Atlanta Hawks fall to the Memphis Grizzlies 79-76

Feb 8, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies point guard Darius Morris (7) shoots the ball against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

We thought the Grizzlies were going to bring a stellar defensive presence into this game, and that’s exactly what they did, holding the Hawks to a 42.9 field goal percentage in their 79-76 “upset” of Atlanta. This is the third straight loss for the Hawks, and most of the blame could be put on the team’s 21 turnovers.

Despite all of those mistakes, the Hawks still had a chance to tie the game up and force overtime, but Lou Williams missed a 3-point buzzer-beater and that was all she wrote.

Paul Millsap was the man of the night for Atlanta yet again. He finished the game with 20 points and 11 rebounds, in addition to five steals and six assists. It was his fourth game in a row with a double-double. Aside from Millsap, DeMarre Carroll was the only other player to manage double digits. In 39 minutes, Carroll had 13 points and six rebounds.

Zach Randolph led the way for Memphis, with 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Guards Courtney Lee and Nick Calathes were the other two Grizzlies in the double figures, scoring 14 and 10 respectively.

It was a pretty bad game for the Hawks and they actually scored the fewest points of the season:

Tuesday, Atlanta will have a chance to end the skid, but they’ll have to do it against a defensive team that’s just as good, if not better than the Memphis Grizzlies–the Chicago Bulls.