NBA -- Bulls tame Grizzlies behind six Mirotic 3s
By Homer D. Sayson
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 21 Dec 2014
CHICAGO -- Nikola Mirotic showed the might that made him one of this year's prized rookies.
The 6-foot-9 gunslinger swished all six of his 3s and the Chicago Bulls plucked another road win on Friday night, a close 103-97 over the Memphis Grizzilies at the FedEx Forum.
Mirotic ended up with 27 points, a marksmanship that showcased a 7-of-10 shooting from the field and a 7-for-8 clip from the free throw stripe. He also had eight rebounds, an assist and a block in 30 minutes off the bench.
"I think tonight he definitely didn't play with any fear" Bulls forward Pau Gasol said of his frontcourt mate. Gasol did have explode offensively like Mirotic but the 7-foott Spaniard finished with a decent six points and 11 rebounds.
Jimmy Butler was huge for the Bulls as well, tallying 31 points and 10 boards while Aaron Brooks contributed 17 as a reserve.
Mike Conley lit the Memphis offense for 21 but it wasn't enough to hold off the Bulls as the Grizzlies made only 37 of 94 shots (39.4 percent), including just 2-for-13 from 3-point range (15.4 percent).
Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph combined for a healthy 21 points and 22 rebounds but the Grizzlies' twin towers missed a combined 17 of 26 field goals. Beno Udrih finished with 15 and Vince Carter had 10, but no other Grizzly scored in double figures.
"Tonight was a game where we didn't have enough effort due in large part to very tired legs," Memphis head coach Dave Joerger told ESPN.com
With their second consecutive win, the Bulls improved to 17-9, fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The Grizzlies, who suffered their second home debacle all season, fell slightly to 21-5, which is still a good second place in the Western Conference behind the smoking-hot 22-3 Golden State Warriors. (Homer D. Sayson)
Photo: Nikola Mirotic scored a career-best 27 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the Grizzlies in Memphis, 103-97, on Friday night.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Homer D. Sayson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
TICKET NEWS: EUBANK JR-BENN II ON SALE FROM THIS WEDNESDAY
Wed, 17 Sep 2025“Night of Champions” Returns to Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando on September 19
Wed, 17 Sep 2025Canelo-Crawford: The Consolidation of Boxing’s New Commercial Empire
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 17 Sep 2025A New Era for Boxing: Canelo vs. Crawford Shatters Global Viewership Records on Netflix
By Dong Secuya, Wed, 17 Sep 2025Crawford Not the First Lightweight to Distinguish Himself at Super Middleweight
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Wed, 17 Sep 2025Kurt Scoby and Josh Popper Headline Boxing Insider Card September 19 in Times Square
Wed, 17 Sep 2025Green and Gold 2025: Amateur Boxing’s International Gathering in Bolivia
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 17 Sep 2025Pakistan's Sameer Khan Set to Battle for UBO Youth World Title in Brico Santig’s Sep 27 Show in Thailand
By Carlos Costa, Tue, 16 Sep 2025SAMBO Pilipinas is Southern NSA of the Year 2025
By Lito delos Reyes, Tue, 16 Sep 2025Kingsley “The Black Lion” Ibeh To headline historic “Legacy Nights” Inaugural Pro Boxing event in El Salvador
Tue, 16 Sep 2025Smarts over power
By Joaquin Henson, Tue, 16 Sep 2025HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION RICKY HATTON
Tue, 16 Sep 2025Kazakhstan tops the medal table at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 thanks to victory in the final bout of the competition
Tue, 16 Sep 2025THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 13: JOE FRAZIER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN AMATEUR FIGHTER
By Maloney L. Samaco, Mon, 15 Sep 2025A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility
By Dong Secuya, Mon, 15 Sep 2025