Grizzlies bring Iranian big man Haddadi back to Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- The Memphis Grizzlies have re-signed Hamed Haddadi, bringing back the Iranian center.
Haddadi is the first Iranian ever to play in the NBA. The 7-foot-2 reserve center averaged 2.4 points with 2.2 rebounds in 31 games last season for the Grizzlies.

 

The 26-year-old native of Ahvaz, Iran, has spent the past three seasons with Memphis, averaging 2.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in 86 games.

Haddadi led Iran to an 8-1 record at the 2011 FIBA Asian Championship in China, averaging 15.4 points and 11.4 rebounds.

Memphis announced the deal on Saturday.

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Grizzlies deal Vasquez to Hornets for Pondexter

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- The Memphis Grizzlies have swapped guard Greivis Vasquez to the New Orleans Hornets for guard/forward Quincy Pondexter in a move designed to boost their depth with Darrell Arthur out for the season.

The Grizzlies announced earlier Saturday that they signed Dante Cunningham after Charlotte failed to match an offer. Then they later announced the trade with New Orleans.

The 6-foot-6 Pondexter averaged 13 points and 8.5 rebounds in 33 minutes in two preseason games against Memphis. The 23-year-old averaged 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in 66 games as a rookie with New Orleans last season after being the 26th pick overall by Oklahoma City in 2010 before being traded to New Orleans.

Vasquez played in 70 games and averaged 3.6 points and 2.2 assists as a rookie with Memphis last season.

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Grizzlies officially sign Marc Gasol to new deal

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Marc Gasol thought about possibly playing for another team. In the end, he decided to stick with the Memphis Grizzlies for a few more years.

"I didn't see myself other than with this team, whether it was going to be for the long term or one year," Gasol said Wednesday after signing his contract extension.

"I definitely thought I would be here this year."

Gasol was the subject of a lot of conjecture on whether he would return on a long-term basis or play out the final year of his contract with the Grizzlies and become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Memphis officials had vowed all along to match any contract offer from another team.

Now that the 7-foot-1 center is back, the Grizzlies keep intact the core of a team that made the Western Conference semifinals last spring.

Terms of the contract were not announced during Wednesday's press conference, but The Commercial Appeal reports the deal is for four years and almost $58 million. Gasol, a native of Barcelona, Spain, announced the tentative agreement on Twitter on Monday night.

Gasol was the final lingering piece for the Grizzlies, who are coming off their best season in franchise history. Memphis, which had never even won a playoff game before last season, defeated the Western Conference's top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the opening round, then went to a deciding seventh game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With Gasol's signing, the Grizzlies now have starters Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay and Mike Conley under long-term deals.

The Grizzlies had emphasized the signing of Gasol was the priority before the season, and other players referenced the importance of having him back at the opening of camp. Randolph even reminded people that when he signed last spring, part of his deal included a promise that Gasol would be re-signed.

"In the short three years here, Marc has advanced through the ranks and become one of the top centers, not just the top young centers, but the top centers overall in the NBA," general manager Chris Wallace said.

Gasol enters his fourth year averaging 11.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and a career-high 2.5 assists and 1.68 blocks in the regular season last year. But he averaged 15.0 points and 11.2 rebounds in the postseason. He said the process dragged through the lockout because teams could not work on contracts. He said it seemed to move faster once the labor agreement was settled.

"(I) just let the guys who handle the business do it," Gasol said of the negotiations. "I play basketball. That's what I do. I don't negotiate contracts. I just focus and do my job on the basketball court."

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Miami put heat on Celtics, Thunder level series

(Reuters) - The Miami Heat piled the pressure on bruised and battered Boston by taking a 2-0 lead in their NBA playoff series with a 102-91 victory on Tuesday.

Quicker and more athletic than the veteran Celtics, who were hampered by a series of nagging injuries, the Heat again met the challenge of the defending Eastern Conference champions and have a commanding lead in the best-of-seven second-round series with Game Three set for Saturday in Boston.

In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder slowed the inside force of the Memphis Grizzlies in a 111-102 victory that leveled their series 1-1.

Kevin Durant scored 26 points and the Thunder held red-hot Zach Randolph to 2-for-13 shooting as Oklahoma City bounced back from their series-opening loss to the giant-killing Grizzlies.

In Miami, LeBron James took his turn to carry the load with 24 of his game-high 35 points coming in the second half, while Game One standout Dwyane Wade added 28.

"This is a great team we're going against right now," James told reporters. "We're playing as hard as we can defensively and just trying to wear them down throughout the course of the game."

"They made a run but we stuck to our principles and finally wore them down."

With the game tied 80-80 midway through the fourth, the Heat exploded with a 14-0 burst to put the contest out of reach.

Boston's Paul Pierce, who was ejected from the contentious series-opener with two technical fouls in the fourth quarter, returned from a strained left foot but the injury forced him off the court briefly in the first quarter.

Ray Allen also played with a bruised chest following a collision with James in the third.

Rajon Rondo led the way with 20 points and 12 assists for Boston who trailed by five points after both the second and third quarters.

The Celtics will have to regroup at home if they are to take down Miami's "Big Three," who were brought together in the off-season to challenge Boston's supremacy.

Chris Bosh, the Heat's final member of the triumvirate, finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Having allowed 34 points from Memphis's Zach Randolph in Game One, the Thunder restricted him to just 15 points, as they charged to a 28-17 lead after the first quarter and stretched it to 97-76 in the fourth.

Russell Westbrook had 24 points and James Harden put in 21 for the Thunder.

Mike Conley led the way with 24 points for Memphis who will host Game Three on Saturday.

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Heat sizzle against Celtics as Grizzlies maul Thunder

(Reuters) - Dwyane Wade and Miami sent a strong message to their Eastern Conference tormenters the Boston Celtics with a 99-90 victory Sunday that gave the Heat an early edge in the heavyweight second round playoff matchup.

Wade came out firing with 23 of his game-high 38 points in the first half, and LeBron James added 22 to help the Heat grab a 1-0 best-of seven series lead over the Celtics team that knocked each player from last year's post-season.

"Today our shot-makers made shots and that was the story," Wade told reporters after turning around his regular-season struggles against the Celtics this season when he averaged just 12.8 points per game.

"These guys expect this from me. I wasn't giving it to them in the regular season versus them and I wanted to come out and be a leader. (Boston) is never going to quit and we look forward to the challenge."

In the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies continued their magical playoff run by mauling the Oklahoma City Thunder 114-101 to draw first blood in their best-of-seven Western Conference semi-final series.

Fresh off a shock first round upset of the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs, the eighth-seeded Grizzlies showed no signs of a letdown against the Thunder, grabbing the lead midway through the first quarter and never letting go.

A showdown between the Celtics and Heat has been anticipated ever since James and fellow All Star Chris Bosh joined forces with Wade in the off-season in an attempt to shift Eastern Conference power.

The series opener proved feisty as Boston's Paul Pierce was ejected with two technical fouls in the fourth quarter following a confrontation with Wade.

LATE PUSH

The wily Celtics still managed to make a late push and pulled within eight points with four minutes left after having trailed by as much as 19 in the second half.

But the Heat held off the run with six straight points to move ahead 96-82 with 2:54 left

Ray Allen kept Boston in the game with 25 points, including five three-pointers, and Pierce finished with 19.

James Jones sparked the Heat with five three-pointers and a career playoff-high 25 points but it was Miami's suffocating defense that held Boston to 36 first-half points as the home team took a 15-point lead into the locker room.

Game Two is in Miami on Tuesday.

In Oklahoma City, Zach Randolph, the Grizzlies best player against the Spurs, was again in the spotlight as he hit for a game-high 34 points and 10 rebounds. Spaniard Marc Gasol also contributed a double-double with 20 points and 13 boards.

Kevin Durant, the NBA's scoring champion, had 33 points and 11 rebounds in a losing cause for the Thunder while Russell Westbrook had 29 points.

Memphis led by as much as 16 in the first half and powered ahead 91-74 in the fourth as they eased to another shock victory.

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Grizzlies seal stunning upset by eliminating Spurs

(Reuters) - The Memphis Grizzlies sealed a stunning upset of top-ranked San Antonio in the first round of the NBA playoffs on Friday, beating the Spurs 99-91 to clinch their series 4-2 at the FedEx Forum on Friday.

"I'm pleased with where we are, but not satisfied from the perspective that we have an opportunity to do something really special," said Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins.

"Not a lot of people knew about us coming in, but we certainly have made some noise and turned some heads and gotten some attention that probably wouldn't have been given to us if we had lost this series.

"We would have just been another No. 8 seed losing to the No. 1 seed. But I'm pleased with the way it turned out."

San Antonio scored the first points of the game but a 12-0 run by Memphis forced the Spurs to chase the Grizzlies for much of the encounter.

Despite trailing by as many as 12, San Antonio managed to grab the lead briefly at 80-79 with 4:39 remaining in the fourth quarter on a jump shot by Antonio McDyess.

However, they were unable to contain Zach Randolph down the stretch.

Randolph scored 17 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter. He also had 11 rebounds while Marc Gasol had a double-double with 13 rebounds and 12 points.

"I couldn't have played any better D (defense)," said McDyess who covered Randolph.

"I keep running it back in my head and I don't think I could have done different. He hit some really freaking tough shots. I didn't think there was any way they could go in and I'd look up and he'd made them.

"To see that happen, when you had ground and played as tough a defense as you could, it hurts. At the same time, if he's going to make those types of shots with the type of defense I played, you have to accept it."

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 23 points, and Manu Ginobili scored 16.

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Grizzlies push Spurs to brink; Mavs, Nuggets

(Reuters) - Western Conference top seeds San Antonio were pushed to the brink of elimination from the first round of the NBA playoffs after the Memphis Grizzlies took a 3-1 series lead with a 104-86 win over the Spurs on Monday.

In other Western Conference playoff games, the Dallas Mavericks took a 3-2 series lead over the Portland Trail Blazers while the Denver Nuggets avoided being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder, cutting the series deficit to 3-1.

The Grizzlies finished the regular season eighth in the West and were not expected to be a major test for the Spurs but their Game Four win puts them in a commanding position in their best-of-seven series.

"We're a team that doesn't get a lot of attention," Memphis point guard Mike Conley told reporters. "We've been playing great and we're able to beat good teams like San Antonio. We just have to do it one more time."

Memphis were too big and athletic for the Spurs and blew the game open in the third quarter where they outscored San Antonio 30-15.

Conley led Memphis with 15 points, with four others joining him in double figures, as the Grizzlies close in on their first NBA playoff series win.

The Spurs got 23 points from Tony Parker but Tim Duncan struggled with just six points and seven rebounds. Game Five is on Wednesday in San Antonio.

Dallas reclaimed control of their matchup after a 93-82 victory and will get the chance to close out the series in Portland on Thursday.

The Mavericks had blown a 23-point lead in the final 13 minutes of Game Four to lose on Saturday but regrouped with an inspired second half to take a 3-2 series advantage.

Dallas got 25 points from Dirk Nowitzki and 20 from Jason Terry as they outscored the Blazers 31-20 in the third to take control of the game.

Brandon Roy, who was coming off a spectacular performance in Game Four when he tallied 18 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, managed just five on Monday.

Denver survived a late scare from the Thunder to earn their first win of the series 104-101, with Game Five to be played on Wednesday in Oklahoma City.

Ty Lawson scored a team-high 27 points for the Nuggets, who had a 10-point lead with two minutes remaining before the Thunder made their run.

Kevin Durant made a three-pointer to pull his team within two points with four seconds left before Russell Westbrook missed a three-point shot that would have brought the scores level at the buzzer.

Durant finished with 31 and Westbrook had 30 in the loss

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Portland rally stuns Dallas, others leave it too late

(Reuters) - The Portland Trail Blazers, led by Brandon Roy, overcame a 23-point deficit to stun the Dallas Mavericks 84-82, while late rallies by the San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets fell short.

Roy scored 18 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter including the game-winning basket with 39.2 seconds left, thrilling the fans at the Rose Garden, and leveling the best of seven series at two home wins each.

The Trail Blazers survived two missed three point attempts by the Mavericks in the closing seconds.

"It still doesn't feel real yet. Just an unbelievable game, the comeback," said Roy who underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees in mid-January.

"With everything I've been through this season, it all came into that moment there on the court, when guys were grabbing me and cheering me on. It was real special."

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 18 points for Portland and Gerald Wallace recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 20 points.

In Memphis, the eighth seeded Grizzlies hung on for a 91-88 win over the San Antonio Spurs to grab a 2-1 lead over the Western Conference's top seed.

The Grizzlies seized control of the game early with a 14-4 surge spanning the first and second quarter, but needed a rare three-point basket from Zach Randolph with 41.9 seconds secure the victory.

Randolph led the Grizzlies with 25 points while the Spurs were led by Manu Ginobili's 23 points.

In Indianapolis, the Chicago Bulls blitzed the Pacers in the final four minutes but were unable to complete the comeback falling 89-84.

Chicago outscored the Pacers 18-3 over a 3:30 span to move to within one point at 85-84 with 15.3 seconds but Danny Granger, who led the Pacers with 24 points, hit two critical free throws extending the Pacers lead back to three points.

Chicago's Carlos Boozer missed on a clear three point attempt on a broken play with three seconds remaining and Granger hit two more free throws to finish the game.

Joakim Noah led Chicago with 21 points and 14 rebounds and Rose scored 15 points and had 10 assists.

In the late game, the Oklahoma City Thunder rebounded from a dismal third quarter for a 97-94 win over the Denver Nuggets to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.

The Nuggets outscored Oklahoma City 24-15 in the third quarter to take a 73-71 lead into the fourth quarter. Russell Westbrook led the Thunder to victory in the fourth quarter with 13 of his 23 points.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 26 points and Kenyon Martin, Nene, and J.R. Smith scored 15 points each for Denver.

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Lakers and Spurs even series 1-1, Thunder up 2-0

(Reuters) - The Los Angeles Lakers came alive following their disappointing playoff opener to grind out an 87-78 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday and level their best-of-seven series 1-1.

The San Antonio Spurs also tied up their first round series 1-1 with the Memphis Grizzlies while the Oklahoma Thunder went 2-0 up over Denver.

The defending champion Lakers were shocked in their series opening loss on Sunday when New Orleans point guard Chris Paul ran riot, but they returned with a strong defensive effort and now head to New Orleans for Game Three on Friday.

Andrew Bynum led the way with 17 points and 11 rebounds and Lamar Odom added 16 to offset poor performances from Kobe Bryant (11 points) and Pau Gasol (eight).

"I was just trying to be aggressive defensively," Bynum told reporters. "If I play hard defensively, sometimes we get some stops, some good luck and get transition baskets."

Los Angeles established a six-point halftime lead and were up seven after three quarters before stretching their lead to 15 in the fourth where they held off the Hornets.

New Orleans was limited to just 39 percent shooting. Trevor Ariza scored 22 and Paul had 20 for the visitors.

The Spurs, top-seed in the Western Conference, had to once again fight to earn their 93-87 triumph.

They trailed by three points at half-time but were inspired by Argentine shooting guard Manu Ginobli who missed the opening game of the series through injury but returned with 17 points.

But San Antonio kept their cool and George Hill made sure of the win with four points with free throws.

Sam Young top scored for the Grizzlies with 17 points.

The Thunder comfortably took a 2-0 lead in their series against the Denver Nuggets with Kevin Durant scoring 23 points and Russell Westbrook scoring 21 in the 106-89 win.

The Thunder took charge from the outset and had a 26-point lead early in the second quarter as they secured their second win before the series moves to Denver on Saturday for Game Three.

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Grizzlies sign Zach Randolph to four-year contract extension

(Reuters) - Zach Randolph and the Memphis Grizzlies agreed to a multi-year contract extension, the NBA club said on Wednesday.

Randolph, who had a game high 25 points on Sunday as the Grizzlies beat the San Antonio Spurs for their maiden playoff victory, will earn $66 million over four years, according to local media reports.

"During a week that has seen the Grizzlies franchise take a significant step forward with its first-ever postseason victory, it is incredibly meaningful for this organization to be able to take another by ensuring that Zach Randolph will continue to play on Beale Street for many years to come," said Chris Wallace, Grizzlies general manager in a statement.

Randolph, traded to Memphis in 2009 from the Los Angeles Clippers, led his team with an average of 20.1 points per game and had a career-high and franchise-record 12.2 rebounds per game in 75 games this season.

Taken in the first round of the 2001 draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, Randolph has been one of the NBA's most consistent performers, averaging of 17.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in a 10-year career that has also included brief stints with New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers.

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Douglas fires Knicks to 3-pt record in Grizzlies

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Toney Douglas shot a sparkling 29-point haul off the bench to help the New York Knicks set a franchise record for three-pointers in their 120-99 rout of the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.

The second-year guard Douglas also tied the franchise's individual three-point record, his ninth successful shot landing with 17 seconds to play and handing the Knicks (35-32) their record-setting 20th for the night.

"The dude at the scorer's table just said, 'Hit one more three.' I was like, 'Huh?' I didn't really realize it would tie the (individual) record," Douglas told reporters.

"He just said to hit one more three, but I didn't really pay any mind. I was just playing my game and taking what the defense gave me."

Douglas's shooting masterclass allowed the Knicks to hold on to sixth place in the Eastern Conference with a half-game lead over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Carmelo Anthony added 28 points while Chauncey Billups finished with 18 points and eight assists for New York in his best performance since returning from a thigh injury earlier this week. The Grizzlies (37-32) trailed for most of the match and fell 18 behind after three quarters as their hold on the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference was trimmed to just one game. Mike Conley scored 16 points and had six assists. Zach Randolph put in 14 in the loss, Memphis's third in four games.

New York shot seven three-pointers in the third quarter to keep the Grizzlies at bay.

"We tried to play zone and we tried to go a little smaller, but they're a very talented team and nothing worked for us the two times that we played them," said Memphis coach Lionel Hollins.

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Wade in heat of things, bombs Grizzlies

MIAMI – Dwyane Wade had 28 points and nine assists and LeBron James scored 27 points while taking the fourth quarter off as the Miami Heat ran away early to beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 118-85, in the NBA on Saturday.

Wade also had five blocks, four of them in a 55-second span of the opening quarter. The 33-point victory margin was Miami’s largest this season.

Chris Bosh scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Heat, who closed within 2 1-2 games of Boston for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Mike Bibby added 17 for Miami on a 5-for-5 effort from 3-point range.

O.J. Mayo scored 19 for Memphis, which dropped its second straight.

In Atlanta, Jeff Teague matched a career high with 24 points and Jamal Crawford added 20 as Atlanta ended a four-game losing streak with a 91-82 victory over Portland.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 22 points and Wesley Matthews had 19 for Portland.

The Hawks were without starting center Al Horford because of a sprained ankle and reserve forward Josh Powell, who was arrested before the game on traffic charges not far from the Atlanta arena.

In Washington, Blake Griffin scored all of his 26 points in the first half as Los Angeles defeated Washington, 122-101.

Griffin topped the Wizards’ John Wall in the matchup between the last two No. 1 picks in the NBA draft. Wall finished with 25 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

Eric Bledsoe added a career-high 23 points for the Clippers, who have won five of their six games this month. In Milwaukee, Andrew Bogut scored 17 points and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had 14 points, 12 rebounds and five steals to lift Milwaukee past Philadelphia, 102-74.

Brandon Jennings scored 15 points, Keyon Dooling added 13 and Carlos Delfino had 12 for the Bucks, who won their third straight game, matching their season-best winning streak.

Lou Williams scored 16 points for the Sixers, who had 21 turnovers. Jodie Meeks added 13 points and Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala had 10 apiece for Philadelphia.

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Grizzlies' Gay (shoulder) leaves game vs. 76ers

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Memphis forward Rudy Gay, the team's second-leading scorer, left Tuesday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second quarter with a left shoulder injury.

Memphis officials said at halftime that Gay was not expected to return to the game.

Gay, who averages 20.0 points and 6.3 rebounds, was injured with 5:29 left before halftime as he drove across the lane. He was fouled by Evan Turner, and was on the court in pain after the foul.

Memphis called timeout, and Gay returned to the game only long enough to shoot the free throws - one-handed, unable to lift his left arm.

He made one of two free throws to give Memphis a 41-26 lead before play was stopped on a foul by Mike Conley to get Gay out of the game

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