Grizzlies stop Heat to break 4-game slide
There were 11 instances in the second half where Memphis’ once-burgeoning lead was almost gone, with Miami having cut the deficit to one or two points. The key word: almost. Bending but not breaking, the Grizzlies dug deep to snap their four-game slide. Mike Conley scored 24 points, Marc Gasol added 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the Grizzlies never trailed in a 103-95 win over the host Heat on Saturday night.
“Every time they got to one or two, I thought we executed pretty well,” Memphis coach David Joerger said. “We got stops when we needed to. ... If we play that way, we’re going to win some games.”
Dwyane Wade scored 25 points for Miami, which fell to 6-11 at home. Danny Granger scored a season-high 18 off the bench for the Heat, who got 16 from Luol Deng.
“That’s when you can grow the most, when you embrace the struggle, learn from it and get over that struggle,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’re not quite there yet.”
The last few seconds before halftime couldn’t have gone more to Memphis’ liking. Already up by 12, the Grizzlies got possession on a play where Wade dived to corral a loose ball near midcourt, his momentum taking him over the line for a backcourt violation. Spoelstra got a technical for arguing that Wade was fouled on the play, which led to a free throw from Conley.
On the ensuing possession, Conley hit a 30-footer to beat the clock and send the Grizzlies into the break ahead 57-41. Memphis led by as many as 19 early in the third quarter.
“We had to earn this,” Conley said. “This team wasn’t going to go away. They played very well, especially at home. They have a great group of guys over there and they’re well-coached, so we knew it was going to be a dogfight.”
Raptors 110, Clippers 98: Kyle Lowry scored 25 points and Toronto’s reserves came up big in the fourth quarter as the Raptors ended Los Angeles’ eight-game home winning streak. ... Jonas Valanciunas had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Raptors. ... J.J. Redick had 23 points and Blake Griffin had 22 for the Clippers, who lost at home for the first time since Chicago beat them Nov. 17. Jamal Crawford added 20. Magic 102, Hornets 94: Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and 11 re- bounds, Tobias Harris scored 21 points and Orlando overcame 42 points from Kemba Walker to beat host Charlotte. ... Walker scored a Hornets-record 35 in the second half and finished 15-of-30 in the highestscoring game of his career, but the Hornets could never regain the lead after falling behind by 10 at halftime. Hawks 90, Bucks 85: Jeff Teague scored 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and Al Horford added 20 for visiting Atlanta. ... The Hawks avenged a 30-point loss to Mil- waukee on Friday in Atlanta with their 15th win 17 games. ... Paul Millsap finished with 17 points and eight rebounds for Atlanta. ... Khris Middleton led Milwaukee with 21 points. ... The Bucks’ Jared Dudley, who was 10-for-10 from the floor Friday, shot just 3-of-8 and scored nine points. Bulls 107, Pelicans 100: Jimmy Butler scored 33 points and Derrick Rose had 19 in host Chicago’s sixth consecutive victory. ... Reserves Aaron Brooks, Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic all scored in double figures as the Bulls won for the ninth time in 10 games. ... New Orleans’ Anthony Davis had 29 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots in his first NBA game in his hometown, and Tyreke Evans added 26 points. Pacers 110, Nets 85: Rodney Stuckey scored 20 points and David West added 17 as Indiana overwhelmed host Brooklyn. ... Guard C.J. Watson, who played for the Nets during the 2012-13 season, added 17 points off the bench. ... Jarrett Jack had 22 points and Joe Johnson added 18 for Brooklyn, which had won its previous three games. The Nets, who entered the night 12-2 against teams with losing records, couldn’t handle the Pacers, who improved to 11-20. Jazz 88, 76ers 71: Derrick Favors had 17 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots for host Utah. ... Tony Wroten scored 20 points and Robert Covington added 17 for the Sixers. Kings 135, Knicks 129: DeMarcus Cousins scored nine of his seasonhigh 39 points in overtime and had 11 rebounds in his return from a stomach ailment, and host Sacramento handed New York its seventh straight loss and 17th in 18 games. ... Rudy Gay added 29 points, and Darren Collison had 27 points, 10 assists and a tiebreaking three-pointer as the Kings won for just the second time in nine games. ... Carmelo Anthony had 36 points and 11 boards for New York, which rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter. Wizards 101, Celtics 88: Kris Humphries scored 18 points and Paul Pierce added 17 as host Washington improved to 8-2 in its past 10 games. ... Jeff Green scored 23 points for Boston, which has lost four straight. Injury report: Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire said his sore knee might cause him to sit out all three games of New York’s West Coast trip and that it could lead to tests. He’s averaging 13.1 points in 26.4 minutes, the most he’s played since the 2011-12 lockout season. ... Lakers coach Byron Scott said he will consider reducing Kobe Bryant’s playing time. Bryant, 36, missed three games last week because of soreness in his body but is expected to play Sunday against Phoenix. Bryant is averaging a teamhigh 35.5 minutes after being limited by injuries to six games last season.