Gasol, Grizzlies edge Magic
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Memphis Grizzlies rallied from a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit, and Marc Gasol scored the winning points at the free-throw line in a 95-94 victory over the Orlando Magic on Thursday night at FedExForum.
Gasol finished with a team-high 25 points and added five blocks and three assists. He hit the foul shots with 12.2 seconds left in the game, giving the Grizzlies their first lead of the quarter.
The Magic had a chance to win the game, but they couldn't find a shot in their last possession. The sequence ended with a bad pass by Elfrid Payton that was stolen by JaMychal Green (eight points, seven rebounds, three assists) as time ran out.
Evan Fournier led the Magic with 28 points and handed out four assists. He also stopped the Grizzlies' 13-0 run in the fourth quarter when he hit a 3-pointer to hike the Magic's lead back to 88-84 with 3:04 to play.
The Magic (7-12) led 85-71 at the 6:12 mark after a three-point play by forward Jeff Green (14 points). however, the Magic's turnovers -- 18 on the night compared to 15 assists -- fueled the Grizzlies' comeback.
Guard Troy Daniels came off the bench to score 19 points for Memphis (12-8). Point guard Andrew Harrison chipped in 11 points with a game-best eight assists.
Down by a point at halftime, Orlando held the Grizzlies to 15 points in the third quarter. The Grizzlies did not have a field goal until the 6:31 mark when Gasol hit a running hook shot. The Grizzlies hit just 4 of 18 shots in the quarter for 22.2 percent and the Magic carried a 68-65 lead into the fourth period.
Orlando shot 44.6 from the field and hit 6 of 24 from 3-point range (25 percent). The Grizzlies shot 41.8 percent from the floor and made 7 of 18 shots from long distance (38.9 percent).
Memphis led 50-49 at halftime, when Gasol and Daniels each had 10 points. Fournier scored 17 first-half points.
NOTES: The Grizzlies' injures are piling up to the point that the team again had only nine available players Thursday night. "It's the nasty nine again," said Memphis coach David Fizdale. ... Among the missing for Memphis: PG Mike Conley (lower back), F Chandler Parsons (knee), PF Zach Randolph (personal), F James Ennis (calf), and F Vince Carter (hip). ... The Magic were on the first night of a back-to-back, with a game in Philadelphia on Friday. Orlando coach Frank Vogel believes the NBA needs to tweak scheduling. "I've never been a fan of time-change back-to-backs where you lose an hour," he said. "Or where the second night is a Sunday and it's a 6 o'clock game. Same type of concept." ... Orlando F Serge Ibaka came in ranked fifth in 3-point shooting at 45.3 percent. He made just four of 10 attempts and scored 11 points Thursday.