Grizzlies 102, Lakers 90
Mike Conley had 24 points and eight assists and Marc Gasol added 18 points and 15 rebounds as visiting Memphis defeated Los Angeles to move closer to clinching a playoff spot.
Mike Miller scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting for the Grizzlies, who have a one-game lead over the Phoenix Suns in the race for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Memphis pulled away with a 17-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters and can sew up a postseason spot by winning at Phoenix on Monday.
Jodie Meeks scored 20 points and Wesley Johnson had 15 points and a career-high 15 rebounds for the Lakers, who lost their seventh straight game. Nick Young added 14 points and Jordan Hill contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Gasol hit back-to-back baskets to start the run of 17 straight points as the Lakers missed 16 consecutive shots over a span of 9:15. Kosta Koufos capped the splurge with a basket to make it 91-69 with 8:38 left in the game before Robert Sacre ended the Lakers’ drought with a hoop with 7:18 to play and the Grizzlies cruised to their third consecutive victory.
Los Angeles had a nine-point lead early in the second quarter before Memphis scored the next 13 and eventually held a 53-52 lead at the break. The contest was tied at 61 after Hill’s basket with 7:28 left in the third and Young’s 3-pointer with 4:33 to go cut the Lakers’ deficit to 74-69 before the Grizzlies went on their decisive run.
GAME NOTEBOOK: PF Zach Randolph and G Courtney Lee added 10 points apiece for the Grizzlies, who were 8-of-15 from 3-piont range. … The Lakers went 14-27 at home. … Memphis dominated the inside against a Los Angeles team missing C Pau Gasol (vertigo) and C Chris Kaman (calf) and finished with a 52-32 edge on the boards.