Lopez, Davis lead Hornets past Grizzlies, 90-83

[March 23, 2013]  NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Robin Lopez had 23 points, including a key putback and a pair of free throws in the final 1:11, and the New Orleans Hornets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 90-83 on Friday night.

Lopez also had 10 rebounds for New Orleans, which has won two in a row. Anthony Davis added 18 points and 15 boards, Greivis Vasquez had 12 points and nine assists, and Eric Gordon finished with 11 points.

Mike Conley scored 20 points while nearly leading the Grizzlies back from a 16-point fourth-quarter hole. His consecutive 3s had Memphis as close as 83-81 with 2:36 left, but Vasquez answered with a big 3 and Lopez's putback made it 88-81.

Marc Gasol had 16 points for the Grizzlies, while Zach Randolph added 14 and Jerryd Bayless 12.

Lopez and Davis helped the Hornets outrebound Memphis 49-33. Lopez had six offensive boards, helping the Hornets to a 22-12 advantage in second-chance points.

The Hornets also wound up outshooting Memphis 47.4 percent (36 of 76) to 41.1 percent (30 of 73).

Coming off an impressive overtime victory against Oklahoma City, Memphis dominated early, going up by 11 when Conley's free throws made it 21-10. That turned out to be the largest lead of the game for the Grizzlies.

New Orleans pulled into a 27-all tie on Gordon's 3 in the middle of the second quarter. After that, Memphis managed to maintain a slim lead for much of the second period until Al-Farouq Aminu's inside basket sparked an 8-0 run to close the half, capped by Gordon's last-second floater that gave New Orleans a 48-43 lead at the break.

Memphis was back within a point after Randolph scored inside to make it 56-55, but the Hornets then put together an 11-1 run late in the third period, with eight straight points coming from Lopez before Ryan Anderson added a 3 to make it 67-56.

Anderson's second 3 gave New Orleans its largest lead at 76-60. Memphis then began to make one final push during which Conley scored 11 points on three 3s and a pair of free throws, but the Hornets, who have blown several double-digit leads this season, uncharacteristically made all the plays they needed to in the clutch.

NOTES: The victory marked the first time the Hornets have won two straight since the All-Star break. ... A shot by Anderson that was ruled a 3 on the floor late in the first quarter was changed to a two-pointer on video review in between periods. Still, the two 3s Anderson made gave him 187 for the season, tied for third most in a single season in franchise history with Baron Davis. ... Anderson has accounted for just more than 40 percent of all made 3s by the Hornets this season. ... Conley, who came in as the NBA's steals leader with 148, had two more in New Orleans. ... Memphis has lost three straight on the road to fall to 19-14 away from home. ... The Grizzlies finished with a 16-0 advantage in fast-break points.

[Associated Press; By BRETT MARTEL]

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