Memphis Grizzlies – Phoenix Suns · NBA

Win probability changed during the game. · 26 December 2017

MEM97–99PHX

Is it worth watching?

Recommended

It was more exciting than 79% of NBA games since 2017

· The win probability swung between the two teams 17 times
· It stayed close for almost the whole game

It measures how much the win probability moved during the game —without looking at who won or at the score— and compares it with the 10,950 NBA games with a curve since 2017. “Highly recommended” is the most intense 20%, “recommended” runs from 50% to 80%, and “skippable” is the rest. Source: ESPN.

↑ PHX winsMEM wins ↓

Home team's win probability across the game (source: ESPN). The band rises when PHX leads and falls when MEM does.

This is how the game was decided.

Devin Booker decided it, the Phoenix Suns player with the most points (32, with 5 rebounds and 6 assists; +10 with him on the floor); the winner's best plus-minus was Tyler Ulis's (+11). The criterion: the winner's points in the box score; plus-minus says who was on the floor when the game opened up.

The game-winner in Phoenix Suns 99-97 Memphis Grizzlies (December 26, 2017) was hit by Tyson Chandler: a dunk with 1.0 s left in the fourth quarter, putting the Phoenix Suns up 99-97. They never trailed again.

The biggest run of Phoenix Suns 99-97 Memphis Grizzlies (December 26, 2017) was a 13-0 run by the Phoenix Suns in the fourth quarter (from 8:46 to 4:56), from 78-82 to 91-82. The Memphis Grizzlies' best was a 6-0 run in the second quarter (from 10:55 to 10:21), from 19-29 to 25-29.

▸See where these figures come from

Play: Tyson Chandler makes alley oop dunk shot (Dragan Bender assists).

I count as the game-winner the basket that puts the winning team ahead for good. Source: the official NBA play-by-play (since 2002-03) and each team's official box scores.

A run here is consecutive points by one team without the opponent scoring. Source: the official NBA play-by-play (since 2002-03) and each team's official box scores.

Source: the game's official box score and play-by-play.

Tyson Chandler decided this game: his points put his team ahead with one second left in the fourth quarter, and the opponent never led again.

It is one of the 3 games he has decided this way in the NBA since the 2002-03 season.

His profile shows the games Chandler decided

▸See where these figures come from

A game is decided by the last basket that puts a team ahead in the final ten seconds of the fourth quarter or of an overtime, if that team wins.

26 December 2017 · The source is the ESPN play-by-play, play espn:400975250:745; the date is the one on the NBA box score.

This is how the two teams compared in jump shots.

Memphis made 17 of 53 jump shots and Phoenix made 22 of 51.
MEM17/53
PHX22/51

Jump shots come from ESPN's play-by-play: every field-goal attempt ESPN logs as a jump shot counts, threes included.

Who stood out on defense during the season

These figures cover the whole 2017-18 regular season, not this game.

Memphis Grizzlies

Andrew Harrison drew 0.21 charges per game over his 56 games.
He ranks 16 of 362 in the league.
Kobi Simmons drew 0.20 charges per game over his 30 games.
He ranks 22 of 362 in the league.
Marc Gasol contested 9.8 shots per game over his 73 games.
He ranks 30 of 362 in the league.

Phoenix Suns

Alex Len defended 5.2 shots at the rim per game over his 69 games, and opponents made 11 fewer out of every 100 than usual.
He ranks 2 of 104 in the league.
Dragan Bender contested 10.6 shots per game over his 82 games.
He ranks 20 of 362 in the league.
T.J. Warren recovered 1.3 loose balls per game over his 65 games.
He ranks 32 of 362 in the league.

Hustle figures come from the hustle stats the NBA publishes (NBA.com) and rim defense comes from its tracking; both cover the regular season. For each player in this game we show the figure that ranks him highest in the league, and for each team, the three best ranked. Ranks count players with at least 30 games and, at the rim, at least 4 defended shots per game.

The Phoenix Suns have won 48 of their 93 games against the Memphis Grizzlies.

48-45record of the Phoenix Suns · NBA 2001-02 – 2025-26, regular season and playoffs

2-1in 2025-26

See the full head-to-head in the Analyst

See where it comes from

Official NBA box scores, regular season and playoffs, 2001-02 – 2025-26. It counts every game between the two teams that the house holds, this one included.

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Game context

Attendance

17.105

100.2% of capacity

Mortgage Matchup Center · Phoenix

Scoring

196

combined points

16.7 below the season average (212.7)