The Grizzlies' 116-111 double-overtime loss to the Lakers Tuesday night at FedExForum produced one of the more astonishing stats in Grizzlies franchise history.
Memphis attempted a franchise-record 116 field goals and made 52 of them, 11 more the Lakers.
But the Grizzlies had just five free throw attempts (two of those were technical free throws) and made all five. The Lakers were 28-of-34 from the free throw line.
Let's review -- 116 field goal attempts produces, in reality, just three free throw attempts?
"I'm taking the 5th Amendment," Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said when asked about the disparity.
"I'm not going there; I want to keep my money," Grizzlies center Marc Gasol said, wanting to avoid a fine for criticizing the officials.
Leave it to Grizzlies forward Marreese Speights for a way to address the issue without directly pointing a finger at the officiating crew of Ken Mauer, Sean Wright and Karl Lane.
"That's the Lakers -- they are a big-flop team," Speights said. "They go to the lane knowing they are going to get fouled. The refs probably give them some calls for Kobe. It's frustrating, but that's the NBA. They've been doing it a long time."
NOTES, QUOTES
-The best Lakers' defense down the stretch and in overtime may have been giving the Grizzlies' open looks, because Memphis was stone cold.
In the two overtimes, Memphis made a combined 7-of-20 shots, missing all eight three-point attempts.
"When you've got wide-open threes, you've got to take them," Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. "Juice (O.J. Mayo) had a bunch of wide open shots. Mike Conley had open looks. We just couldn't make the shots and sometimes it's like that."
Mayo finished 7-of-25 from the field (0-of-8 three-pointers), missing his 17 of his last 21 shots after starting the game 3-for-4.
-The Grizzlies played without forward Rudy Gay, their leading scorer, who failed NBA-mandated tests related to a mild concussion he sustained in Sunday's game at Denver.
Gay awoke Tuesday morning experiencing headaches and was unsuccessful in completing what is known as a "baseline test." The exam, which is done by computer, is designed to test reaction. It was the second straight day.
Gay sustained a mild concussion when Nuggets center Nene inadvertently struck him in the head with an elbow. Under the terms of the NBA's new protocol for concussions and other head injuries, any player diagnosed with a concussion will have to complete a series of physical exertion increases at each stage, from a stationary bike, to jogging, to agility work, to non-contact drills. A player must be symptom-free for 24 hours, and reach a baseline set during an examination before the start of this season.
Finally, the Grizzlies must then confer with Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Michigan, who is the inaugural director of the NBA's concussion program.
Memphis doesn't play again until Friday when it is home against Toronto.
"It's tough to play without Rudy, he's one of the best players in this league," Grizzlies' F Quincy Pondexter said. "But at the same time, we came out, competed and really played well."
ROSTER REPORT
-G Mike Conley had 10 points and 11 assists, but missed a potential game-winning shot at the end of regulation. Conley was miffed afterward that chants of "MVP, MVP, MVP" rang out in FedExForum late in the game for the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who scored 34 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter and two overtimes combined.
"It hurts," Conley said. "We're playing with three guys down (Gay, Zach Randolph and Darrell Arthur), we've got guys diving on the floor, playing through injuries and all kinds of stuff, and leaving everything on the court. To hear 'MVP, MVP' chants is not something you want to hear when you've fought so hard for so long. Guys don't like that and that's motivation for us."
-G Tony Allen scored 11 of his 18 points in the first quarter when he hit his two first outside shots. Allen seemed to be on his way to one of his best games of the year when he got in foul trouble.
When he picked up his fourth foul with 5:40 left in the third quarter, he didn't play again there was 2:28 left in regulation. But he played just 98 seconds more, getting yanked for good with 50 seconds left when he wandered away from Kobe Bryant just long enough for Bryant to hit a game-tying three-pointer at 95-95 with 1:33 left in regulation.
"Coach said it was the little things that decided this game and I personally gave up a three," Allen said. "I thought I played good defense on him and made him shoot a tough shot. He hit it. I don't give up a three, they are still down one."
-F Marreese Speights scored a season-high 25 points, but only got one shot attempt in the two overtime periods combined.
"When one of your starters goes down, people have to step up," said Speights, whose 15 third-quarter points tied the most points scored by a Grizzly player this year in a quarter (Mike Conley, Jan. 21 versus Sacramento).
"O.J. Mayo's 22, but he's going to come back stronger."
-F Rudy Gay (concussion symptoms) is day-to-day.
-F Zach Randolph (partially torn medial collateral right knee ligament) is practicing with team.
-F Darrell Arthur (torn Achilles' tendon) is out for the season.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I just saved myself $50,000." -- Grizzlies C Marc Gasol, exiting the locker room after avoiding questions about the free throw disparity and not criticizing the officiating crew to avoid the NBA's hefty fine.
