As the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings have proven in their series over the years, no lead is safe, as the Grizzlies ultimately overcame a furious Kings comeback to win 104-98 at FedExForum on Wednesday evening.
The Grizzlies (36-24) improved to a season-high 12 games above .500 in winning their 12th straight home game in the overall series with Sacramento (24-35). Memphis has won the19 of the last 22 in the series.
Mike Conley and Zach Randolph stepped up to lead the Grizzlies down the stretch. With the game tied at 91 with 4:59 to play, those two combined to score nine of the Grizzlies’ final 13 points. Conley’s tough jumper from the elbow as the shot clock ran down put Memphis out of reach 102-97 with 49 seconds remaining.
After DeMarcus Cousins split a pair of free throws, Chris Andersen knocked down both free throws, much like he did against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, to close out the scoring for both teams. Memphis built a large lead in the first half. Sacramento trailed by as much as 21 in the second quarter and shot only 30.0 percent in the frame. The Grizzlies took a 59-43 lead into the break and looked to have all the momentum.
However, the Kings came out with a renewed sense of urgency in the second half, opening on a 10-0 run. The lead was quickly cut to single digits and all of a sudden the Grizzlies found themselves in a dogfight.
As the teams entered the fourth quarter, Memphis still held an 83-78 lead, but the Kings kept coming. Sacramento tied the score at 85 off a Marco Belinelli three pointer with 9:28 remaining. A couple of possessions later, Cousins gave the Kings their first lead since 7:25 to go in the first quarter with a cutting dunk. The Kings could only get their lead out to three before a Conley layup and Andersen hitting one of two from the free throw line tied the game at 91.
Tonight marked the third time in the last four tilts at FedExForum between the teams in which one team held a lead of 20 or more points only to see the other recover to either take the lead or come within one possession.
Conley led all scorers with 24 points and dished out a team-high five assists. Randolph tallied 19 points and eight rebounds. Off the bench, JaMychal Green and Mario Chalmers recorded 15 points and three steals apiece, and Chalmers added four assists. Rookie Jarell Martin was extremely active in his 10 minutes. He hit his only field goal attempt and also pulled down a career-high eight rebounds.
Cousins led the Kings in scoring and rebounding with 18 and 16, his 36th double-double. He played a pivotal role in the King’s third quarter comeback. He scored 12 of his points in the frame on 5-of-7 shooting (71.4 percent), including his lone three-point make of the game. However, the Grizzlies limited the All-Star in the other three quarters. He scored only six points and was 2-of-11 from the field (18.2 percent) outside the third.
Rajon Rondo dished out a game-high 17 assists. Darren Collison and Belinelli came off the bench to score 17 and 16 points respectively. The Grizzlies have a day off before welcoming the Utah Jazz to FedExForum for the first time this season on Friday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and fans can tune in to hear the call on 92.9 FM ESPN, or watch live on FOX Sports Southeast.
The Grizzlies will return to FedExForum on Friday to take on the Utah Jazz at 7pm.
