The Heat visits Memphis on Dec. 29.
That means some Gus Fried Chicken.
And, in this case, some popcorn.
Mario Chalmers may get off 30 shots that night. And the way he's going, he'll likely make most of them.
Monday night, the former Heat guard scored 29 points in 23 minutes, including 16 points in the fourth quarter, in Memphis's 122-114 victory against Oklahoma City. He was 6-of-13 from the field (including 4-of-5 from deep), and 13-of-15 from the line.
The free throw attempts? Most of his career. His preview high was 13, last November for Miami.
And that comes after he made all 10 attempts in Sunday's 114-106 win against Minnesota.
Since joining the Grizzlies, he's scored 56 points in 61 minutes.
Repeat: 56 points in 61 minutes!
And the Grizzlies are 3-0 since he arrived.
"I feel like I'm being me again," Chalmers told NBA TV.
So, what to make of this?
Well, part of it is he's been unleashed: the Grizzlies have felt stale this season, and desperately needed some additional creativity, aggressiveness and spacing in their backcourt rotation.
Part of this?
Well, he's apparently angry.
Would Chalmers have been doing this with the Heat? Well, he didn't, so the answer is likely no.Not this. And Miami will be fine in its own backcourt rotation, so long as Goran Dragic stays healthy (and gets mentally and emotionally right), Tyler Johnson continues to impress, Gerald Green can avoid further off-court issues (while staying in tune on defense), Jason Richardson can handle limited minutes, and Beno Udrih isn't rendered unplayable due to lax defense.
But make no mistake:
Chalmers is a proven big-game player whom the Heat essentially gave away, mostly to save tax money.
And, no doubt, he'll be looking to make that case when Memphis and Miami meet.
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