Memphis ends road skid at buzzer in OT

(AP)
Updated: 2007-01-25 14:28

SALT LAKE CITY - Pau Gasol had a triple-double, Eddie Jones beat the buzzer and the Memphis Grizzlies finally had a postgame celebration on the road.

Jones' 22-foot jumper in the final second of overtime gave the Memphis Grizzlies a 132-130 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, ending a 10-game road losing streak.

"We definitely needed it. We're having a tough year, so it took a lot of fight. It took a lot of effort," Gasol said.

And it took a whole lot of 3-pointers. The Grizzlies finished 16-for-26 from 3-point range (61.5 percent) and were able to win for just the third time on the road this season despite getting outrebounded 56-35.

"It feels good to work for it and get that reward," said Gasol, who finished with 17 points, 12 assists and 13 rebounds.

Gasol's presence inside opened up some of the Grizzlies' outside shooters. Chucky Atkins, who had 29 points and 15 assists, was 6-for-10 on 3-pointers and Jones, who scored 19, made 3 of 6 from beyond the arc.

Carlos Boozer scored a career-high 39 points and Deron Williams had 21 assists for the Jazz, also a career best.

But Boozer fouled out early in the overtime and the Jazz couldn't overcome the Grizzlies' 3-point shooting. Memphis had a higher shooting percentage on 3-pointers than the Jazz did from the foul line, where they went 17-for-29.

"We couldn't stop Gasol inside. What are you going to do?" Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "Then we go down and miss 12 free throws in an overtime game. If you get one of those in regulation, you win the game."

The Jazz tied it at 130 on Mehmet Okur's second straight 3-pointer, but 7 seconds remained. Jones dribbled past the Jazz bench, then pulled up and got a shot off over Williams just before the buzzer.

"I knew I had seven seconds. I knew I had a smaller guy on me, so I was like 'Just take your time,'" Jones said. "I've been in the league so long I know what you can get away with."

Jones and the Grizzlies took off for their locker room, knowing they had just their third road win of the season. A few of the Jazz lingered for the officials to confirm the shot was good, but most went straight for the tunnel knowing that Jones had just won it.

The Jazz got double-doubles from Boozer (15 rebounds), Andrei Kirilenko (18, 12) and Okur (27, 11).

"They make like every single shot. It's hard to guard," Kirilenko, who also had three blocks.

Memphis entered the game with the worst record in the league and hadn't won on the road since Dec. 6 at Boston. But after falling behind by 10 in the third quarter, the Grizzlies rallied with a barrage of 3-pointers and won the shootout on Jones' clutch shot at the end.

"We just decided not to call a timeout and Eddie made the play," Memphis coach Tony Barone said. "Sometimes those go in and sometimes they don't. We didn't drop anything cute."

Jones broke a 122-122 tie with a 3-pointer with 33 seconds left. The Grizzlies went up 128-124 before Okur cut it to a point on a 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining. Atkins hit two free throws to make it a three-point game again, then with 7 seconds left Okur hit from outside again and the home fans thought they were getting another OT.

Jones ended the celebration a few seconds later.



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