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 Tyreke Evans had 16 points, Jrue Holiday scored 11 and Jason Smith finished with 10 points for New Orleans, which led by as many as 29 points in the fourth quarter.
Mike Conley led the Grizzlies with 26 points before leaving in the fourth quarter with a facial injury. Marc Gasol had 11 points for Memphis, but connected on only 4 of 11 shots and grabbed one rebound.
Memphis played most of the game without starting forward Zach Randolph, who left in the first half when his fiance, Faune, went into labor. The Grizzlies announced after halftime that Randolph made it to the hospital in time for the birth of their 7-pound, 4-ounce boy.
While Randolph left to celebrate the birth of his child, the Grizzlies lost two guards to injuries. Jerryd Bayless sprained his right knee in the third quarter then Conley left early in the fourth when he caught an inadvertent elbow to the face from New Orleans guard Anthony Morrow.
New Orleans dominated, shooting at least 50 percent through most of the game before ending up at 49 percent, outrebounding Memphis 39-29 and forcing 18 turnovers.
The Grizzlies committed eight turnovers in the first 12 minutes of the game and the Pelicans made 13 of their first 16 shots and 14 of 20 in opening a 51-41 lead at halftime. The lead could've been bigger but the Pelicans were just 5-of-18 shooting in the second quarter.
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Memphis closed the half with a 12-5 run.
Gordon led the Pelicans at the break with 11 points and Smith had 10.
Conley had 16 for Memphis.
Things just kept getting worse for Memphis in the second half. New Orleans opened the third with an 8-1 run. Davis had 10 points in the quarter, and New Orleans extended the lead to as many as 23 points before carrying a 79-57 lead into the fourth.
The Grizzlies were so frustrated that Gasol slammed the scorer's table with both hands in anger as he headed to the huddle at the end of the third quarter.
Then, Brian Roberts scored on a 3-pointer and a jumper to start the fourth, and when Morrow scored on a layup after Memphis' second straight turnover to make it 85-57, the Grizzlies fans started booing.
The Memphis reserves made it a bit exciting in the fourth, crafting a 16-0 run, eventually cutting the Pelicans lead to 93-84 with 2:32 left, but New Orleans weathered the rally.
NOTES: Memphis is now 0-3 vs. Southwest Division. The Grizzlies were 10-6 in the division last season. ... Memphis has trailed after three quarters in all five games this season. ... New Orleans, which entered the game with the best shooting percentage in the league beyond the arc at 52 percent, connected on only 4 of 13 (31 percent).
[Associated
Press; By CLAY BAILEY]
Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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