Updated

The Memphis Grizzlies brought back the inside play and tight defense that made them successful earlier this season.

And the performance with the team's new players removed the bad thoughts of the previous week's play.

Marc Gasol scored six of his 20 points down the stretch to help the Grizzlies end their two-game slide by defeating the Golden State Warriors 99-93 on Friday night.

The Grizzlies said it was the most comfortable the team had been since adding Tayshaun Prince, Austin Daye and Ed Davis in a three-team deal that sent Rudy Gay to Toronto on Jan. 30.

"We let our defense dictate our offense," said Gasol, who also grabbed 11 rebounds and was 9 of 14 from the field.

"We were unselfish defensively. We were helping each other. We knew their schemes, and were real aggressive in trying to get them away from what they were trying to do.

" ... Offensively, we moved it, and we were fortunate that we hit a lot of shots from the outside."

Tony Allen had a season-high 17 points on 7 of 8 shooting, Zach Randolph had 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Jerryd Bayless finished with 14 points.

Daye had 12 points for Memphis, providing a spark in the first half.

The adjustment to new players and dealing with trade rumors contributed to two tough losses earlier in the week — first at home to Phoenix, then in Atlanta.

All the talk about the team's mindset after the shakeup led Memphis coach Lionel Hollins to address the issue in a 20-plus-minute pregame discussion. Among the topics was for the team to forget the changes and play their style of game.

"We finally kind of calmed down and let the game come to us," said point guard Mike Conley, who had 10 of Memphis' 26 assists on 36 field goals.

"We played inside-out down the stretch. Got it to Marc and (Randolph) and played off of them. That's what we've been known for the last few years, and finally got back to the inside-out style of basketball."

Stephen Curry matched his season high with 32 points and eight assists for the Warriors, who lost their third straight. David Lee was the only other Golden State player in double figures with 26 points, connecting on 10 of 16 shots.

While allowing 63 points in the first half, the Warriors limited Memphis to 36 after the break, a turnaround that presented some optimism for Golden State.

"We fell a little bit short," Curry said. "It's a frustrating feeling for us losing three in a row. But it is a positive that we can take from this game knowing that we got back to our brand of basketball the last 24 minutes."

Warriors coach Mark Jackson said the second half was a much better performance on both ends of the floor for his team.

"I was pleased with the defensive effort in the second half," Jackson said. "We gave up too many points in the first half. ... We played our brand of basketball (in the second half). I was pleased with that. It was a tough loss for us."

Memphis took over in the fourth quarter with nine unanswered points after consecutive 3-pointers from Curry gave the Warriors their last lead of the game with about 8 minutes left.

The victory moved the Grizzlies 1½ games ahead of Golden State for the fifth playoff spot in the Western Conference.

"We look at those standings every day as we walk out," Allen said. "We knew those guys were right on our heels, and we needed to get this win."

The first half had both teams hitting above 50 percent from the field as the Grizzlies carried a 63-56 lead. Allen, who hit all five of his shots in the half, had 13 points.

Daye hit 4 of 5 shots, including 3 of 4 outside the arc, for 12 points.

"I hadn't made a shot in here yet," Daye said, "so it felt good to hit that first shot. Once I hit that first shot, I knew had a couple more in my chamber."

Memphis was 8 of 20 on 3-pointers, compared to 6 of 17 for the Warriors.

It didn't take long for Golden State to erase Memphis' halftime advantage, scoring six unanswered points to open the third as part of an 11-2 run that put the Warriors up 67-65 near the midway point of the period.

The game was close through the rest of the third with five ties and four lead changes in the period. The final lead change of the period came on an inside basket by Tayshaun Prince as Memphis led 77-76 entering the fourth.

NOTES: The Grizzlies have won nine straight in the series. ... The Warriors have not defeated the Grizzlies since Nov. 3, 2010. Their last win in Memphis was April 4, 2008. ... Golden State G Jarrett Jack missed his second straight game with a right shoulder contusion. ... The three-game slide for the Warriors matches their longest of the season. ... The 63 first-half points for Memphis was only the second time this season the Grizzlies have surpassed 60 points in a half. ... It was Gasol's ninth double-double of the season and Randolph's 30th.