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 And then, at the last moment, the Magic (6-15) made a run. With
2:07 left in the game, Orlando center Glen Davis scored on a
put-back layup to cut the lead to four. Given that the Grizzlies
(10-10) had lost four of their last five home games, point guard
Mike Conley couldn't help hitting the rewind button.
"Not again, we can't lose at home," he said of what went through his
mind before the Grizzlies pushed through for a 94-85 win Monday
night at the FedExForum. "It seemed like it was all but wrapped up.
But guys kept their cool."
Or in the case of power forward Zach Randolph, who had a team-high
19 points with 12 rebounds, turned up the heat. Randolph scored six
fourth-quarter points and made a driving layup past Davis to hike
the lead back up to seven points with 1:14 to play.
"Big Baby, big body," Randolph said of Davis. "I was just being
aggressive — go fast, go strong."
Beyond Randolph, forward Jon Leuer contributed 16 points and 12
rebounds off the bench, Conley scored 13 with seven assists, and
guard Jerryd Bayless had 11 points. Normally one of the worst
3-point shooting teams in the NBA, Memphis shot 58.8 percent (10 of
17) behind the arc. It was the first time this season the Grizzlies
made more 3-pointers than their opponent (10-6).
This was Orlando's sixth straight loss and its road record dropped
to 1-10. The Magic are on the fifth game of a six-game trip.
"I'll never get used to losing," Magic guard Arron Afflalo said.
"One of the only things that keeps you motivated now is knowing
we're only a quarter of the way done."
All five Orlando starters scored in double figures, led by forward
Andrew Nicholson and guard Jameer Nelson, who had 19 points each;
Nicholson also had 11 rebounds. Afflalo scored 17, Davis had 16, and
guard Victor Oladipo finished with 10.
The Magic failed to get even one offensive rebound through the first
two quarters. The Grizzlies led 51-30 at halftime. For the game, the
Grizzlies beat the Magic on the boards 52-35 and in the paint 40-24.
Memphis also had a 20-7 edge on second-chance points.
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"It's tough to get going when you only score 30 points in a
half," Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn said. "We answered in the
third quarter and put up some resistance. Defensively, we
changed our scheme a little bit. We played guys that could guard
multiple positions. We switched a little bit. We were fighting
and clawing to try and produce something in our favor."
The Grizzlies were fighting and clawing, too; they had only nine
players available Monday night due to injuries.
"We have guys out and that hurts," said Leuer, who has scored at
least 15 points in three of the last four games, including a
career-high 23 in a Dec. 3 victory over the Phoenix Suns. "But
that presents opportunity for other guys."
Memphis coach Dave Joerger also would like Leuer to continue
looking for scoring opportunities.
"With Jon, I not only want him shooting the basketball (seven of
14 against the Magic), I want him to attack closeouts," Joerger
said.
With Oklahoma City coming in on Wednesday, the Grizzlies now
have a chance to finish this six-game homestand at 3-3. But only
because they held on Monday night.
"It was a huge win," Conley said.
NOTES: All indications are that Memphis G/F Quincy Pondexter is
done for the season due to a stress fracture in his right foot.
Pondexter met with reporters before Monday night's game and said
a decision on surgery was not made yet. "I have to be smart
about this," he said. "I'm still a young guy, only 25, and I
have a lot of basketball ahead of me." Pondexter was averaging
6.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists. ... Orlando made at
least one 3-point field goal in 513 straight games. The streak
dates back to March 17, 2007. The Magic hit 10 or more
3-pointers five times this season. ... The Magic are one of four
NBA teams with just one road win. The Cleveland Cavaliers,
Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz are the others. ... Memphis PF
Zach Randolph recorded a double-double in nine of his past 13
games.
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reserved.]
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