CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) The Memphis Grizzlies needed a spark late and Mike Conley provided it.

Conley scored nine of his team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter and the Grizzlies came alive defensively, hanging on to beat the Charlotte Bobcats 85-80 on Friday night and avoiding a humiliating loss to the worst team in the league.

The win assures the Grizzlies no worse than the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a shot to still move up to fourth.

The Grizzlies overcame an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit and a career-high-tying 32-point effort from Gerald Henderson of the Bobcats, who extended the franchise record with their 19th straight loss.

Conley admits it was ”much tougher” than expected.

”We knew they were playing for pride and we’ve been in that situation on the opposite end and we knew we were going to get their best effort,” Conley said.

For the Bobcats (7-55), the misery continues.

On the 25-year anniversary of Michael Jordan scoring a NBA playoff-record 63 points against the Boston Celtics, the team Jordan now owns took a step closer toward cementing a dubious spot in league history. If the Bobcats lose their final four games they will finish with the worst winning percentage in NBA history.

”Everyone knows what we’re playing for,” Henderson said. ”We don’t want to set that record. There was a little more sense of urgency in our play tonight.”

Conley credited the win to the team’s defense in the fourth quarter that forced seven turnovers.

Henderson’s 3-pointer got the Bobcats within three points with 20 seconds left, but he turned the ball over in the lane with 10.8 seconds left on the next possession. Conley was immediately fouled and hit two free throws the seal the victory.

”We gave it away,” Henderson said. ”We had some possessions where they just took the ball from us. That led to some fast break dunks. You know, against a team like that, you have to execute on offense and you can’t give them easy buckets coming down the stretch.”

Said Conley: ”Defensively we put a lot of pressure on them and made them take tough shots down the stretch.”

Zach Randolph added 14 points for Memphis (38-25).

It was a frustrating night for Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins, who expected a little more from his team against a Bobcats team that has been beaten on average by nearly 14 points per game this season.

”I finally found a group that both had chemistry out on the court and played with a little bit of energy and a little bit of enthusiasm and wanted to just be out there and play,” Hollins said.

The Grizzlies outscored the Bobcats 28-15 in the fourth quarter, primarily in pick and rolls in the offensive set and run-outs.

”We didn’t even try to throw the ball in the post,” Hollins said. ”We just attacked them in the pick and roll, pick and roll, and we were able to get layups and dump offs. That was the key to the game. We did a much better job defensively as well in the fourth quarter of stopping their guys from scoring.”

The took a 17-4 lead behind 11 points by Henderson, leaving fans to wonder if the losing streak might finally come to an end. But the lead was short-lived as Marc Gasol scored six straight points and the Grizzlies led 39-37 at halftime.

Charlotte took a 65-57 lead into the fourth quarter, but it didn’t take long for the Grizzlies to erase that deficit.

Conley began driving to the hole and soon the game was tied at 71.

Ex-Bobcat Dante Cunningham had uncontested fastbreak dunks on consecutive possessions. Marreese Speights added another dunk off a feed from Conley with 5:25 left. Conley, who had seven assists, then hit another driving layup to push the lead to eight.

The pesky Bobcats cut the lead to three points on two occasions, but couldn’t get any closer.

”This was one we needed,” Conley said. ”This was a big win for us. We locked up the fifth spot and now we have a shot at the fourth seed, so we needed this win.”

Despite the loss, Bobcats coach Paul Silas was proud of how hard this team fought.

”This is the experience we need,” Silas said. ”We really are not an experienced team but any team that we play we have to believe we can be as tough as them and we were tonight. We didn’t back down. We didn’t give up. We just kept going at it.”

NOTES: Memphis’ Rudy Gay and Charlotte’s Bimack Biyombo had to be separated after coming face-to-face in the game’s final 45 seconds. Both were given technical fouls. … The teams combined for 40 turnovers. … Henderson has scored 20 or more points in four of his last seven games. … Conley is averaging 18.7 points and 6.7 rebounds over his last three starts.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)

The Memphis Grizzlies needed a spark late and Mike Conley provided it.

Conley scored nine of his team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter and the Grizzlies came alive defensively, hanging on to beat the Charlotte Bobcats 85-80 on Friday night and avoiding a humiliating loss to the worst team in the league.

The win assures the Grizzlies no worse than the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a shot to still move up to fourth.

The Grizzlies overcame an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit and a career-high-tying 32-point effort from Gerald Henderson of the Bobcats, who extended the franchise record with their 19th straight loss.

Conley admits it was ”much tougher” than expected.

”We knew they were playing for pride and we’ve been in that situation on the opposite end and we knew we were going to get their best effort,” Conley said.

For the Bobcats (7-55), the misery continues.

On the 25-year anniversary of Michael Jordan scoring a NBA playoff-record 63 points against the Boston Celtics, the team Jordan now owns took a step closer toward cementing a dubious spot in league history. If the Bobcats lose their final four games they will finish with the worst winning percentage in NBA history.

”Everyone knows what we’re playing for,” Henderson said. ”We don’t want to set that record. There was a little more sense of urgency in our play tonight.”

Conley credited the win to the team’s defense in the fourth quarter that forced seven turnovers.

Henderson’s 3-pointer got the Bobcats within three points with 20 seconds left, but he turned the ball over in the lane with 10.8 seconds left on the next possession. Conley was immediately fouled and hit two free throws the seal the victory.

”We gave it away,” Henderson said. ”We had some possessions where they just took the ball from us. That led to some fast break dunks. You know, against a team like that, you have to execute on offense and you can’t give them easy buckets coming down the stretch.”

Said Conley: ”Defensively we put a lot of pressure on them and made them take tough shots down the stretch.”

Zach Randolph added 14 points for Memphis (38-25).

It was a frustrating night for Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins, who expected a little more from his team against a Bobcats team that has been beaten on average by nearly 14 points per game this season.

”I finally found a group that both had chemistry out on the court and played with a little bit of energy and a little bit of enthusiasm and wanted to just be out there and play,” Hollins said.

The Grizzlies outscored the Bobcats 28-15 in the fourth quarter, primarily in pick and rolls in the offensive set and run-outs.

”We didn’t even try to throw the ball in the post,” Hollins said. ”We just attacked them in the pick and roll, pick and roll, and we were able to get layups and dump offs. That was the key to the game. We did a much better job defensively as well in the fourth quarter of stopping their guys from scoring.”

The took a 17-4 lead behind 11 points by Henderson, leaving fans to wonder if the losing streak might finally come to an end. But the lead was short-lived as Marc Gasol scored six straight points and the Grizzlies led 39-37 at halftime.

Charlotte took a 65-57 lead into the fourth quarter, but it didn’t take long for the Grizzlies to erase that deficit.

Conley began driving to the hole and soon the game was tied at 71.

Ex-Bobcat Dante Cunningham had uncontested fastbreak dunks on consecutive possessions. Marreese Speights added another dunk off a feed from Conley with 5:25 left. Conley, who had seven assists, then hit another driving layup to push the lead to eight.

The pesky Bobcats cut the lead to three points on two occasions, but couldn’t get any closer.

”This was one we needed,” Conley said. ”This was a big win for us. We locked up the fifth spot and now we have a shot at the fourth seed, so we needed this win.”

Despite the loss, Bobcats coach Paul Silas was proud of how hard this team fought.

”This is the experience we need,” Silas said. ”We really are not an experienced team but any team that we play we have to believe we can be as tough as them and we were tonight. We didn’t back down. We didn’t give up. We just kept going at it.”

Notes: Memphis’ Rudy Gay and Charlotte’s Bimack Biyombo had to be separated after coming face-to-face in the game’s final 45 seconds. Both were given technical fouls. … The teams combined for 40 turnovers. … Henderson has scored 20 or more points in four of his last seven games. … Conley is averaging 18.7 points and 6.7 rebounds over his last three starts.

THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO — Rudy Gay hit the go-ahead jumper with 26.3 seconds remaining as the Memphis Grizzlies rallied to beat the slumping Toronto Raptors 102-99 Friday night.

Gay finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds, but it was his crowd-silencing dagger that made the difference in a back-and-forth final quarter that saw the teams exchange the lead several times.

Marc Gasol and Mike Conley added 21 points apiece for the Grizzlies (21-15), who have won seven of their last eight games. O.J. Mayo added 16 points in a reserve role.

Jerryd Bayless paced a balanced attack with 18 points for the Raptors (11-25), who squandered several chances to put the Grizzlies away in the opener of a four-game homestand.

James Johnson had 14 points and Leandro Barbosa added 13 for Toronto, which fell despite shooting 52.8 per cent from the field.

With the score tied at 98 with 52.5 seconds remaining, Toronto’s Aaron Gray was fouled down low and hit one of two free throws.

Gay buried a long jumper on the Grizzlies’ next possession — holding his finger to his lips as if to silence the Air Canada Centre crowd of 17,168 — as Memphis seized the lead for good.

Linas Kleiza’s go-ahead shot attempt at the other end bounced off the back rim and the Grizzlies quickly fired an outlet pass to Tony Allen, who hit the layup and drew a foul. He missed the free throw, but Jose Calderon’s game-tying three-pointer hit the side of the rim and caromed out.

After shooting 56.8 per cent on the way to a 52-45 halftime advantage, the Raptors came out cold in the third quarter — and it cost them the lead. Toronto missed its first four shots, allowing the Grizzlies to rip off a quarter-opening 11-0 run highlighted by a Conley three-pointer set up by a nifty behind-the-back pass from Allen.

Toronto erased a seven-point deficit later in the quarter but couldn’t contain Mayo, who scored six points in the final 1:35 to send the Grizzlies into the fourth with a 77-75 lead.

The teams exchanged runs early in the final quarter before the Raptors pulled away thanks to seven straight points from Kleiza. Memphis stormed back to regain the lead on a Gay layup and foul shot with 3:19 remaining, but Johnson countered for Toronto with a soft layup and foul shot for a one-point Raptor edge with 1:38 left.

The teams traded baskets, setting the stage for the thrilling finish.

Notes: Two nights after shooting a season-best nine for 15 from three-point range in New Orleans, Toronto connected on just 6-of-16 attempts from beyond the arc. … Memphis improved to 10-1 this season against teams below .500. … Eight different Raptors had at least one assist in the first half. … Memphis finished with 10 steals and 24 points off Toronto turnovers. The Grizzlies entered the night second in the NBA in both categories.