Grizzlies 121, Kings 117
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Forward Jeff Green scored 29 points off the bench Saturday night as the Memphis Grizzlies held off a late charge by Sacramento Kings for a 121-117 victory at FedExForum.
Sacramento was down by 15 points with just under nine minutes to play, trailing 104-89. A 13-0 run brought the score to 104-102 with five minutes left as the Kings' Omri Casspi (17 points, seven rebounds) finished a fast break with a running dunk.
Memphis answered with a run of its own to go back up by 10 points, but a bank-shot 3-pointer by guard Darren Collison (20 points) closed the gap to 118-117 with 18.7 seconds to go. Memphis guard Courtney Lee (18 points) hit three of four free throws to close out the game.
Sacramento All-Star DeMarcus Cousins (17 points, 14 rebounds) left the game with 2:02 remaining after injuring his left ankle.. He had to be helped to the locker room.
It was Green's third straight game of at least 21 points off the bench and he was 11 of 16 from the floor.
Memphis (28-20) has won nine of its last 11 games. The Grizzlies shot 51.9 percent from floor and went 8 of 18 from 3-point range for 44.4 percent.
Center Marc Gasol filled the stat sheet with 22 points, six rebounds, five assists, five blocks and two steals. Vince Carter chipped in 13 points off the bench.
The Kings (20-27) dropped their fourth straight and fell to 8-15 on the road. Forward Rudy Gay led Sacramento with 21 points and seven rebounds. Point guard Rajon Rondo had 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds but had seven turnovers and fouled out.
Sacramento shot 41.3 percent from the field and hit 9 of 24 from distance for 37.5 percent. The Grizzlies scored 26 points off 19 Sacramento turnovers.
The Grizzlies put up 36 points in the first quarter and were ahead 65-51 at halftime. The 65 first-half points were a season high for Memphis.
Jeff Green led the first-half scoring with 19 points.
NOTES: Coming into Saturday night's game, Memphis had scored 100 or more points in seven straight games, tying the second-longest streak in franchise history. Meantime, the Kings carried a three-game losing streak into the game and had given up an average of 118.3 points per game. ... Sacramento C DeMarcus Cousins made the Western Conference All-Star team for the second consecutive year. He is third in the NBA in scoring (27.2 points) and fourth in rebounding (11.2). In the Sacramento era of the franchise, Cousins is one of only four players to make multiple All-Star teams. The others are Mitch Richmond (six), Chris Webber (four) and Peja Stojakovic (three). ... Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger, speaking about players filling different roles this season, said before the game: "They've been all on board -- whatever it takes to win." ... When Memphis beat Sacramento 103-89 in November, the Kings had a season-low 11-point second quarter.