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 Conley was 8 of 14 from the field and connected on 3 of 6 from beyond the arc to help Memphis its 10th straight win in the series. Marc Gasol finished with 16 points and Jerryd Bayless added 15. Zach Randolph had 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Tayshaun Prince scored 12 points and grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds.
Alexey Shved led the Timberwolves with 12 points, and Mickael Gelabale and J.J. Barea finished with 11 apiece. The Timberwolves' reserves scored 44 points as no Minnesota starter finished in double figures.
Minnesota shot 34 percent and was outscored 50-28 in the paint.
Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio left the game after coming down awkwardly on a fast break with about 3 minutes left in the third quarter. He went to the locker room briefly with a minor groin strain. He was available, but did not return to the game. He finished with two points and two assists.
Memphis, as it has for about the last 10 games, pulled away with a quick start in the third quarter. The Grizzlies opened the period with nine straight points to start a 13-2 run that gave them their largest lead to that point at 58-41.
Minnesota managed to convert only one of its first nine attempts, while Memphis connected on six straight.
The Grizzlies' lead continued to swell, reaching 20 near the midway point of the period.
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The Grizzlies outscored Minnesota 29-14 in the period, upping their lead to as many as 25 points. Memphis hit 13 of 19 shots, while the Timberwolves were 4 of 21.
The Timberwolves would not have a player reach double figures until Shved's 3-point play with 10:03 to play in the game.
That cut the Grizzlies' lead to 79-63, but the Timberwolves would never threaten the rest of the way.
The Grizzlies led 45-39 at the break behind 11 points from Gasol. Derrick Williams and Nikola Pekovic had eight points each for the Timberwolves.
Neither team shot particularly well, Memphis doing best with 44 percent, but the Grizzlies converted only one of six shots from outside the arc.
Minnesota was 4 of 13 from outside in the half.
NOTES: Minnesota, which defeated New Orleans on Sunday night, has not won consecutive games since a four-game winning streak in December. . Memphis avoided a three-game losing streak with the victory. The Grizzlies and Miami are the only teams that have not had a three-game skid. ... Memphis F Darrell Arthur missed his eighth game with neck and back soreness. . Conley recorded a steal in the first quarter and now has 57 straight games with a steal. His two steals in the game gave him 146 for the season, a franchise record.
[Associated
Press; By CLAY BAILEY]
Copyright 2013 The Associated
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