Grizzlies vs. Estudiantes

The game again featured two NBA officials (Luis Grillo and Jack Nies) on the three-man crew. A hybrid of NBA and European rules applied.

First Quarter
Sporting new uniforms (road blue trimmed with Spanish colors — gold and red — down the side), coach Marc Iavaroni went with the same starting lineup he used Tuesday against Unicaja Malaga. Damon Stoudamire, Mike Miller, Rudy Gay, Stromile Swift and Pau Gasol got the Griz going early with noticeable improvement in all the areas that plagued them during a loss in the preseason opener. They rebounded well and played solid defense. Gasol and Swift blocked shots on consecutive possessions and Miller later took a charge as Estudiantes found it difficult to get field goal attempts near the rim. Brian Cardinal and Tarence Kinsey checked in for the first time after not playing at Malaga. Intensity wasn’t a problem to start this one as the Griz dominated en route to a 32-11 lead.



Second Quarter
Forward Andre Brown came off the bench and immediately scored a layup that put the Griz ahead 40-13. Brown was seeing his first preseason action after sitting out against Malaga. This is shaping up to be a total mismatch as Estudiantes can’t match the Grizzlies’ strength and speed. Makes you wonder how Estudiantes beat Unicaja Malaga last Sunday. Credit the Griz, though, for their execution and consistency so far.

Halftime score: Grizzlies 52. Estudiantes 33.

Third Quarter
Mike Conley and Hakim Warrick started the second half as the Griz continued to control every aspect of the game. Needless to say, the Griz had fun in this one. They went ahead 73-42 after Lowry fed Darko Milicic for a dunk. Milicic smacked the backboard with both hands and flashed a smile on the play. Griz take an 80-52 advantage into the fourth quarter so get ready for extensive garbage time.

Fourth Quarter
Free agent Dontell Jefferson got in the game. What else did you expect?

Final Score: Grizzlies 98. Estudiantes 73.

The Griz departed for Memphis soon after the game and should arrive in United States early Friday morning.