NBA Game Summary - Memphis at New Orleans

03.16.2005

New Orleans, LA (Basketball News) - James Posey scored a game-high 20 points, Earl Watson added 16 and Memphis pulled away late from New Orleans for a 88-82 triumph at the New Orleans Arena.

Brian Cardinal added 14 points with eight boards, while Lorenzen White chipped in 11 points and eight boards for Memphis, which has won two straight and seven of nine.

Bostjan Nachbar paced New Orleans with a team-high 19 points. P.J. Brown posted a double-double with 14 points and 13 boards for the Hornets, who have dropped two in a row and four of five.

Jamaal Magloire returned to the court for the Hornets after missing the last 51 games with a broken right ring finger. He suffered the injury in a loss to the Phoenix Suns on November 26 and was averaging 14.1 points and 9.1 rebounds in just 11 games this season. He finished with five points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes.

In a tightly contested fourth quarter, New Orleans would take a slim 80-79 lead on Nachbar’s short jumper at the 2:50 mark. However, Memphis responded by closing the game on a 9-2 spurt to seal the contest.

"This team is special," said Posey. "We are very unselfish. We just want to win."

Memphis, which led 25-19 after one quarter of play, gained some breathing room in the second frame. Wright’s bucket staked the Grizzlies to a 36-24 lead with 8:10 remaining in the first half.

However, New Orleans hung tough and responded with a quick 9-4 spurt and trimmed the deficit to 40-33 on Lee Nailon’s jumper with around five minutes left in the stanza. The Grizzlies would then carry a 47-37 advantage as both teams headed into the locker room.

Memphis looked to put the game away in third but New Orleans refused to go away quietly. After Shane Battier’s jumper gave Memphis a 52-37 lead in the early stages of the period, New Orleans came roaring back courtesy of a 22-6 burst to take its first lead of the contest. Nachbar’s three-pointer from the top of the key capped the run and gave New Orleans a 59-58 lead with 4:20 remaining in the third.

The Grizzlies, though, would regain the lead and headed into the fourth quarter with a 67-65 advantage.

Prior to the game, New Orleans also activated forward David West from the injured list. West was shelved the previous 47 contests because of an injured right knee. He sustained the problem in a loss to the Detroit Pistons on December 4...Brown’s second rebound of the contest passed Larry Johnson for first place on the Hornets all-time list (3,480). He recorded his team-leading 24th double-double of the season..Nailon ended with six points, while Speedy Claxton handed out 10 assists for the Hornets.

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