Conley guides Grizzlies past Rockets
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Point guard Mike Conley had 24 points and five assists and the Memphis Grizzlies held off the Houston Rockets for a 115-109 victory on Friday night at FedExForum.
The Grizzlies led 103-92 with 3:22 left in the game, but the Rockets pulled within three points with 12 seconds left when forward Ryan Anderson (season-high 31 points) hit his eighth 3-pointer of the night.
A free throw from Conley and a basket from Memphis center Marc Gasol (16 points, five rebounds, four assist,d two blocks) completed the scoring.
The Grizzlies (20-12) led by as many as 15 points in the third quarter.
The Rockets (22-9) has the reputation as the offensive team and the Grizzlies as the defensive team, but it was Memphis that shot 50.6 percent from the floor and made 13 of 25 3-pointers for 52 percent.
Houston shot 42.7 percent from the field and was 20 of 52 from 3-point range for 38.5 percent.
Point guard James Harden tied a career high with 17 assists, but the Rockets' leading scorer was held to 16 points and only attempted a season-low three free throws. Harden also committed nine turnovers.
Memphis got 16 points, five rebounds and four assists off the bench from forward Zach Randolph, 14 points from Vince Carter and 13 points from James Ennis.
Overall, the Memphis bench outscored the Houston bench 55-26.
Guard Eric Gordon provided 17 points for the Rockets. Houston starting center Montrezl Harrell added 16 points and eight rebounds and guard Patrick Beverly chipped in 13 points.
Memphis carried a 77-75 lead into the fourth quarter despite Anderson scoring 13 points in the third. He finished the night 10 of 18 from the floor and 8 of 14 from behind the arc.
The Grizzlies led 54-49 at halftime and Conley topped all scorers with 17 points. Harden had 11 points and six assists but also had four turnovers and three fouls by the half.
NOTES: Memphis C Marc Gasol tied a career high with 38 points on Wednesday in a 98-86 victory at Detroit, making 14 of 17 shots from the field. Going into Friday's game, Gasol had made 46 3-pointers on 106 attempts after making just 12 in his first eight NBA seasons (569 games). ... While Houston PG James Harden entered Friday's game as the league's fifth-leading scorer (27.8 points), he led the NBA with 11.7 assists per game. "From day one, he's embraced the point guard role," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "He's done everything humanly possible to make us a good team." ... Memphis is 8-0 this season when playing on the second night of a back-to-back. ... Coming into Friday's game, the Rockets' bench was averaging 37.5 points per game. Last season, the bench ranked 24th in the NBA with 32.7 points per game.