Conley's drive lifts Grizzlies over Cavs in OT

[December 09, 2009]  MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Mike Conley drove past Shaquille O'Neal for a layup with 3 seconds left to give the Memphis Grizzlies a 111-109 overtime victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.

LeBron James, who had 43 points and 13 rebounds, took the last shot, but his 30-footer over Rudy Gay hit the front of the rim, snapping the Cavaliers' 4-game winning streak.

Zach Randolph led Memphis with 32 points and 14 rebounds. O.J. Mayo scored 28, and Gay finished with 21 points. Marc Gasol had 11 points and eight rebounds.

Mo Williams had 20 points and eight assists for the Cavaliers, while O'Neal scored 16. Reserve Daniel Gibson added 13 points.

James' two free throws with 14.9 seconds left tied the game at 109. But on the ensuing possession, Conley held the ball out front and drove to the right side of the basket, lofting it off the glass as O'Neal moved over.

The two teams were tied at 100 at the end of regulation. Gay's layup with 18 seconds left tied the game. Cleveland had the final possession, but James lost the handle on the dribble, and by the time he gathered it up, his desperation jumper was short, sending the game to overtime.

James, who has a reputation for big fourth quarters, was 5 of 13, including 1 of 5 from outside the arc, in the fourth and overtime. His driving layup with 26 seconds left gave Cleveland a 107-106 lead.

Mayo connected on a 3-pointer with 19.1 seconds left before James' two free throws tied it at 109 with 14 seconds remaining, setting up the possession that led to Conley's winning basket.

Memphis snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Cavaliers with the victory.

Cleveland led 59-48 at the half behind 22 points from James and 10 each from O'Neal, Mo Williams and Gibson.

The Cavaliers' defensive pressure pestered the Memphis ballhandlers. Cleveland was in the middle of passing lanes and the Cavs' interior defense altered shots, leading to five early blocks, three of them by O'Neal. The Cavaliers had seven blocks on the night.

Memphis shot only 38 percent in the half compared to 49 by the Cavaliers. James' first three baskets came on dunks. He missed only one of his nine shots from the field in the half, including hitting 2 of 3 from 3-point range.

Still, Cleveland could not distance itself from Memphis until midway through the second quarter. O'Neal's inside bucket gave the Cavaliers their first double-digit lead of the game, a margin eventually extended to 16.

James hit a 3-pointer with 1:24 left in the half to give Cleveland its biggest lead before the break -- 58-42.

Memphis opened the second half with a 10-3 run, and eventually cut the deficit to 73-72 as Randolph scored 12 points in the period and Gay had 11.

But Cleveland still led 78-76 at the end of three quarters.

Memphis opened the fourth with a 6-0 run to take its first lead since the opening half. The two teams would stay close the rest of the way with six lead changes and seven ties in the fourth.

NOTES: The Cavaliers had not lost to a Western Conference team this season, the only Eastern team which could make that claim before Tuesday's loss. In fact, their undefeated streak stretched to last season, a string of 13 straight. ... The Grizzlies had not defeated the Cavaliers since Nov. 5, 2005. ... Grizzlies reserve F Sam Young got a technical foul after he was whistled for fouling James in the first period. ... Randolph had a 3-pointer from the top of the key early in the third, his first 3-pointer of the season after four misfires. ... Cleveland had held its previous eight opponents under 100 points. Memphis reached the century mark in regulation.

[Associated Press]

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