Field Level Media
Aug 23, 2012
Mike Conley scored 30 points and the Memphis Grizzlies ended a four-game losing streak with a 110-105 win against the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.
Jonas Valanciunas had 20 points and 13 rebounds, Avery Bradley scored 15, and Joakim Noah finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for Memphis.
LeBron James had 24 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, Brandon Ingram scored 32 points, and Kyle Kuzma finished with 22 points for the Lakers, who went 0-2 on the brief road trip.
James -- who became the first player in NBA history to move into the top 10 in both career assists and career points -- scored on a fast break with a minute left, but missed the free throw on the potential three-point play to keep the deficit at 105-103. The Grizzlies shot 5-for-8 from the free throw line over the final 40 seconds, but the Lakers couldn't pull any closer.
Memphis, which came in last in the NBA in scoring at 100.8 points a game, had 61 points and a five-point lead at the half.
As they did in the second quarter, the Lakers managed to pull back into a tie with Memphis during the third, but couldn't regain a lead they lost in the final minutes of the opening quarter.
Neither team scored in the first three-plus minutes of the fourth before Noah's dunk gave Memphis an 89-81 lead with 8:44 left.
The start of the game featured 12 lead changes through the first 5:45. Neither team led by more than four until Conley sank a 3-pointer for a five-point lead with 8.8 seconds left in the first quarter, and the Grizzlies took a 34-31 advantage into the second.
Mike Muscala, playing in his third game with the Lakers since his trade from the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 7, made a 3-pointer to get Los Angeles even at 44-44 with 7:31 left in the first half, but they were unable to regain the lead.
A 10-0 run by the Grizzlies gave them their first double-digit advantage at 61-50 with 2:47 left in the half, but the Lakers managed to pull back within 61-56 at the break.
--Field Level Media