Grizzlies 112, Wizards 95
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Center Marc Gasol and point guard Mike Conley posted double-doubles Monday night as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Washington Wizards 112-95 at FedExForum.
Gasol finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, plus six assists, and Conley scored 18 points with 11 assists.
Just 24th in the NBA in field-goal percentage and 29th in 3-point percentage before Monday, Memphis shot a season-best 56.4 percent from the floor and hit 10 of 15 from long range.
Memphis (14-12) never let the Wizards get close. Leading by 11 at halftime, the Grizzlies extended their advantage to 70-48 less than four minutes into the third quarter on a Gasol layup.
The Wizards trailed 83-61 going into the fourth quarter. They never drew closer than 11 points.
Guard Gary Neal led the Wizards (10-13) with a season-high 24 points off the bench. Forward Jared Dudley and guard Ramon Sessions each scored 14 points, and center Marcin Gortat had 10 points and nine rebounds. Starting point guard John Wall dished out nine assists, but he scored just six points on 2-for-11 shooting.
The Grizzlies placed six players in double figures.
Forward Matt Barnes and shooting guard Courtney Lee, starting their second consecutive game after Memphis coach Dave Joerger shook up the lineup, scored 20 points and 15 points, respectively. Forward Jeff Green scored 15 points, and point guard Mario Chalmers had 12 points off the bench. Power forward Zach Randolph, playing as a reserve for the second consecutive game, scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in 21 minutes.
Washington shot 43 percent from the field and was 9-for-24 (37.5 percent) from 3-point range.
Memphis led 57-46 at halftime, having scored 16 points off 10 Washington turnovers. Conley had 12 points and six assists, while Gasol had 10 points and five rebounds. Memphis shot a first-half season-high 61 percent from the floor.
Neal led all first-half scorers with 15 points.
NOTES: Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger changed up the starting lineup Sunday at Miami, removing F Zach Randolph and swingman Tony Allen and inserting F Matt Barnes and G Courtney Lee. The Grizzlies have struggled to defend pick-and-roll action this season, especially when playing Randolph and C Marc Gasol together. "This is what we're going to do for a while," Joerger said of playing smaller. ... Wizards G Bradley Beal, who is averaging 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists, missed his third consecutive game Monday with a stress reaction in his right leg. ... Allen, who dressed but didn't play in Miami because of what the team termed right knee soreness, was out again Monday. ... Veteran reserve G Ramon Sessions had attempted 81 free throws before Monday, second most on the Wizards. "He has a great knack for getting to the rim and drawing contact," Washington coach Randy Wittman said. "He's always had that."