Barnes, Stephenson lead wounded Grizzlies to another improbable win

The Memphis Grizzlies somehow keep winning games, and each time they do it feels more improbable than the win before.

Against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, the Grizzlies were playing without Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Mike Conley, Mario Chalmers, Brandan Wright, Chris Andersen, and Jordan Adams, all of whom are in various states of disrepair. By the end of the night, that list would swell to include Vince Carter, who suffered a lower leg injury in the second quarter and didn't return. That left them with as many inactive players as active ones.

The only reason the Grizzlies were even able to maintain an eight-man team is that, with a hardship exemption granted by the league, they were able to sign Briante Weber out of the D-League to a 10-day contract the morning of the game. Weber, who had never before stepped foot on an NBA court, started at point guard against the Pelicans. He played 40 minutes. Talk about a baptism by fire.

Somehow, this seemingly overmatched, laughably undermanned squad managed to claw out a 121-114 overtime win. Granted, they were playing a Pelicans squad that's licking its own considerable wounds, but New Orleans still had arguably its three best players - Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, and Ryan Anderson - in uniform.

Weber acquitted himself better than anyone had any right to expect, scoring 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, and adding five rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and a block. Undrafted second-year forward JaMychal Green had another terrific showing, going for 21 points (with seven coming in OT) and 10 boards, blowing up pick-and-rolls (while frequently being asked to check Davis) on defense, and finishing with a game-high plus-19 rating.

The stars of the game, though, were Matt Barnes and Lance Stephenson.

Barnes was his typically disruptive, pest-like self, and did the work of about three men. He fought tooth and nail for rebounds, scrapped his way to loose balls, scavenged for garbage buckets, facilitated from the elbow, and bombed away from deep. In a team-high 44 minutes, he finished with 26 points, 11 boards, 10 assists, and two steals, all without committing a single turnover. It was his first career triple-double.

Stephenson, meanwhile, was like an industrial microwave off the bench. He repeatedly broke down the Pelicans' defense with his surprisingly effective crossover dribble, either getting to the rim or getting to the line or creating space for himself and hitting mid-range jumpers off the bounce. He finished with a career-high 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting, to go along with seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block.

Shimmy all you like, Lance. You earned it.