(Memphis, TN) – After their 111-105 collapse against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night, the Miami Heat (18-13) ended 2015 with a two-game losing streak. Despite an impressive run in the fourth quarter to force overtime, the Heat lost 99-90 to the Memphis Grizzlies (18-16) on Tuesday night at FedExForum.
Miami simply didn’t have an answer to stop All-Star center Marc Gasol (8-of-18 from the floor, eight rebounds and six assists), who scored seven of his 23 points in overtime to propel the Grizzlies to victory.
An absolute back-breaker for the Heat was when Gasol hit his final basket, as the center made a circus and-one shot to extend Memphis’ lead to 96-88 with 1:22 remaining in overtime. After the basket, Gasol proceeded to do a shimmy dance move right in front of the Miami bench.
Power forward Zach Randolph had 17 points and seven rebounds for the Grizzlies, while small forward Jeff Green and point guard Mike Conley each added 16 points apiece. Off the bench, former Heat point guard Mario Chalmers had a productive game with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists on the night.
For the Heat, power forward Chris Bosh led Miami with 22 points (9-of-22 shooting) and five rebounds, but did not score a point in the fourth quarter or overtime and missed 10 straight shots to end the game. Shooting guard Dwyane Wade had an efficient game with 19 points, five assists, five rebounds and three steals while point guard Goran Dragic finished with 16 points and five assists.
“I liked the resilience of our team,” said Wade after the game. “We got the last shot on the road, and that’s all you can ask for, fourth game in five nights.”
Up next, the Heat will return home to take on the Dallas Mavericks (18-13) on Friday night for their first game of 2016. The contest, which is scheduled to tip off shortly after 7:30 pm ET, will be broadcast live locally on Fox Sports Sun.
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