 percent).
