Conley, Gasol carry Grizzlies past Hawks
ATLANTA -- Mike Conley won the battle of the point guards and Marc Gasol posted a triple-double on Thursday to spark the Memphis Grizzlies to their third straight win, a 103-91 decision over the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena.
Conley had 22 points with four rebounds, 12 assists and two steals. Conley scored on a layup with 3:47 left to restore the Grizzlies' 12-point lead and quell any hopes of a late Atlanta comeback.
Atlanta point guard Dennis Schroder, who averaged 23.5 points in the last four games, scored 10. He was 4 of 16 from the field and 1 of 6 on 3-pointers. Schroder was so ineffective that coach Mike Budenholzer pulled him with 10:42 left in the fourth quarter and never put him back in the game.
The win gave Memphis a split of the two-game series this season and broke a three-game losing streak to Atlanta. It was the first win for Memphis in Atlanta since 2014.
Memphis (39-30) also got 18 points from Gasol, who added 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season. JaMychal Green added 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Atlanta (37-31) was led by Tim Hardaway Jr. with 18 points, four rebounds and three assists. Kent Bazemore and Taurean Prince each scored 16. Three Hawks scored 10 -- Paul Millsap, Schroder and Dwight Howard, who added 11 rebounds to post his 45th career double-double.
The Hawks left Gasol alone on the perimeter to start the game and he scored nine quick points on jump shots. Atlanta called timeout, made Millsap responsible for Gasol, and he scored only two more points in the quarter. Atlanta led the fast-paced first quarter 28-26, with Millsap scoring 10.
The entire first half was close. Atlanta's largest lead was six points and the widest margin for Memphis was three points, the last coming with two seconds left when JaMychael Green grabbed a missed shot and slammed it home to give the Grizzlies a 55-52 halftime lead.
The score was tied nine times and there were 21 lead changes in the first half.
The Grizzlies began the third quarter with an 13-4 run and took a 12-point lead when Tony Allen slammed home missed shot to make it 68-56.
Memphis led by as many as 18 points and was up 78-65 after three quarters. The Hawks scored late when Hardaway converted a three-point play.
NOTES: Veteran Vince Carter started his third straight game in the wake of Chandler Parsons' season-ending knee injury. Carter played 28 minutes, five more than his season average. ... Atlanta G Mike Dunleavy missed his 11th straight game with a right ankle injury. The Hawks sent rookie F DeAndre Bembry to Salt Lake City for a D-League assignment. ... Atlanta plays again at home on Saturday against Portland before starting a three-game road trip. Memphis returns home to play San Antonio on Saturday, then take off on a four-game road trip.