Field Level Media
Mar 10, 2019
Mike Conley brought the Memphis Grizzlies from behind to steal a win at home from the Orlando Magic 105-97 on Sunday night.
Conley had 26 points, eight assists and five rebounds, and Avery Bradley added 21 points for the Grizzlies. Memphis has won four of its last five games, but it remains 10 games out of the playoffs in the Western Conference.
Nikola Vucevic led Orlando with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Terrence Ross added 15 points off the bench. The Magic have lost three of their last four games, though they sit just one game out of the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Memphis trailed 95-88 with 3:06 remaining but closed out the game on a 17-2 run. Delon Wright converted a three-point play to bring the Grizzlies within one, and Conley followed that up with a pair of free throws and a jumper to put the Grizzlies ahead 100-97 with 14.9 seconds left.
Other than a short-lived lead in the third quarter, the Magic were playing catch-up for much of the game. That changed in the fourth quarter, when Ross hit a 3-pointer to put Orlando ahead 77-75 with 11:17 left in the game. Orlando looked to have control of the contest until the run by Memphis.
The Magic didn't take a lead until Wesley Iwundu put them ahead 60-59 with 7:02 remaining in the third. But the Grizzlies responded with eight straight points to regain command of the game.
Orlando was fortunate to be down only 49-48 at halftime after a sluggish start.
The Magic went 4 for 22 from the floor to start the game, and the Grizzlies led by as many as 12 in the first quarter. Orlando chipped away in the second. A defensive stop in the final seconds of the half turned into a fast-break layup for Vucevic, which made it a one-point ball game.
Memphis held the Magic to just 34 percent from the field in the first half, but the Grizzlies, who led the entire half, never took advantage of Orlando's poor shooting.
Evan Fournier, who was held scoreless, was ejected early in the third quarter after being assessed two technical fouls for arguing with an official. Head coach Steve Clifford joined him in the closing seconds, drawing two technicals during a stoppage with 4.2 seconds remaining
Aaron Gordon was X-rayed at halftime after aggravating his back in the second quarter. The results were negative, and he returned to the game in the third quarter.
--Field Level Media