LOS ANGELES, 7 March 2004 — Though Utah Jazz couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean, they ruled the glass to stay in the playoff race.
Croat sharpshooter Gordon Giricek scored 25 points and the host Jazz dominated the boards, 56-39, to tame the undermanned Memphis Grizzlies, 92-81 on Monday night.
“We had 24 offensive rebounds, they only had five,” Giricek said. “I think that was a huge advantage for us.”
Utah, (41-37), seeking its 21st consecutive postseason appearance, moved one-half game ahead of idle Denver (40-37) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Carlos Arroyo had 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while reserve Mikki Moore had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Utah, which overcame an icy 37 percent shooting (29-of-78) from the field with its dominant rebounding edge.
James Posey had 18 points, and Lorenzen Wright added 16 off the bench for Memphis, (49-28), which dropped its second in a row following a seven-game winning streak.
Though the Grizzlies had already clinched their first playoff berth, they were seeking a franchise-record 50th victory without leading scorer Pau Gasol (foot) and Bonzi Wells (back).
To make matters worse, point guard Jason Williams was ejected in the second quarter for arguing a call, and Posey was tossed for kicking a ball into the stands late in the fourth. Wright had a dunk and a layup to pull the Grizzlies within 61-59. The Jazz, however, closed the third quarter on a 9-2 run, to carry a 70-61 advantage into the final 12 minutes.
The Grizzlies closed to 80-74 on Earl Watson’s layup with 3:42 left. But the Jazz went on a 6-0 run to take control for good.
Kirilenko hit two free throws and Moore made a close-in jump hook. Giricek converted the technical free throw after Posey was tossed with 2:40 to go. Kirilenko added one more from the charity stripe to give the Jazz an 86-74 cushion.
Drexler Among Six New Hall of Fame Inductees
In New York, Clyde Drexler was one of six new members of the Naismith Memorial basketball Hall of Fame announced on Monday.
All-Star Drexler, championship coach Bill Sharman, 1984 Olympic gold medalist Lynette Woodard, the late Maurice Stokes, Phoenix Suns General Manager Jerry Colangelo and Yugoslavian guard Drazen Dalipagic form the ‘Class of 2004’ that will be enshrined in Springfield, Mass., in September.
Drexler, nicknamed ‘The Glide”, led the Portland Trail Blazers to the NBA finals of 1990 and 1992, and won a championship with the Houston Rockets in 1995.
He was a member of the original United States Olympic ‘Dream Team’, and in 1997 was named as one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players.
