Grizzlies 99, Lakers 93
Marc Gasol had 19 points and 11 rebounds as visiting Memphis held on to defeat Los Angeles and post its best 15-game record in franchise history.
Mike Conley also scored 19 points while distributing seven assists for the Grizzlies, who improved to a league-best 13-2. Zach Randolph contributed 16 points and nine rebounds and Courtney Lee scored 10 points for Memphis.
Kobe Bryant scored 22 points 5-for-15 shooting and Jeremy Lin finished with 14 points for the Lakers. Nick Young paced the reserves with 13 points but shot 4-for-14 and Jordan Hill and Ronnie Price added 11 points apiece.
Memphis led by as many as seven in the fourth quarter before Bryant checked back in with just under eight minutes left and Lakers trailing by five. He got them within two with two free throws with 6:37 left, but Los Angeles couldn’t convert on three chances to tie, missing six straight shots overall, and the Lakers never got back within one possession with the ball.
Bryant didn’t attempt his first field goal until 3:32 remained in the first half, missing a layup before making two free throws 32 seconds later for his first points. He would make his first basket and four more free throws before the end of the half to help the Lakers to a 51-46 lead, but the Grizzlies shot 12-for-18 in the third quarter while outscoring the Lakers 34-23 to take a six-point lead into the fourth, despite 10 points in the frame from Bryant.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Lin is 20-for-35 from the field in the last three games. ... Hill had seven rebounds to end his career-long streak of double-doubles at six. ... The Grizzlies took 22 3-pointers after coming in averaging a league-low 14.8 attempts.