Grizzlies fend off Jazz comeback
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Point guard Mike Conley scored 19 points with nine assists and the Memphis Grizzlies held off the Utah Jazz for an 88-79 victory Sunday night at FedExForum.
Power forward Zach Randolph gave Memphis a double-double off the bench with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Utah rallied from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to get within five at 82-77 with 1:09 to play on a basket by guard George Hill (15 points). But with 24.6 seconds left in the game, Jazz center Rudy Gobert (five points, 13 rebounds) fouled Memphis center Marc Gasol (17 points) from behind the 3-point line.
Gasol made all three free throws to hike the lead to 85-77 and Utah never drew closer than six points.
The Jazz (23-16) committed 18 turnovers that Memphis turned into 26 points. Forward Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 22 points and forward Trey Lyles chipped in 11 points off the bench.
Memphis (24-16) closed the third quarter on an 8-0 run that included back-to-back threes from guard Troy Daniels (six points) and Vince Carter (three points) in the last four seconds. The Grizzlies carried a 63-51 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies didn't score until the 8:42 mark in the fourth, when forward James Ennis (eight points) made a pair of free throws. That started another 8-0 run that boosted Memphis' lead to 71-54 with 7:49 left to play.
Utah shot 38.9 percent from the field and hit 9 of 23 from 3-point range for 39.1 percent. The Grizzlies shot 43.6 percent and were 9 of 24 from distance for 37.5 percent.
Grizzlies forward JaMychal Green (eight points, six rebounds) fouled out with 4:01 to play and then picked up a technical foul.
Memphis led 42-35 at halftime as Hayward led all scorers with 11 points. The Jazz owned a 24-13 rebounding edge through two quarters, but committed 12 turnovers that turned into 16 Memphis points.
NOTES: When Memphis erased a 19-point deficit entering the fourth quarter at Golden State on Jan. 6 to win 128-119 in overtime, it snapped a 662-game losing streak (regular season) for NBA teams trailing by at least 19 points after three quarters. ... This was the Grizzlies' second victory over the Warriors this season, making Memphis the first team with two regular-season wins over San Antonio since the 2014-15 season. ... Utah C Rudy Gobert set a franchise record during the Jan. 7 victory at Minnesota with his 23rd consecutive game of 10 or more rebounds. ... Gobert also entered Sunday's game with a league-leading 99 blocks and was the only player in the NBA averaging at least 12.5 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. ... Grizzlies G Troy Daniels had made at least three 3-pointers in five straight games through Jan. 6.