Grizzlies 100, Magic 97
Mike Conley had 26 points, 11 assists and a key steal with 5.5 seconds left as the host Memphis Grizzlies held off the Orlando Magic, 100-97, on Monday for their sixth victory in seven games.
Marc Gasol added 19 points and eight rebounds for the Grizzlies (25-24), who moved above .500 for the first time since they were 2-1 on Oct. 30. They pulled within one game of Portland for eighth place in the Western Conference.
Memphis was clinging to a 98-97 lead when Conley stole the ball from Ryan Anderson following an offensive rebound. Conley was fouled and made two of three free throws after a technical foul on Orlando center Dwight Howard.
Jason Richardson’s wild 3-pointer missed the mark for Orlando (31-18), which is just 6-6 in its last 12 games.
The Magic erased a 12-point deficit entering the fourth quarter, pulling into a 96-96 tie as Gilbert Arenas provided a spark with eight of his 10 points. Gasol answered with a dunk with two minutes left to give the Grizzlies the lead for good.
Darrell Arthur scored 14 points and Rudy Gay added 13 for Memphis, which has won seven of eight at home. Zach Randolph's streak of 14 double-doubles ended with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Howard had 25 points and 14 rebounds and Richardson scored 18 for the Magic, who made just 8 of 32 from the arc. Brandon Bass left in the second half with an apparent knee injury.