Frustrating night for Gasol, Bulls
According to Memphis center Marc Gasol, this might have been a first in the competitive history of the NBA's best brother act.
Marc couldn't recall older brother Pau getting so angry during a game.
During Monday night's third quarter, Bulls center Pau Gasol drove to the basket twice in a row, missed the shot, fell to the floor and didn't get a foul call. After the second time, Pau sprinted back on defense and gave his brother an intentional foul, slapping him across the arms.
"(That) frustrated? No. Honestly, maybe one time in L.A.," Marc said in the locker room. "But to show his emotions that much … of course he was getting frustrated, and it's part of the game."
Pau was sending a message to the referees, not Marc, with the intentional foul. The entire game was a frustrating experience for the Bulls, who endured another sad, short-handed story. They went on a 23-6 run to erase a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but the Grizzlies recovered to post a 101-91 victory at the United Center.
The Bulls (39-26) lost their third straight game, playing without the injured Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson. They now head out on a three-game road trip while the Big Ten tournament moves into the arena.
Pau Gasol also was frustrated about being called for a foul when it appeared he got a clean block against Zach Randolph in the fourth quarter. The ensuing free throws broke an 88-88 tie with 3:36 left and the Grizzlies finished the game on a 17-3 run.
Back in the third quarter, Gasol set a screen and was knocked to the floor by Randolph. It didn't appear that Randolph put any extra aggression behind the hit. Maybe he just didn't see the screen coming. Either way, Gasol had plenty to say to Randolph after the play.
"I know he's an emotional guy; he wants to win really bad," Marc Gasol said of his brother. "In the first half, they went through him a lot and he was getting good looks. In the second half, it was a little different. We won."
Marc scored 15 of his 23 points in the third quarter. Jeff Green added 19 points for the Grizzlies (45-18), while Randolph had 16.
Asked about battling his brother after the game, Pau didn't dwell on the third-quarter frustration.
"We're always competitive. We always compete," Pau said. "We always want to do well, whether we step on the floor against each other or not.
"It's always competitive, and that's part of it. Sometimes he wins, sometimes I win, and that's just the nature of the game. But obviously it's all about our team, and I wish we could have won tonight."
There were some positive signs for the Bulls. After a quiet couple of games, Tony Snell came alive, scoring 11 of his team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter. He knocked down 3 baskets from 3-point range during the 23-6 run, which gave the Bulls an 88-84 lead with 5:58 remaining. They went 8-for-13 from 3-point range in the second half.
Unfortunately, Memphis had its subs in during most of that run. When Marc Gasol, Randolph and guard Mike Conley returned, it was a different story.
Nikola Mirotic continued to be a reliable scorer, finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Pau Gasol had 13 points and 11 boards.
The Bulls were guilty of an unusual infraction, sending six men on the court after a timeout with 2:04 left. Coach Tom Thibodeau took the blame for the technical foul, which put the Grizzlies ahead 95-88 after the free throw. Mirotic hit a 3-pointer to make it a 4-point game with 1:44 left, but the Bulls didn't score again.
"We're battling. We're working hard, we're giving ourselves a chance," Pau Gasol said. "You make a couple mistakes, have a couple rough minutes and, all of the sudden, you're back down."
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