Bobcats defeat Grizzlies at home, 93-89

Mike Conley's 11 points in the fourth quarter were not enough to stop the Charlotte Bobcats in Memphis tonight.

Stephen Jackson scored 32 points to lead all scorers in the game.

Conley hit 3 3-pointers and a pair of free throws in the fourth quarter to make it a one-point game. Jackson and Raymond Felton hit a pair of shots in the closing seconds to make it a four point game.

The Grizzlies were led in scoring by Zach Randolph, who had 24, and Rudy Gay, who chipped in 20. Randolph recorded another double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds.

Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo both had shots at a 3-pointer in the final 10 seconds, but both were off the mark.

Marc Gasol fouled out of the game in the fourth quarter after posting a six-point, seven-rebound effort.

O.J. Mayo finished with 14 points after scoring the team's first 12 of the game.

Hamed Haddadi saw seven minutes of action tonight. He tallied zero points, two rebounds, one assist and an impressive blocked shot.

It was thought Haddadi may see more playing time because he is playing the minutes that rookie Hasheem Thabeet normally would be playing. Thabeet was recently sent back to the NBA's D-League for a 10-day stint in hopes that he would refine his game with more playing time.

The Bobcats sweep the series with the Grizzlies this season, 2-0. The Bobcats had lost three games in a row prior to tonight's victory. This was the fourth game of a four-game road trip for Charlotte.

Hasheem Thabeet to be sent to D-League

The Memphis Grizzlies are reportedly sending rookie center Hasheem Thabeet to the NBA's Developmental League.

Thabeet is averaging 2.5 points per game and 2.9 rebounds per game in only 10.5 minutes per game this season.

Thabeet was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. He becomes the highest drafted player to be sent to the D-League.

He is set to join the Grizzlies D-League affiliate, the Dakota Wizards. The Dakota Wizards are shared by the Grizzlies and the Washington Wizards.

The NBA D-League was formed during the 2006-2007 NBA season. The concept is not unlike minor league baseball. Teams send players to the D-League to play more minutes than they would for a regular NBA roster.

Those minutes are supposed to help the player develop into a more viable option for an NBA roster.

Grizzlies win 99-94 on the road in D.C.

The Grizzlies picked up a nice road win against the new look Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

Zach Randolph led the team in scoring and rebounding with 22 points and nine rebounds on a night when no Grizzlies player recorded a double-double.

Marc Gasol added 20 points and seven rebounds, shooting 10-11 from the field. Marc's only miss came on a hook shot in the last minute of the game that barely drew iron.

The Wizards scored eight points in the closing seconds of the game to make the score look closer than the game really was. Andray Blatche for the Wizards led all scorers with 24.

The Grizzlies had lost nine of their last 12 games entering tonight. Memphis also sweeps the series for the second straight season against Washington.

The Wizards had won three games in a row prior to the Grizzlies visit to the Verizon Center.

Grizzlies fall to Kobe, Lakers 99-98

Well, the crowd at FedEx Forum got a gem tonight.

Even though the Grizz lost, what an incredible game.

Kobe Bryant drove to the basket for a layup with 8 seconds left and the Lakers down by two. His shot was blocked by Marc Gasol and then Rudy Gay, not expecting the shot to be blocked, swatted it again.

This time the ball bounced behind the backboard and hit the shot clock. Out of bounds, Laker ball. Then, on the inbounds play, Kobe Bryant broke free after a Gay misplay and a Pau Gasol pick to hit the game-winning 3-pointer.

O.J. Mayo got the chance at a last second 19-foot fade-away, but the shot was long and bounced off the back of the rim.

*Zach Randolph passed Pau Gasol's previous franchise record for offensive rebounds in a season. Randolph(252) had 20 points and 14 rebounds to break Gasol's previous record of 238.

Click here for ESPN's post-game summary.

Marc Gasol getting some national attention...finally

As the Grizzlies get set to face the Los Angeles Lakers tonight, Grizz center Marc Gasol (pictured on right with brother Pau on left) is receiving some national recognition.

Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com wrote "Gasol (Marc) deserves some respect."

While the article is told through the eyes of a Laker fan/reporter, McMenamin did offer an interesting piece of objectivity:

"Yet Marc still doesn't get the respect his career should warrant. He still has the stigma of Frank Stallone to Pau's Sylvester because he was included in the trade that shifted the balance of power in the West and shoehorned L.A. into championship contender status. He may very well win the NBA's Most Improved Player award this year, yet when Jackson (Phil) spoke extemporaneously about the Grizzlies' success this season, he mentioned the contributions by Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo. He had to be asked about Marc."

While Laker head coach Phil Jackson may not think about Marc, Grizzlies fans sure do. His play combined with Zach Randolph's this season has been a dream to watch. The two Grizzlies big men look like best friends who have been playing together since the eighth grade.

The article by McMenamin goes on to describe Pau Gasol, Marc's older brother by 4 years, 29 and 25, respectively, and his return to Memphis, the place where he started his career.

When the trade occurred, I like most fans, was shocked. I was not shocked that Pau was traded, I was shocked in what the Grizzlies received in return. I was intrigued with the addition of Marc. I also thought the Grizz might be able to get some production out of Javaris Crittendon.

I started looking for any footage of Marc that I could find. When the Spanish team played on television, I watched. They were on a lot that summer, which gave us a good, long look at the bigger Gasol.

I was impressed with his free throw shooting and physicality. He had the same touch as his brother around the rim, too. You know it, that soft touch like guards usually have. Marc also displayed some range on his jump shots.

Frankly, I thought he outplayed Pau in every aspect of the game.

His dribbling was and is not great. But who cares? He is 7 feet tall. Marc does, however, pass the ball well.

I just thought it was nice to see someone other than a Grizzlies fan talk about Marc Gasol. Of course, the article was only written because the Grizzlies are playing the Lakers tonight.

Tonight's game will not be the first time the two brothers have met in NBA competition.

The Lakers lead the all-time series with the Grizzlies 41-14, but are 19-13 against the Grizzlies since the team moved to Memphis. The Lakers had won four straight at FedEx Forum until the Grizzlies defeated L.A. 95-93 on Feb. 1.