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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- Looking for a way to break
out of a season-long funk, the Vancouver Grizzlies may have
discovered a winning formula in beating the Charlotte Hornets 99-89
Wednesday night.
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The win was the first ever for the Grizzlies against the
Hornets, and it came partly because coach Sidney Lowe elected to
try a three-guard offense.
With Damon Jones starting at off guard and Michael Dickerson
moving to small forward and leading a balanced attack with 22
points, the Grizzlies snapped a five-game losing streak, won for
only the sixth time in 19 home games and beat a plus-.500 opponent
for only the third time this season.
Mike Bibby added 21 points while Jones matched his career-high
with 18 for Vancouver. Vancouver shot 51 percent against the
Hornets, who started play with the top field goal defense in the
league.
"I think definitely this is a lineup we can use against most
teams," said Lowe, whose starters accounted for 95 of his team's
points. "We knew we'd have a problem on the boards going this way.
We're not a bump-and-grind team. We need to get easy baskets and we
got them because we were able to push the ball up the floor."
Partially on the strength of a franchise-record 19-0 run in the
first half, the Grizzlies held a 53-38 lead at halftime after
shooting 58 percent from the floor.
All five Vancouver starters shot 50 percent or better in the
first half as the Grizzlies were able to dictate the pace of the
game. Charlotte had matchup advantages across the frontcourt, but
the Hornets were unable to capitalize inside. Center Elden Campbell
made his return to the Charlotte lineup after missing the previous
three outings with an elbow problem.
However, Campbell was pulled early in favor of Derrick Coleman,
who had even less success stopping the Grizzlies' penetration in
the middle.
The Hornets, who had their Central Division lead over Milwaukee
shaved to one game, narrowed the gap to 85-77 with 5:04 left but
got no closer the rest of the way. The Grizzlies were able to
respond to an opposition run with key baskets for one of the few
times this season.
"I called the guys in the huddle when the lead was dwindling
down and I said, 'Someone has to step up and make a play.' The last
couple of weeks nobody made plays. We made them tonight," Jones
said.
"Maybe we can build on a game like this," said teammate
Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who scored 19 points out of the power forward
spot in his first game since a reported trade request surfaced over
the weekend.
Coleman scored all of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to
lead Charlotte, which lost its fourth straight on a six-game road
trip. Coleman scored 15 straight points at one stretch in the late
going for the Hornets, who had beaten Vancouver by an average 15.6
points per game in their eight previous meetings.
Coleman said the fact the Grizzlies went to a smaller lineup
should have allowed the Hornets to dominate inside.
"It's like a Catch-21," Coleman said. "Just as sure as they
want to run, we can run our offense on the other end and try and
get them in foul trouble. We didn't do that."
"We've got to get back to playing defense," said Charlotte
coach Paul Silas.
Game notes
Eight-year veteran Brent Price dressed in his first game
for the Grizzlies since March 20. Price had been on the injured
list with knee and back problems. ... Vancouver's Bryant Reeves ran
into a courtside cameraman and appeared to injure his left leg in
the second quarter. However, Reeves returned late in the third ...
Charlotte rookie Jamaal Magliore, a Toronto native who was not
expected to play because of a foot problem, had 10 minutes off the
bench for the Hornets. ... Grizzlies coach Sidney Lowe is the only
former Charlotte player ever to coach against the Hornets. Lowe
played 14 games for Charlotte in the 1988-89 season. ... The
Hornets continue their West Coast road trip Friday with a game in
Los Angeles against the Clippers.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Charlotte Clubhouse
Vancouver Clubhouse
RECAPS
New York 100
Boston 91
Philadelphia 98
Atlanta 80
Detroit 107
Dallas 104
Milwaukee 88
Cleveland 83
Phoenix 90
LA Clippers 85
Portland 102
Indiana 86
Vancouver 99
Charlotte 89
Denver 111
Golden State 100
LA Lakers 82
Utah 71
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Baron Davis Official Site
Mike Bibby Official Site
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