Grizzlies 101, Pelicans 99
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Point guard Mike Conley posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists in his first game back from an Achilles injury as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 101-99 on Monday afternoon at FedExForum.
Conley missed six games with soreness in his left Achilles and coach Dave Joerger held him to 28 minutes. But Conley had plenty of help from his teammates.
Center Marc Gasol also had a double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, two steals and a block. Forwards Jeff Green and Matt Barnes each had 16 points off the bench, with guard Courtney Lee also scoring 16 points.
Memphis (24-19) was up 100-97 when Gasol went to the foul line with 12.4 seconds left. He missed both free throws and guard Jrue Holiday (23 points, nine assists) pulled the Pelicans to within one with a cutting layup with 4.6 seconds remaining.
Lee was then fouled and made the first of two free throws with 3.5 seconds left. When he missed the second one, Gasol tapped the ball into the backcourt and time expired.
Neither team had a double-digit lead during the game and neither led by more than six points in the fourth quarter.
New Orleans (13-27) got 21 points, eight rebounds and three blocks from power forward Anthony Davis and forward Ryan Anderson chipped in 14 points off the bench.
The Pelicans shot 48.6 percent from the floor and 31.6 percent from 3-point range (6-for-19). Memphis shot 46.7 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three (8-for-19).
Memphis moved five games over .500 for the first time this season.
Anderson's long, buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave New Orleans a 51-49 lead at halftime. Davis led all first-half scorers with 16 points and Anderson was second with 11 points.
Although the Pelicans were just 1-for-8 (12.5 percent) from deep in the first half, they shot 50 percent overall. Memphis shot 47.6 percent and was 4-for-9 from (44.4 percent) behind the arc. Conley and Lee each hit two threes and each had 10 points at the half.
NOTES: Pelicans F Anthony Davis and Grizzlies PG Mike Conley are among the 30 finalists announced for the 2016 U.S. Olympic team to be coached by Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. ... Pelicans starting PG Tyreke Evans did not play Monday after experiencing right knee soreness during pregame warmups. Evans missed the first 17 games of the season after having surgery on his right knee. ... Monday marked the 14th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day game in Memphis. Former NBA players Spencer Haywood and Jalen Rose and the WNBA's Tamika Catchings received the 11th annual National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award. "To be in this city obviously means a lot," said New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry. "This is the place where (Dr. King) was assassinated. I told our guys that everyone should take time to go down to the museum. You can learn so much."