Hornets 123, Grizzlies 99
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Guard Kemba Walker scored 33 points and guard Nicolas Batum had 20 points as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 123-99 Friday night at FedExForum.
Charlotte (14-8) matched its season-high four-game winning streak. The Hornets have won nine of their last 11 with the only losses coming to Cleveland and Golden State.
Leading by five at halftime, the Hornets blew the game open in the third quarter and led 93-73 going into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, the Hornets led by as many as 31 points.
Walker, who also had six assists and five rebounds, scored 11 points in the third quarter and Batum also scored 11 in the third. For the game, Batum and Walker each knocked down 5 of 8 shots from 3-point range.
Memphis (13-11) is 4-4 in its last eight games and all the losses have come at home and have not been close: by 15 to Atlanta, by 20 to San Antonio, by 37 to Oklahoma City and now by 24 to Charlotte.
Center Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Point guard Mike Conley finished with 16 points and power forward Zach Randolph had 13 points and seven rebounds.
Also reaching double figures for the Hornets were guard Jeremy Lin with 16 points, forward Frank Kaminsky with 15 points, six rebounds and three assists, and guard Jeremy Lamb with 10 points.
Charlotte shot 50 percent from the floor and went 18 of 37 from 3-point range (48.6 percent). Memphis finished at 40 percent from the field and went 7 of 20 from distance (35 percent).
After trailing by as many as 14 points in the first quarter, Charlotte led 59-54 at halftime. Lin led the Hornets with 15 points and Walker had 14. Conley led the first-half scoring for Memphis with 11 points and Randolph had 10.
Charlotte made 19 of 20 free throws (95 percent) in the first half and Memphis was 16 of 21 (76.2 percent).
NOTES: F Matt Barnes bailed Memphis out in Detroit on Wednesday when he sank a shot from beyond half court with 1.1 seconds left in the game. The Grizzlies won 93-92 despite poor shooting at the free-throw line -- 7 of 13 for 53.8 percent -- and their usual struggles from long range: 4 of 15 for 26.7 percent. Barnes finished with eight points and a season-high 11 rebounds. He had eight rebounds in the fourth quarter alone. ... Last season, Charlotte was 30th in the NBA in 3-point shooting. It entered Friday's game 13th in 3-point accuracy at .35.1 percent. "We knew we had to get more shooting on the floor," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. ... Grizzlies PF Zach Randolph is now 51st in NBA history with 8,846 rebounds. Next up on the list: Larry Bird, with 8,974. ... Charlotte is third in the Eastern Conference in offensive rating at 103.8.