Grizzlies beat Kings in Conley's return
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Mike Conley returned to the lineup and scored 22 points, and JaMychal Green knocked down four 3-pointers to pace the Memphis Grizzlies' long-distance attack in a 112-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on Saturday.
Conley, who missed two straight games with a toe injury, played 29 minutes in his return and made 8 of 11 shots from the field to set the pace for Memphis' hot-shooting night. The Grizzlies shot 50.6 percent from the field and were 17 for 35 (48.6 percent) from beyond the arc.
Green was 4 for 5 from long distance and scored 18 points, and the Grizzlies (22-14) opened a four-game road trip by winning their second straight. Zach Randolph scored 14 points off the bench, as did Vince Carter. Tony Allen and Troy Daniels each added 11 points for the Grizzlies.
DeMarcus Cousins finished with 26 points, eight assists, five steals and four rebounds, but the Kings (14-19) dropped their second straight after a season-best four-game winning streak. Cousins also received his 10th technical foul, tying him with Oklahoma City's Russel Westbrook for the most in the NBA.
Matt Barnes added a season-best 20 points and made five 3-pointers for Sacramento. Darren Collison scored 16 points, and Anthony Tolliver had 16 points off the bench for the Kings, who played their second straight game without Rudy Gay (hip flexor) and third straight without Arron Afflalo (strained elbow).
Sacramento also lost point guard Ty Lawson to a facial injury in the first half. Lawson took a shoulder to the face and underwent a precautionary CAT scan to rule out a fracture. Rookie Malachi Richardson played 10 minutes in the second half, his second-longest stint of the season, and contributed seven points.
Memphis entered halftime with a 50-45 advantage, but Conley made two 3-pointers and scored eight points during a 14-4 blitz to start the second half, and Sacramento never got closer than 12 the rest of the way.
NOTES: F Rudy Gay has missed eight of Sacramento's last nine games. The Kings were 4-3 in the first seven without him and forged three of their victories in a season-high four-game winning streak with Gay sidelined. He aggravated a right hip injury against Philadelphia on Dec. 26. ... Grizzlies coach David Fizdale told the Memphis Commercial-Appeal he would "sneak in some kind of team-building exercise" during the team's week-long four-game trip to the West Coast. Memphis next travels to Los Angeles for back-to-back games against the Lakers and Clippers on Tuesday and Wednesday before closing the trek against the Golden State Warriors on Friday. ... Kings C Kosta Koufos' name has circulated in trade rumors out of Houston, according to several media sources. Koufos, in his ninth season, is averaging 5.9 points and 5.8 rebounds in 20 minutes a game and has started 29 of 33 contests this season. ... The Grizzlies are on pace to set a team record for 3-pointers. They entered Saturday's game with 300.