LOS ANGELES, 31 March 2004 — When Spanish star Pau Gasol turned his ankle, Memphis Grizzlies’ teammate James Posey turned up his game.
Posey buried a 3-pointer to send the game into a second overtime en route to a career-high 38 points, and the surging Grizzlies clipped the host Atlanta Hawks, 136-133 on Monday night to extend their winning streak to six games.
“I just left it all out there, along with my team,” said the dehydrated Posey, who grabbed 11 rebounds while playing 49 out of a possible 58 minutes. “I wanted to win for coach (Hubie) Brown. I just wanted to get the game.”
“Posey was an absolute monster,” said Brown after the Grizzlies improved to 5-0 in overtime games. “We just made some spectacular threes with the game on the line. All of them were in critical situations for us.”
Posey’s fourth 3-pointer — a 30-foot buzzer-beater — knotted the game at 122-apiece, and he added seven points in the second extra stanza.
After Jason Williams drilled a 3-pointer to put the Grizzlies ahead for good, 133-131 with 26 seconds remaining, Atlanta’s Bob Sura missed a wide-open layup that would have deadlocked the game. Instead, Williams split a pair of free throws, before Sura’s layup pulled the Hawks to within 134-133 with 11.7 ticks to go.
Posey made his final points on two free throws for a 136-133 advantage with 10 seconds remaining. With a chance to force another overtime, Sura and Stephen Jackson missed 3-point attempts to end the game.
Williams had 22 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for Memphis, (48-26), which clinched its first-ever playoff spot on Sunday following eight seasons of futility.
The Grizzlies improved to 17-4 since last month’s All-Star break in February, despite losing Gasol, their leading scorer and rebounder, to a sprained right foot late in the second quarter while trying to change direction.
“I don’t know if I stepped on a defender’s foot but it’s sore,” said Gasol, who had 16 points in 13 minutes. “I hope it’s nothing bad and is not going to stop me from playing.”
Jackson scored 28 points while Sura had 23 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists for Atlanta, which was denied a season-high third straight win.
Timberwolves 94 Rockets 88: MVP front-runner Kevin Garnett collected 27 points, including the go-ahead basket with 18.8 seconds left, to go along with 11 rebounds and nine assists, lifting the visiting Timberwolves past the Rockets.
Sam Cassell scored 24 points and Latrell Sprewell chipped in with 15 for Minnesota, which remained 1 1 2-games ahead of San Antonio atop the Midwest Division.
Steve Francis, Cutino Mobley and Maurice Taylor led Houston with 17 points apiece. Yao Ming and Jim Jackson each had 16 points.
NY Knicks 92 Trail Blazers 91
Tim Thomas returned from a four-game absence due to groin injury, with 11 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, and Vin Baker made a key basket in the closing minute as the Knicks survived the visiting Trail Blazers.
Baker hit a tough jump hook that gave the Knicks a 92-89 lead with 38 seconds left. The Blazers pulled to within one, and had a chance to claim the victory, but Damon Stoudamire overshot the basket at the final buzzer. Stoudamire had 20 points for Portland and Zach Randolph added 19.
Heat 105 Bulls 96
Caron Butler had 12 of his season-high 30 points in the fourth quarter, and pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds to pace the Heat to its eighth win in the last nine games.
Dwyane Wade finished with 21 points in Miami’s ninth consecutive home victory. Rookie Kirk Hinrich scored 20 points in Chicago’s fifth straight loss.
Celtics 84 Nets 80
Foul-plagued Paul Pierce scored 18 of his 21 points in the second half, and Ricky Davis added 17, helping the Celtics clip the short-handed Nets.
Mark Blount collected 16 points and 15 rebounds for Boston, which is vying with Cleveland for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Richard Jefferson scored 24 points and Lucious Harris added 18 for New Jersey, which dropped to 1-5 without injured All-Stars Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin.
Spurs 101 Cavaliers 93
Argentine ace Manu Ginobili scored 21 points and Tim Duncan added 18 as the Spurs held off the visiting Cavaliers.
LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas led Cleveland with 18 points apiece.
Suns 101 Wizards 95
Shawn Marion had 21 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks, leading the host Suns to their fourth win in the last six games.
Larry Hughes scored 32 points and Gilbert Arenas added 30 in Washington’s 10th loss in the last 12 games.
