RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) _ The Vancouver Grizzlies are
looking like a different team. Not much has changed for the Atlanta
Hawks. Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Othella Harrington scored 18 points
apiece as the Grizzlies improved to 3-1 for the first time in
franchise history with Monday night's 97-87 victory over the
struggling Hawks. ``There's a degree of frustration,'' admitted first-year Hawks
coach Lon Kruger, whose team dropped to 0-4. ``When you lose, it
just keeps building. But they care and I wouldn't want them to feel
any other way than they do right now.'' The absence of injured center Dikembe Mutombo continues to hurt
the Hawks, who had the second-worst record in the Eastern
Conference (28-54) last season. Vancouver, meanwhile, has been energized by its improved bench.
Grant Long and Ike Austin teamed up for 15 points and 15 rebounds
against Atlanta, as Vancouver's reserves outscored their Hawks
counterparts 32-19, and gave the Grizzlies a lift when they needed
it most. Trailing 14-5 early, the Grizzlies responded when Abdur-Rahim,
Harrington and center Bryant Reeves left, and Long and Austin
entered. They helped the Grizzlies build a 50-36 halftime edge over
the Hawks, whose only run at Vancouver came in the waning minutes
of the fourth quarter. Austin had nine points and nine rebounds to go with four assists
in a season-high 25 minutes. He spelled Reeves, who had only two
points. Long had six points and six boards in 13 minutes. ``This organization made the commitment to get a better bench in
the offseason and it's making a difference,'' Austin said. ``We
keep bringing the energy. If we're up 10 points when we come in, we
want to make sure it's 10 points when we leave.'' Vancouver's reserves did better than that. As a result, the
Hawks remain one of only two winless teams (Chicago is 0-3) in the
NBA. The only bright spot for the Hawks was the return of Lorenzen
Wright, who scored 19 points and had 14 rebounds in his first
regular-season action. He's returning from a sprained knee
sustained in exhibition play. For Vancouver coach Sidney Lowe, however, what is still missing
is an ability to finish games sooner. ``We had an 18-point lead in the third quarter, then they hit a
couple of 3s and didn't quit,'' Lowe said. ``They made their run,
but we had guys who made plays. Long was spectacular, and Austin
also did a job.'' The Hawks got as close as 87-83 with just over a minute
remaining, but were unable to complete the comeback. ``It's another character-building game, and we'd like less of
those,'' said Long, a former Hawks forward. Alan Henderson matched Wright's 19-point effort for Atlanta. Notes: Grizzlies forward Tony Massenburg confirmed reports that he
has asked for a trade. The nine-year veteran signed a three-year
free-agent contract with Vancouver in the offseason. Grizzlies
general manager Billy Knight said he is not contemplating a deal
for Massenburg. ... Vancouver reserve guard Damon Jones left the
game with a concussion in the first half. ... The Grizzlies open a
three-game road trip Wednesday in Dallas. ... Atlanta continues its
road trip Tuesday in Portland and plays Thursday in Phoenix, when
Mutombo is eligible to return from the injured list.
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