MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)

The Memphis Grizzlies held on for a big win to tighten the Western Conference race for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Marc Gasol scored 18 points, Rudy Gay had 16 and the Grizzlies beat the Clippers 94-85 Monday night, moving one-half game behind Los Angeles for the fourth seed in the West

”It’s the wild, wild West,” said Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo, who had 13 points. ”You look in the (Eastern Conference). When you get down to the last five or six games, a lot of teams pretty much start resting. In the West, that’s not possible. Every game counts down the stretch. You can lose two or three, and have a tough opponent in the first round.

”Everyone is really close, and we moved that much closer to the fourth spot. We’ve just got to keep playing well.”

The game had the atmosphere of a playoff matchup. The Memphis crowd was intense, the play on the floor was physical and emotions were high with a lot of players barking about calls.

The aggressive play was part of the Grizzlies’ strategy.

”We didn’t want them to run free and get a bunch of lobs,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. ”Just be physical and aggressive with them, and I thought we accomplished that.

”We held them to 85 points, and they can score.”

Mike Conley also scored 13 points for Memphis, which won for the eighth time in 10 games. Marreese Speights had 12 points and Zach Randolph added 10 points and 12 rebounds as the Grizzlies finished with a 48-36 rebounding edge, but committed 20 turnovers.

”That was probably the only negative I saw: the 20 turnovers, and that we gave up 29 points (off turnovers),” Hollins said. ”But the rest of the game was really outstanding.”

Chris Paul led Los Angeles with 21 points and six assists, while Blake Griffin had 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. DeAndre Jordan added 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Eric Bledsoe and Randy Foye scored 11 points each.

The Clippers snapped a two-game winning streak and lost for just the second time in 10 games.

”I couldn’t make a shot,” said Paul who was 7 for 17 from the floor and missed three of his four attempts from outside the arc. ”I couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean. We had a lot of easy ones that we just couldn’t convert.”

The Clippers pulled to 86-83 with 55.8 seconds left on Jordan’s dunk. But Memphis hit all six of its free throws, including four by Conley, in the final 31 seconds to preserve the victory.

The Grizzlies led 52-41 at halftime despite committing seven turnovers, a prelude to a night of miscues. Memphis overcame the ballhandling problems by shooting 55 percent and controlling the boards, 23-18 before the break.

”They are one of the best rebounding teams in the league,” Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. ”I thought we did a good job handling some of the pressure, but we did not rebound the ball well, especially in the first half. They were more physical, and we struggled to shoot the ball.”

Memphis finished shooting 50 percent, while the Clippers were limited to 41 percent.

Gasol led the Grizzlies with 12 points in the first half. No Clippers player had reached double figures, but Paul and Foye had nine apiece and Griffin had eight. Griffin also spent some time on the bench with two fouls.

The Clippers, who committed five turnovers in the half, including two in the final minute, shot 37 percent before the break.

Memphis extended the lead to 15 early in the second half, and maintained a double-digit margin through much of the third quarter. The Grizzlies led 71-60 heading to the fourth.

Bledsoe’s layup got the Clippers’ deficit under double digits to start the final period, but Mayo scored a pair of baskets, extending the lead to 81-64 with 7 minutes left.

Griffin and Paul were on the bench at the time. When they returned during the middle portion of the fourth, consecutive baskets by Paul pulled Los Angeles to 84-74 with 3:14 left.

Paul’s 3-point play with 1:22 left got the Clippers to 86-81, the closest they had been since the latter stages of the first half. A dunk by Jordan with 55.8 seconds left got them even closer at 86-83.

But Gay got a feed from Mayo on the baseline with the Clippers overplaying defensively and his dunk put the Grizzlies up five. Gay followed with two free throws after Paul’s turnover, and Conley converted the final four free throws.

”We got stops,” Griffin said of the comeback. ”We got in the open court and got some easy buckets. Once that happens, some shots start to fall. We fought back, but obviously didn’t finish it out, and that was the problem.”

No one had to point out how close the two teams are or could ignore the possibility of a first-round 4 vs. 5 matchup.

”We are right there,” Griffin said. ”We are going back and forth. We very likely could (face each other), and we are excited about that.”

”We wanted to get this win for ourselves,” Conley said. ”We want to move up and get the fourth spot and go even further if we can.”

NOTES: Memphis assistant coach Barry Hecker was back on the Grizzlies’ bench Monday night. Hecker missed Saturday’s home win over Dallas with an illness. He said it was the first game he has missed since he began his coaching career in 1971. … Memphis recalled rookie G Josh Selby from Reno of the NBADL. … Randolph played despite being involved in a minor car accident earlier Monday. There were no injuries. Randolph tweeted shortly after the wreck that he was not injured except for a sore back. With the back end of that car falling off, Randolph drove his Rolls Royce convertible to the arena. ”I was kind of scared,” he said of driving the Rolls. … Despite the loss, the Clippers still hold the tiebreaker with a 2-1 advantage in the season series. .Griffin, the league’s sixth-leading rebounder at 11.0 per game, had only six Monday night, his second lowest-game of the season. .Jordan had his eight double-double of the season.

MEMPHIS, Tenn.
– Marc Gasol scored 18 points, Rudy Gay had 16 and the Memphis Grizzlies held on to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 94-85 on Monday night.

Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo added 13 each for Memphis, which won for the eighth time in 10 games and moved one-half game behind the Clippers for the fourth seed in the Western Conference.

Marreese Speights finished had 12 points and Zach Randolph added 10 points and 12 rebounds as the Grizzlies finished with a 48-36 rebounding edge, but committed 20 turnovers.

Chris Paul led Los Angeles with 21 points and six assists, while Blake Griffin had 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. DeAndre Jordan added 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Eric Bledsoe and Randy Foye scored 11 points each.

The Clippers snapped a two-game winning streak and lost for just the second time in 10 games.

The game had the atmosphere of a playoff matchup. The Memphis crowd was intense, the play on the floor was physical and emotions were high with a lot of players barking about calls.

The Clippers pulled to 86-83 with 55.8 seconds left on Jordan’s dunk. But Memphis hit all six of its free throws, including four by Conley, in the final 31 seconds to preserve the victory.

The Grizzlies led 52-41 at halftime despite committing seven turnovers. Memphis overcame the ballhandling problems by shooting 55 percent and controlling the boards, 23-18.

Memphis finished shooting 50 percent, while the Clippers were limited to 41 percent.

Gasol led the Grizzlies with 12 points in the first half. No Clippers player had reached double figures, but Paul and Foye had nine apiece and Griffin had 8. Griffin also spent some time on the bench with two fouls.

Memphis’ 11-point halftime lead was its largest at the break this season.

The Clippers, who committed five turnovers, including two in the final minute of the half, shot 37 percent before the break.

Memphis extended the lead to 15 early in the second half, and maintained a double-digit margin through much of the third quarter. The Grizzlies led 71-60 heading to the fourth.

Bledsoe’s layup got the Clippers’ deficit under double digits to start the final period, but Memphis started feeding Randolph, then Mayo scored a pair of baskets, extending the lead to 81-64 with 7 minutes left.

Griffin and Paul were on the bench at the time. When they returned during the middle portion of the fourth, consecutive baskets by Paul pulled Los Angeles to 84-74 with 3:14 left.

Paul’s 3-point play with 1:22 left got the Clippers to 86-81, the closest they had been since the latter stages of the first half. A dunk by Jordan with 55.8 seconds left got them even closer at 86-83.

But Gay got a feed from Mayo on the baseline with the Clippers overplaying defensively and his dunk put the Grizzlies up five. Gay followed with two free throws after Paul’s turnover, and Conley converted the final four free throws.

NOTES: Memphis assistant coach Barry Hecker was back on the Grizzlies’ bench Monday night. Hecker missed Saturday’s home win over Dallas with an illness. He said it was the first game he has missed since he began his coaching career in 1971. … Memphis recalled rookie G Josh Selby from Reno of the NBADL. … Randolph played despite being involved in a minor car accident earlier Monday. There were no injuries. Randolph tweeted shortly after the wreck that he was not injured except for a sore back. … Despite the loss, the Clippers still hold the tiebreaker with a 2-1 advantage in the season series.

The Miami Heat had the opportunity to tie their franchise record home-win streak on April 6, but they fell short against the Memphis Grizzlies, losing 97-82. With the loss, the Heat drifted further from the Eastern Conference leading Chicago Bulls, now trailing by three games.

Things went bad for the Heat right from the start, scoring only 12 points in the first quarter of the game. By halftime, the Heat were down by 16 points, and the Grizzlies never gave them a chance to get back into the game.

“They just beat us,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “Really, the tale was that first quarter. … The lack of concentration and focus in that first quarter, we couldn’t make up for that.”

LeBron James led Miami’s offense against the Grizzlies, finishing with 21 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were right behind LeBron, putting up 20 and 19 points respectively.

Unfortunately for the Heat, their role players – with the exception of Joel Anthony and Terrel Harris – put up dismal performances, walking away with a combined 5 points.

Anthony hasn’t been particularly impressive for the Heat this season, but he had one of his better games against the Grizzlies. Anthony was obviously on a mission to get his starting job back; putting up 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks (he went 3-3 from the field). Interestingly, Spoelstra failed to capitalize on Anthony’s energy, using him for only 15 minutes.

The Heat’s poor performance against the Grizzlies is completely inexcusable, and it really makes me wonder where the players are mentally. It wasn’t as if the game had no meaning (considering the fact the “big three” would have made franchise history with two more home wins), yet, the team failed to show up.

With a month left in the 2011/12 NBA season; the Heat will have to dig down deep if they want to secure the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Their next game will be against the Detroit Pistons on April 8.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Associated Press, “Grizzlies snap Heat’s 17-game home winning streak”

Player and game information from ESPN.com

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The Memphis Grizzlies have assigned rookie guard Josh Selby to the Reno Bighorns, the team’s NBA Development League affiliate, for the second time this season. MyFoxMemphis.com has the details: “Selby (6-2, 183) has averaged 2.5 points and 1.2 assists on .377 shooting in 8.8 minutes in 23 games during his rookie season with the Grizzlies. The 20-year-old was selected by Memphis in the second round (49th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft. He was previously assigned to the Bighorns earlier this season on February 13, where he saw action in four games with the Bighorns, including one start. In this stint, Selby averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.25 steals in 31.0 minutes. He shot .483 from the field, .500 from three-point territory and .714 from the free throw line. The Baltimore native posted 7.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 26 appearances last year as a freshman at Kansas.  The Grizzlies return home Tuesday night after completing a four-game road trip to face the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7 p.m. at FedExForum.’”

RENO, Nev. (KRNV & MyNews4.com) – The Memphis Grizzlies today re-assigned guard Josh Selby to the Reno Bighorns, the Grizzlies’ NBA Development League affiliate. The assignment marks the 59th time an NBA player has been assigned to his NBA D-League affiliate during the 2011-12 season and is the second assignment for Selby.

Selby (6-2, 183, Kansas) returns to the Bighorns following a four-game assignment in February, when he averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 30.8 minutes. He scored more than 20 points in three games with the Bighorns, including an NBA D-League career-high 26 points on Feb. 14 against the Austin Toros.

Originally selected by Memphis in the second round (49th overall) in the 2011 NBA Draft, Selby has appeared in 23 games for the Grizzlies this season, averaging 2.5 points, 1.2 assists and 8.8 minutes.

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers put up an errant shot late in the fourth quarters that resulted in a three-on-none break for an easy score by the Memphis Grizzlies. Bryant must have pump faked at least three or four times before putting up a shot that grazed the side of the rim. Then, no Laker player made an attempt to get back on defense after the Grizzlies had the ball.

I knew the play was going to be bad based on the fact that I could see four Lakers and just one Memphis player in frame on the television. In fact, it was even worse that not a single Laker player was even anywhere near the three Grizzlies who were in the key on the other end of the floor waiting for a pass. It was to that play that Bryant acted “unfavorably” and subsequently punched a chair on the way to a timeout.

I feel as if Bryant has every right to be frustrated and I’m sure his frustration wasn’t just over that single play. It seemed to be a culmination of his low output offensively and the fact that the bench scored just nine points. Having Ramon Sessions really helps the Lakers as he put up 18 points, but Bryant and Pau Gasol combined for just 34 points.

The Lakers’ central players can only do so much when it comes to offensive output. You can’t expect Gasol, Bryant, Sessions, and Andrew Bynum to all have 30-point games and absolutely trash every opponent. There has to be some kind of balance between the bench and the starters.

I mean, I could easily blame the imbalance in bench scoring – the Grizzlies bench scored 41 points – on the Lakers’ inability to play defense. However, when your team loses a game by six points and your bench gets outscored 41-9, you can easily see the loss was due to the disparity.

As for Bryant being benched by Mike Brown with about five-minutes and thirty seconds left in the game, I don’t condone it. Sure Bryant had put up a questionable jumper and then got frustrated, but he is their closer. He’s arguably the best closer in the NBA, so why would you bench him in that situation? Yes, you’re down 14, but there is still nearly six minutes left in the game – that’s an eternity in the NBA.

I’m not sure if Mike Brown really knows what he is doing or how to handle superstars, but Bryant didn’t look too happy to be on the bench. As a result, whether it directly affected the outcome of the game, the Laker lost by six as Bryant wasn’t put back into the game until there was less than two-minutes remaining.

I know Mike Brown isn’t Phil Jackson, but he had better become more aware of what his team needs and how to handle his players. The Lakers will face the Golden State Warriors in their next matchup on Tuesday, March 27.

David is co-founder of wrapupp sports blog where fresh content is posted daily and present sports blogs and sports opinions – all with a West Coast bias. Growing up in the Bay Area, David is a huge supporter of all the local sports teams; the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Sharks, 49ers, and Raiders. His one fault, admittedly, as many of his friends and family would say, is his love for the Los Angeles Lakers. Growing up, Magic Johnson was his favorite basketball player and he fell in love with the team. He chalks it up to, “Not knowing any better”. Now his love for sports has turned just as academic as it is intuitive and he follows most all sports all over the nation.

You can follow David on Twitter: @officialwrapupp

Sources:

NBA.com. Lakers vs. Grizzlies Recap. NBA 2012.

More from David Mehrwein and the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

San Francisco Giants’ Hector Sanchez Enters Backup Catcher Discussion: Fan Reaction

Ramon Sessions Starting Makes Los Angeles Lakers Title Contenders: Fan Reaction

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Ramon Sessions Should Be Named a Starter After Lakers Beat Mavericks: Fan Reaction

Klay Thompson Shows Why Warriors Won’t Miss Monta Ellis: Fan Reaction

March 26, 2012 – NBA Development League (D-League)
NEW YORK, March 26, 2012 – The Memphis Grizzlies today re-assigned guard Josh Selby to the Reno Bighorns, the Grizzlies’ NBA Development League affiliate. The assignment marks the 59th time an NBA player has been assigned to his NBA D-League affiliate during the 2011-12 season and is the second assignment for Selby.

Selby (6-2, 183, Kansas) returns to the Bighorns following a four-game assignment in February, when he averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 30.8 minutes. He scored more than 20 points in three games with the Bighorns, including an NBA D-League career-high 26 points on Feb. 14 against the Austin Toros.

Originally selected by Memphis in the second round (49th overall) in the 2011 NBA Draft, Selby has appeared in 23 games for the Grizzlies this season, averaging 2.5 points, 1.2 assists and 8.8 minutes.

Grizzlies fans can stay in step with Selby, who is expected to join the Bighorns today and be available on Wednesday, March 28 when the team travels to play the Los Angeles D-Fenders, by logging onto nba.com/futurecast to watch all of Reno’s games live, online, for free.

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• Austin’s Cory Joseph Named NBA Development League Performer of the Week – D-League

• Memphis Grizzlies Re-Assign Josh Selby to NBA D-League Affiliate Reno Bighorns – D-League

• Memphis Grizzlies Re-Assign Josh Selby to Bighorns – Reno Bighorns

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Grizzlies (25-19) at Trail Blazers (21-25)
7 p.m. Thursday at the Rose Garden
TV on CSN; radio on KXTG 750

No.	Name	Height	Position	Statistics
11	Mike Conley	6-1	PG	13.0 ppg, 7.3 apg
9	Tony Allen	6-4	SG	10.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg
22	Rudy Gay	6-8	SF	19.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg
50	Zach Randolph	6-9	PF	15.7 ppg, 7.9 rpg
33	Marc Gasol	7-1	C	15.8 ppg, 9.8 rpg

No.	Name	Height	Position	Statistics
5	Raymond Felton	6-1	PG	10.6 ppg, 6.1 apg
2	Wesley Matthews	6-5	SG	12.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg
88	Nicolas Batum	6-8	SF	13.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg
12	LaMarcus Aldridge	6-11	PF	21.4 ppg, 8.0 rpg
10	Joel Przybilla	7-1	C	2.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg

About the Grizzlies: Memphis has lost four of its last six games, including a 119-110 defeat Tuesday night at the Sacramento Kings. Gay had 23 points and Gasol finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in the loss. … It was the first game of a four-game trip for Memphis, which includes games at the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers in addition to Portland. Eight of their next 10 games are on the road. … Newly acquired guard Gilbert Arenas is expected to join the Grizzlies before tonight’s game. … Randolph, the former Blazers forward, missed 37 games with an MCL sprain in his right knee. In three games since returning from the injury, he’s averaging 17.0 points and 8.3 rebounds. … The Grizzlies are 6-0 when Conley scores at least 20 points. … Memphis is 13-4 against teams with a losing record. … The Grizzlies lead the NBA in steals and forced turnovers. 

SACRAMENTO — In a season of constant change, the Grizzlies are bracing for another roster shuffle.

But they expressed nothing but optimism about adding veteran combo guard Gilbert Arenas to the deck.

The Griz signed Arenas Tuesday to a deal for the rest of the season. He’ll be paid the prorated veteran’s minimum — roughly $300,000 by the team — to add point guard depth and more long-range shooting to the Grizzlies.

It’s a move that was called a win-win proposition for both parties as the Griz prepared to face the Sacramento Kings Tuesday night in the Power Balance Pavilion.

“We need shooting and that’s something he’s been able to do throughout his career,” forward Rudy Gay said. “He’s somebody that’s battle tested who can help us out.”

Reserve guard O.J. Mayo worked out with Arenas in Chicago about two years ago. Mayo learned two things about the 30-year-old Arenas.

“He’s a hard worker and he wants to win,” Mayo said.

The Griz are also confident that Arenas understands the situation. He’s being added to spell backup point guard Mike Conley and occasionally play shooting guard off the bench.

Arenas, a 10-year veteran and three-time all star, expressed a willingness to play a limited role. And there is no fear in the Griz front office, on their bench or in the locker room that Arenas will balk at being a reserve.

No one, especially Conley, is concerned about Arenas being disruptive like Allen Iverson was in 2009.

Iverson never accepted being a backup.

“From what I’ve heard, Gilbert is on board and he knows what’s expected,” Conley said. “I will get some rest. I think that’s the biggest thing for me this season going forward. I’m excited about it. I’m not worried about it.”

The Griz hope Arenas will join them for practice today in Portland. He could make his Griz debut Thursday when they continue a four-game West Coast road trip with a game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Coach Lionel Hollins didn’t seem concerned about integrating Arenas.

“Great players play,” Hollins said. “It doesn’t matter where they go. They pick it up and go. Their instincts take over. The main concern with Gilbert will be his conditioning. When we had Jason Williams last year, he wasn’t capable of playing 30 minutes at anytime he was with us. Gilbert showed that he’s in much better shape but there’s a difference between that and being in NBA shape.”

Arenas has been unemployed since finishing last season with the Orlando Magic, who used the league’s one-time amnesty provision to waive Arenas and the remaining $62 million on his contract. Arenas worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this season but they declined to make him an offer.

He’s joining the Griz with open arms.

“His experiences and the fact that he’s been in big games will be an advantage for our team,” Mayo said.

COMMENTARY | Last season, the No. 8 seeded Memphis Grizzlies defeated the top team in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs, without star forward Rudy Gay.

Just when the team thought they were going to have their full lineup for the 2011-12 season, power forward Zach Randolph injured his knee four games into this year’s campaign. Without Randolph, the Grizzlies posted a 24-17 record and are in fifth place in the Western Conference.

Although Memphis has played well as of late, Randolph’s return is finally going to show the basketball world what the team can really do when all the parts are in working order.

Randolph came back to the Grizzlies Friday in a 114-110 overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors. In only his fifth game of the season, he scored 25 points off of 64% shooting from the field and grabbed nine rebounds (six were offensive boards). Sunday, he scored 13 points and pulled down nine rebounds in a 97-92 win against the Washington Wizards.

With the eleventh year player back in the lineup, the Grizzlies have arguably the second best center and power forward combination in the league with Randolph and Marc Gasol. The only big man duo I would classify as better than Randolph and Gasol is the Los Angeles Lakers’ duo of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

Package the second best front court with Gay’s 19 points and 7 rebounds per game and we have arguably the best front court in the league. If I had to list the league’s best threesome from the small forward to center positions, Memphis wins by a far margin.

Bynum and Pau Gasol are great, but Ron Artest isn’t enough to best the Grizzlies.

The Indiana Pacers have Roy Hibbert, David West and Danny Granger, but I like all three of Memphis’ players better than their Indiana counterpart. I feel the same way about Memphis when compared to Chicago’s Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng, even though they’re closer than the Pacers.

The Bulls’ front court plays better defense but Gay, Randolph and Marc Gasol are far better scorers and influence the game more than the Chicago players. Deng is considered a “glue guy” as Gay is considered “the guy”. Noah is a “hustle man” while Marc Gasol is “a complete center”. Bulls’ fans want Boozer out and Grizzlies’ fans couldn’t wait for Z-Bo to return.

With the Grizzlies full lineup at full throttle, I think they could beat any team in the Western Conference in a seven game series. Randolph came back and didn’t miss a step as he put up 25 points in his first game back to go along with Gasol’s 28 points and Gay’s 26. These guys haven’t even had time to fully gel and scored 79 points. Imagine what they could do after a month of playing together.

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Memphis climbs the Western Conference standings and is the second seed heading into the playoffs.They’re only a half game behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the four seed, two behind the Lakers for third and four from the Spurs for second.

The Grizzlies are probably not going to catch the Oklahoma City Thunder, since they’re playing out of their mind, but Memphis could take the second or third spot and play an easier competitor in the first round.

Randolph’s return is the missing piece in the Western Conference playoff race. Now, finally, the Memphis Grizzlies have all of their legs underneath them and can prove they are no longer the underdog.

Brandon LaChance has been a diehard NBA follower since 1994 and began blogging about the league in 2007. Besides contributing to the Yahoo! Contributor Network, he writes and podcasts for Oncourt Onslaught while covering local sports for a rural Illinois newspaper.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) After playing in a first-half funk, the Memphis Grizzlies finally relied on better team basketball in the second half.

And Rudy Gay‘s 3-pointer with 23.9 seconds left put the finishing touch on the Washington Wizards.

Gay scored 27 points, including five in the final minute, to lift the Grizzlies to a 97-92 victory over the Wizards on Sunday.

”I think as the game went on, especially late in the fourth quarter, we finally made the right play,” said guard Mike Conley, who added 17 points and six assists. ”The play to Rudy at the end with the 3 was a prime example of the right play, and we finally made it.”

Marc Gasol had 15 points and Zach Randolph added 13 for Memphis, which snapped a two-game losing streak. Randolph, Gay and Gasol had nine rebounds apiece, helping the Grizzlies to a 53-40 advantage on the boards.

”They are a physical team. They muck it up,” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. ”They are very physical out front. There is a lot of bumping, grinding and fouling that makes them that way.

”We gave ourselves an opportunity, but we just couldn’t make plays down the stretch.”

John Wall led the Wizards with 25 points and six assists. Jordan Crawford finished with 22 points, and Kevin Seraphin had 12 points and 12 rebounds as Washington lost for the fifth time in the last six.

Washington committed 21 turnovers, including seven by Wall. Memphis committed 14 turnovers while shooting just 40 percent.

The Wizards trailed only 90-86 after Wall’s layup with 46 seconds left. But Gay connected on the 3-pointer, and the Grizzlies hit their last four free throws, including a pair by Gay.

”It was just us playing team basketball,” Gay said. ”That’s one thing about us, the way we’ve been playing. If they take away one thing, try the next option. If that option is taken away, we have another option for that.”

Memphis was able to build its advantage in the third quarter and never trailed in the fourth, although Washington did pull even with 8:23 left on a dunk by Maurice Evans.

Washington carried a 48-45 lead into intermission after an ugly first half that involved poor shooting, poor ballhandling and little flow.

The Wizards shot better at 45 percent, but committed 10 turnovers. Memphis managed only 38 percent from the field and had seven turnovers.

”We were basically just trying to find our way,” Gay said. ”I didn’t feel like we didn’t know what we were doing. It was kind of like we were a step slow.”

The difference for the Wizards in the first half was going 5 of 9 from outside the arc, including one from Crawford with 1.9 seconds left in the half, for Washington’s halftime advantage.

Crawford had 16 points in the half, while Seraphin contributed 10 points and nine rebounds.

Memphis, which hit only 31 of 51 from the free throw line in Friday’s overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors, struggled again, converting only 10 of 17 in the first half. They finished 27 of 37.

The Wizards were only 1 of 9 after halftime from outside the arc.

”We started off slow and a little sluggish,” Conley said. ”We were just over-thinking. I think we knew the plays were there, we just kind of didn’t make the right passes at the right time.”

Memphis began finally showing life in the latter stages of the third. Conley hit a trio of shots early in the period, but the Wizards still managed to hold a 61-58 lead on Wall’s jumper with 5:29 left in the third.

But Memphis closed the period on a 16-5 run, outscoring the Wizards 29-18 in the period to carry a 74-66 lead into the fourth.

Washington used its bench to even at 80 with 8:23 left. But Memphis quickly went back ahead.

”We are getting better as a team,” Wall said. ”We just have stretches in the third or fourth quarter. We try to go 1-on-1, and that hurts us.”

NOTES: The Wizards announced during the game that they have signed 6-foot-6 swingman Edwin Ubiles to a 10-day contract. Ubiles average 20.4 points with Dakota of the NBA D-League. .Washington F Rashard Lewis missed his 10th straight game with a sore left knee. .Gasol drew a technical in the first quarter arguing a no-call after he drove to the basket. .Memphis plays nine of its next 11 games on the road. .Memphis is now 13-3 against sub-.500 teams. … Washington’s road record dropped to 4-18. … It marked the seventh consecutive home win for the Grizzlies in the series. Washington hasn’t won in Memphis since Nov. 3, 2004. … Wall is averaging 20 points and 8.8 assists in 11 games since the All-Star break.

The Memphis Grizzlies were unable to pull out a victory in their latest game even with their lineup finally intact.

Perhaps a visit by the lowly Washington Wizards can help Memphis produce a better result.

The Grizzlies are trying to avoid their first three-game losing streak at FedExForum since the beginning of last season Sunday night, facing a Wizards team which hasn’t won there in more than seven years.

Zach Randolph had 25 points and nine rebounds Friday in his first game after missing 37 with a torn MCL, and Rudy Gay added 26 points and 11 boards after missing one with concussion symptoms. Memphis (24-18), though, fell to 0-2 on its three-game homestand with a 114-110 overtime loss to Toronto.

“I felt pretty good once I got into the groove,” said Randolph, who hadn’t played since Jan. 1. “My timing is a little off. I felt rusty on both ends. I just have to get getter and keep improving.”

The Grizzlies, who shot a season-low five free throws in Tuesday’s 116-111 double-overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, missed 20 of their franchise record-tying 51 free-throw attempts against the Raptors.

“They gave us opportunities to win the game. We kept shooting ourselves in the foot,” said coach Lionel Hollins, whose team committed 18 turnovers.

Memphis, three games ahead of the ninth spot in the Western Conference standings, will try to limit those mistakes and build momentum for a stretch of nine of 11 on the road beginning Tuesday. First, the Grizzlies try to avoid dropping three in a row at home for the first time since Nov. 10-16, 2010.

They won for the ninth time in 12 games against Washington with a 107-93 victory Jan. 29, 2011, in the teams’ last meeting. Randolph scored 24 points with 20 rebounds as Memphis ran its home winning streak in the series to six, dating to Nov. 3, 2004.

Washington (10-33) arrives in Memphis after falling to 1-3 on a season-high six-game trip with Friday’s 102-88 loss to Atlanta. Playing their fourth game in five nights, and second since JaVale McGee, Nick Young and Ronny Turiaf were traded in a three-team swap that brought Nene and Brian Cook on board, the Wizards were held to 34 second-half points.

“We threw the ball all over the place,” coach Randy Wittman said after his club committed 20 turnovers. “Dribble, dribble, dribble. We all took turns just dribbling the ball.”

With Grizzlies guards Mike Conley and Tony Allen ranking among the league’s best in steals with 2.6 and 1.7 per game, respectively, John Wall will have to take better care of the ball after matching a career high with nine turnovers Friday.

Wall, averaging 19.3 points and 10.3 assists over the last three games, had 14 points with eight assists and five turnovers in last season’s loss at Memphis.

While Cook might be available, Nene’s Wizards debut likely won’t happen until at least Wednesday.

“We’ve got guys in there that are NBA players,” Wittman said. “We don’t need to wait on anybody.”

Memphis is 12-3 against sub-.500 teams.

Washington is 0-12 on the road against teams which currently have winning records.

Toronto’s No. 1 public enemy almost nailed the Raptors again.

For the third straight time against their former Canadian foes, the Grizzlies got an improbable shot from Rudy Gay that looked like it would steal an impossible victory.

Gay’s 25-foot 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left in regulation sent Friday’s game into overtime. But Gay, who hit game-winning jumpers in the last two victories over Toronto, fouled out in the first 16 seconds of the extra period.

The Raptors used that as a positive sign to snap a six-game losing streak against the Grizzlies with a 114-110 victory before an emotionally spent FedEx Forum crowd of 17,239.

In a game in which it seemed the officiating crew reviewed every key play in the final minutes of regulation and overtime, the Grizzlies (24-18) had more than their share of chances to beat a team with the NBA’s third-worst record.

But even with a stunning 25-point, nine-rebound performance from forward Zach Randolph in his first game back since tearing knee ligaments on Jan. 1, the Grizzlies couldn’t pull off the miracle.

“No disrespect to Toronto, but we shouldn’t lose to a team like that,” Grizzlies’ guard Tony Allen said. “We had plenty of chances.”

The Griz did almost everything possible to lose. They missed 20 free throws. They gave up 66 points to Toronto’s top three guards. They missed dunks. They slapped rebounds out of their own hands that sailed out of bounds.

Yet they had one last chance with 4.8 seconds left. Mike Conley was fouled shooting a 3-pointer with the Griz trailing 112-109. He made his first free throw, the second rolled off the front rim, and he intentionally missed his third, which was bobbled out of bounds and awarded to Toronto (15-29).

“We played sloppy; we didn’t make the little plays that win games,” said Conley, who had 10 assists but scored just eight points on 1-of-7 shooting. “We missed free throws, we didn’t get the 50-50 loose balls. That’s Grizzly basketball and we’ve got to stick to it. They (the Raptors) still almost gave it to us. We had a lot of missed opportunities.”

Five Raptors scored in double figures, but four of them were starters, led by guards Jerryd Bayless and DeMar DeRozan, who scored 28 and 18 points, respectively. Then, Gary Forbes came off the bench and scored a career-high 20.

“I think we know we can play with any team in the league,” DeRozan said. “We stepped up to the challenge tonight.”

The majority of the Grizzlies’ offense came from three players. Center Marc Gasol scored 28 points, Gay added 26 and Randolph was just a point behind Gay despite making just 7 of 14 free throws.

“We had a lot of opportunities to win the game, but we kept shooting ourselves in the foot,” Griz coach Lionel Hollins said.

Turning point

The Grizzlies were euphoric when Gay drained two 3-pointers in the final 7.4 of regulation, including the 25-footer with 0.9 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

But 16 seconds into overtime, Gay fouled out, leaving the Grizzlies without their best one-on-one, stop-and-pop shooter.

“I feel responsible for that loss, because I fouled out,” said Gay, who scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Gay had game-winners in the last two games against Toronto, so the Raptors were relieved to see him go to the bench.

“It was hard how we lost last time when Rudy hit that shot,” DeRozan said. “It was like déjà vu (when Gay hit his 25-footer to send Friday’s game to overtime). We didn’t want to lose again that way, so we kept fighting. The basketball Gods were on our side tonight.”

Hot topic

Maybe it should be the cold topic, because the Grizzlies missed 20 free throws, making 31 of 51. After losing to the Lakers this week in double overtime and only shooting five free throws the entire game (and two were technicals), Memphis marched all night to the line and couldn’t get it done.

“We miss five of six free throws in a crucial set (late in the game), we get three free throws to tie the game (in overtime) and we can’t make three,” Griz coach Lionel Hollins lamented.

Spotlight

Griz forward Zach Randolph, playing his first game since tearing a medial collateral knee ligament on Jan. 1 against the Bulls, might have surprised even himself by scoring 25 points and collecting nine rebounds in 24:35 off the bench.

The only downer was Randolph’s 7-for-14 shooting at the line, but for a guy who hadn’t played in 2 months, he was unbelievably good, still getting impossible offensive rebounds and still floating in the soft left-handed fadeaway from outside.

“I felt good out there,” Randolph said. “My wind felt good. I got a little tired, but I pushed through it. It’s progress. I’m trying to get back to my old self. I really wasn’t surprised. I just got into the groove of playing basketball. My knee wasn’t in pain.”

That’s what he said

“With Zach (Randolph) back and the way Marc (Gasol) is playing, we’re an inside-out basketball team again.” — Griz point guard Mike Conley.

Health status

For the first time since the first minute of this season’s home opener against Oklahoma City, the Grizzlies played with their full complement of starters on Friday night.

Mike Conley sprained his ankle one minute into the opener and Randolph tore his MCL two games later at Chicago.

Rudy Gay was able to return on Friday from a mild concussion that forced him to sit out Tuesday’s game against the Lakers.

Miscellany

Memphis lost for the second time this week at home in overtime and for the second time when scoring 100 or more points. … Gasol’s 28 points were a season-high and Gay tied his season-high with 26. He added 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the year. … Toronto’s Jerryd Bayless’ 28 points were two shy of his season high. … Memphis is 12-3 this year against sub-.500 teams; the other two losses came against Phoenix.

Records

The Grizzlies fell to 24-18, still second in the Southwest Division behind San Antonio and fourth in the Western Conference.

The Raptors improved to 15-29, last in the Atlantic Division and third-worst team in the Eastern Division.

Numbers game

1-4: The Grizzlies’ record this season with Zach Randolph

6: Winning streak by Griz over Raptors that was snapped

51: Griz free throws, tying a franchise record

Got next

The Grizzlies meet the Washington Wizards for the first and only time this season in a Sunday afternoon 5 p.m. tip at FedExForum.

Last year, the Griz and Wizards split, with each team winning at home.

After Sunday, the Grizzlies have a four-game, six-day West Coast road swing starting Tuesday at Sacramento.

CBSSports.com wire reports
March 11, 2012

DENVER — Sitting quietly at his locker, Andre Miller tore the stat sheet into shreds and put the bits of paper in the trash.

He knew that the last of his six turnovers cost the Denver Nuggets a potential game-tying shot in the final seconds.

O.J. Mayo also was mad at himself for committing six turnovers, but at least he could take satisfaction — and considerable satisfaction at that — in his shooting touch.

Mayo matched his season high with 22 points, including a critical 3-pointer in the closing seconds and the Memphis Grizzlies hung on to beat the Nuggets 94-91 on Sunday night to sweep the three-game regular-season series for the first time in their history.

“I definitely did have it going,” said Mayo, who came off the bench. “So mad, had so many turnovers. I know how important it is to take care of the ball when you’re playing the one [position] and I failed in that area. I’m happy it didn’t cause us to lose.”

Mike Conley, who returned to play after suffering a cut above his right eye, had 13 points. Dante Cunningham added 12 points and Tony Allen 10 for the Grizzlies, who also snapped an eight-game losing streak in Denver.

“O.J. was super. He carried us tonight,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. “He was the man. I was really upset with our guys early. I didn’t take them out to rest them. I took them out because we weren’t competing like I thought we should. As soon as that other group came in, they got us back in the game. I could see I was going to need the bench a lot more tonight and they produced. It was good to see.”

Nene, Al Harrington and Corey Brewer each scored 15 for the Nuggets, who dropped to 2-2 on a season-high nine-game homestand.

Memphis stretched its lead to 85-80 after Allen hit a 21-foot jumper with 6:20 remaining. But the Nuggets fought back to within a point at 88-87 when Ty Lawson connected on a 3-pointer with 2:55 left.

The teams traded free throw shots over the next two minutes before Mayo drained a 3-pointer with 57 seconds remaining to put the Grizzlies up 94-89.

Nene and Brewer each hit one of their two free throws in the final 40 seconds, pulling the Nuggets within three. After a Memphis miss, Denver rushed up the floor in the waning seconds but failed to get off shot after Miller lost the ball.

“I just fumbled the ball, that’s all,” said Miller, who also had 14 points, three steals and seven assists. “In that case, you don’t want to give the team an opportunity to set up on defense. I fumbled the ball and that was the game.”

Nuggets coach George Karl afterward had second thoughts about his strategy to push the ball upcourt immediately after Harrington rebounded Cunningham’s missed shot with about 9 seconds remaining.

“In hindsight, I should have called a timeout,” Karl said.

The bottom line for Karl, though, was that the Nuggets, who had 24 turnovers, committed too many giveaways, a thread that ran through all three of their losses to the defensive-minded Grizzlies.

“We lose because we throw away too many possessions,” Karl said.

Memphis had 21 turnovers of its own, but still managed to come out on top.

“This is a tough environment to play in, a tough team to play,” Conley said of the Nuggets. “They’ve been playing very well. This is a huge win for us.”

Trailing 58-55 after Nene made a pair of free throws, Memphis went on a 14-1 tear to grab a 69-59 lead with 3:35 left in the third, their biggest lead to that point. But they lost Conley during the surge, when he had to leave the game for the locker room to have a cut over his right eye treated. Conley returned early in the fourth quarter.

The Nuggets got back into it with a 9-0 run of their own, capped by Arron Afflalo’s 20-foot jumper pulling Denver to within 69-68. Mayo hit a long jumper to stall Denver’s momentum and the Grizzlies held a 73-70 lead going into the fourth.

Denver led 53-50 at halftime, helped by Nene, who broke through for a pair of dunks and hit two free throws during the last 2:18 of the second period.

Notes

• The Nuggets’ Timofey Mozgov (left ankle), Kosta Koufos (left knee) and Rudy Fernandez (lower back) remain sidelined.
• Memphis has won 10 of its last 12 games.
• Denver was playing the first of five straight games against winning teams. Atlanta, Oklahoma City, Boston and Dallas are next.
• All three of Memphis’ wins over Denver this season were by three or fewer points.