Grizzlies 101, Trail Blazers 100
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Memphis Grizzlies snapped a four-game losing streak with a 101-100 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers Friday night at FedExForum as center Marc Gasol scored a game-high 31 points and forward Zach Randolph (15 points, 8 rebounds) tipped in the winning basket with 0.6 seconds to play.
Portland rallied from a 14-point deficit in the third quarter and didn't get a second-half lead, at 100-99, until forward Al-Farouq Aminu (16 points) hit a 3-pointer with 12.5 seconds to play.
Aminu missed a desperation jumper on the move as time expired and the Blazers (4-6) dropped their fourth straight.
Gasol was 11-for-18 from the floor and also chipped in five assists with four rebounds. Friday night also marked the debut of backup point guard Mario Chalmers, who was acquired from the Miami Heat earlier in the week. Chalmers scored 11 points and finished with two assists and four steals.
Guard CJ McCollum led the Trail Blazers with 26 points.
Neither team had been able to open up a double-digit lead until the Grizzlies broke a 55-55 tie with a 14-0 run to go ahead 69-55 with 6:19 left in the third quarter, the last points coming on a trey from Gasol. Portland trailed 79-70 going into the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies (4-6) made 30-of-86 from the floor for 41.9 percent. They scored 15 points off 22 Portland turnovers. The Blazers hit 33-of-69 shots from the field for 47.8 percent. Portland had a 43-35 rebounding edge.
The lowest-scoring team in the NBA coming into Friday's game (90.2 points per game), the Grizzlies scored 100 or more points for just the fourth time this season. Forward Jeff Green had 14 points off the bench and starting point guard Mike Conley scored 11 points with nine assists.
Memphis led 53-52 at halftime and had scored 11 points off 12 Blazers turnovers. Gasol led all scorers with 12 points; McCollum paced Portland with 11 points. Portland hit 14-of-15 free throws (93.3 percent) in the first half while the Grizzlies made all 12 of their free-throw attempts.
NOTES: Portland C Meyers Leonard was out Friday night because of a left shoulder injury. Coach Terry Stotts did not speculate how long Leonard, who is averaging 8.4 points and 4.4 rebounds, will be sidelined. "He's out until he's no longer out," Stotts said. ... PG Damian Lillard, the team's leading scorer (26.9 points per game), is nursing a sore thumb but started. ... Although backup PG Mario Chalmers was in uniform for the first time Friday after coming to Memphis in a trade that included PG Beno Udrih going to Miami, coach Dave Joerger said Chalmers will get first call behind starter Mike Conley. "It's going to take a little while" to adjust to the team's offense, Joerger said. ... G Jordan Adams (knee) and F Brandan Wright (knee) were out for the Grizzlies. Joerger said the team is starting to get concerned that Wright has something beyond tendinitis.