Grizzlies 110, Pelicans 74
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Power forward Zach Randolph posted a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies rolled to a 110-74 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night at FedExForum.
Randolph, like center Marc Gasol, had a game-high six assists. Gasol also scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots.
The loss dropped New Orleans (42-36) back into a tie with Oklahoma City for the eighth and last playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Thunder were idle Wednesday night, and both teams have four games left.
The Grizzlies (53-25) entered play one game behind Houston for the Southwest Division lead. The Rockets played at San Antonio Wednesday night.
Down by 19 points to start the second half, the Pelicans watched Memphis extend the lead to as many as 29 points in the third quarter as forward Jeff Green (15 points) went 4-for-4 from the floor with nine points.
The Grizzlies led by as many as 40 points in the fourth quarter. Memphis coach Dave Joerger stayed with an eight-man rotation until the 8:41 mark in the fourth quarter when Memphis led 89-59.
Memphis point guard Mike Conley finished with 10 points. Off the bench, center Kosta Koufos just missed a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds. Point guard Beno Udrih finished with 14 points, and forward Vince Carter chipped in 10 points.
Forward Anthony Davis led New Orleans with 12 points, but that was well off his 24.5 points-per-game average. He was 5-for-9 from the floor. Forward Quincy Pondexter scored 11 points, and guard Tyreke Evans had 10 points with six rebounds.
Memphis shot 51.1 percent from the floor (45-for-88) and made 47.1 percent from 3-point range (8-for-17). New Orleans shot 35 percent (28-for-80) from the field.
The Grizzlies held the advantage in rebounds (52-39), points in the paint (58-36) and second-chance points (25-1).
The Pelicans led by as many as six points in the first quarter, but the Grizzlies seized control in the second period and led 55-36 at halftime. Randolph already had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
NOTES: The Pelicans had won five of their last six and were fresh off a 103-100 victory over Golden State. Asked before the game about avoiding a letdown, Pelicans coach Monty Williams said, "Everybody talks about that. I have no idea. You've just gotta play the game. If coaches knew how to do that, they'd bottle it up and make a lot of money." ... Memphis swingman Tony Allen remained out with a left hamstring strain. ... Going into Wednesday night, all five Southwest Division teams had winning records, boasting a composite .635 winning percentage. ... Pelicans G Tyreke Evans had more drives to the basket (879) than any other NBA player this season.