Hawks hand Grizzlies fifth straight setback
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Taurean Prince scored 17 points, Paul Millsap had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Dennis Schroder added 16 points to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 107-90 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies Saturday night at FedExForum.
The Hawks, coming off a six-game homestand, dealt the Grizzlies their fifth straight loss, a season-high futility streak.
JaMychal Green led Memphis with 20 points and 11 rebounds and Mike Conley scored 16 points.
After pulling away from the Grizzlies late in the first quarter behind a 12-0 run, Atlanta was never threatened. The Hawks led 33-15 after the first quarter and spent the remainder of the game -- except for a brief period before the half -- enjoying double-digit leads that eventually reached 26 points.
As for the Grizzlies, they struggled in every facet.
Averaging 9.2 3-pointers per game, Memphis missed 21 of its first 23 attempts beyond the arc before hitting back-to-back 3s (Conley and Troy Daniels) in the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies also allowed 100 or more points for the eighth time in 10 games, an uncharacteristic trend for a team that has been one of the league's top defensive units in recent seasons.
Memphis, which never led in the game, surrendered 15 3-pointers.
The Grizzlies fizzled from the outset. In the opening quarter, Memphis connected on only five of 24 shot attempts and missed each of its eight 3-point tries. The Grizzlies also committed six turnovers that led to 13 points and by the end of the quarter were drawing a rare smattering of boos from the home crowd.
By midway through the second quarter, the Grizzlies continued to misfire. Five minutes into the period, Memphis was shooting 18.4 percent (7-of-38), was 1-of-12 from beyond the arc and trailed, 40-20.
Memphis rallied by scoring 10 straight points to trim the deficit to 10 and cut the Hawks' advantage to seven (42-35) with a minute left in the half.
But the Hawks regained the momentum by converting two turnovers into five points for a 47-35 lead at the break.
Memphis shot a lowly 26.5 percent in the first half and only 12.5 percent from long range (2 of 16). The Grizzlies' nine turnovers led to 18 Atlanta points. The Hawks shot 45.7 percent in the first half.
NOTES: Hawks C Dwight Howard (rest) did not play Saturday in what was the second game of a back-to-back. The Hawks beat Toronto, 105-99, Friday night in Atlanta. Howard missed his sixth game this season and his third for scheduled rest. ... Grizzlies F Chandler Parsons entered the game having gone 8-for-29 shooting his last five games. He started against the Hawks and missed his first three shots before being replaced by Troy Daniels. Parsons made two of seven field goals and finished with five points in 24 minutes. ... The Hawks' Tim Hardaway Jr., extended his consecutive games with a 3-pointer streak to 18. He connected from beyond the arc in the closing seconds of the first half. ... The fifth straight loss for the Grizzlies is their longest losing streak since late last March and early April when Memphis lost six in a row in an injury-riddled season.