Memphis, TN (My Sportsbook) - Rudy Gay scored 24 points and Juan Carlos Navarro added 22 as the
Memphis Grizzlies edged the
Sacramento Kings, 117-111, at FedExForum.
Navarro made 6-of-9 from three-point range for the Grizzlies, who have won three of four and picked up back-to-back wins for the first time since wins over Washington and New Jersey in late November. Darko Milicic finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Hakim Warrick and Mike Miller scored 12 points apiece.
Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley each scored 10 for Memphis to round out a group of seven Grizzlies in double-figures. Memphis shot 50.6 percent from the floor and made 12-of-25 from beyond the arc.
Kevin Martin tallied 29 points to lead the Kings, who have lost two straight. Spencer Hawes contributed 19 points and 12 boards, while Francisco Garcia poured in 15 points.
Sacramento opened the fourth with seven of the first ten points and trailed 97-94 after Quincy Douby buried a three with a little more than three minutes gone.
Memphis scored the next six points to push the lead back to nine on Warrick's free throw with 6:52 to play, but the Kings crawled back and cut the lead to 105-102 on Douby's pullup jumper with 3:39 left.
Leading 107-104, Navarro and Gay drilled successive threes to push the Grizzlies' lead back to nine with 1:35 to play.
Martin and Hawes brought the Kings as close as five in the final minute, but the Grizzlies put the game out of reach at the charity stripe in the final moments.
Memphis came out firing in the first period, making 16-of-25 from the field and 5-of-7 from beyond the arc to take a 40-29 lead after the opening 12 minutes. The Grizzlies maintained the cushion in the second quarter and led 67-56 at intermission.
Martin's three pulled Sacramento within 10, 2 1/2 minutes into the second half, but Milicic responded with a personal 8-0 run that extended the Memphis lead to 81-63 with 7:36 left after four straight free throws.
The Kings responded with a 22-6 burst over the next 6 1/2 minutes, closing the gap to 87-85 on consecutive threes from Anthony Johnson and Martin. Memphis responded with seven straight points to push the lead back to nine before Martin canned a jumper with 16 seconds left to bring Sacramento within 94-87 after three quarters.
Game Notes
Sacramento made 48.3 percent of its shots...Mikki Moore contributed nine points, eight rebounds and five assists for Sacramento...Conley dished out a game-high six assists for Memphis...Milicic was 7-of-8 from the free throw line, while the rest of the Grizzlies combined to shoot 16-for-27 from the charity stripe.
