Conley, Gasol lead Grizzlies past Bulls
CHICAGO — Mike Conley and Marc Gasol each scored 27 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 98-91 win against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.
Conley and Gasol scored 18 of the team’s 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Grizzlies held off the Bulls, who lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Memphis, which had lost five straight before winning Monday, earned its second straight win.
Chicago never led in the second half, but Nikola Mirotic had a pair of tying 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Both were answered by Gasol, his teammate on the Spanish national team. The Grizzlies center hit a 3-pointer on the first, and then had a traditional three-point play on the second, finishing a dunk after a foul by Mirotic for an 86-83 lead.
The Bulls were without Dwyane Wade down the stretch after he injured his right elbow with 8:34 remaining and did not return.
The teams stayed within six points of each other in the first half, and Memphis went to the locker room with a 54-50 lead.
The Grizzlies then scored the first 10 points of the third quarter, capped by a pair of 3-pointers by Conley to go up 64-50. Lou Williams scored 30 points against his former team and James Harden had his 17th triple-double of the season to lead Houston over Los Angeles. Harden had 18 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds as Houston handed the Lakers their 11th loss in 12 games. Williams broke out of a recent shooting slump against his ex-teammates. Houston sent Corey Brewer and a first-round draft pick to Los Angeles in a trade for Williams three weeks ago.
Damian Lillard scored 36 points and Portland defeated San Antonio Spurs, spoiling LaMarcus Aldridge’s return from a health scare. C.J. McCollum added 26 points for the Trail Blazers, who were coming off a 23-point loss in New Orleans on Tuesday. Goran Dragic played through a black eye and bloodied mouth to score 33 points, Hassan Whiteside had 20 points and 17 rebounds, and Miami Heat beat New Orleans. Wayne Ellington scored 19 for the Heat, who made 16 3-pointers and have won 18 consecutive games when connecting at least 10 times from beyond the arc. Dion Waiters added 14, and James Johnson and Tyler Johnson had 10 apiece for Miami. The Heat won for the 22nd time in 27 games and are 14-1 in their last 15 at home. Isaiah Johnson scored 21 points and Noah Robotham made four free throws in the final 18 seconds to send Akron to a victory over Houston in a first-round NIT game, setting a school record with its 27th victory. Jimond Ivey added 10 points and three other Zips (27-8) had nine each. Rob Gray Jr. finished with 24 points for the second-seeded Cougars (21-11).