Sacramento, CA – Mike Conley poured in 25 points and his go- ahead score with 30 seconds left helped lift the Memphis Grizzlies to an 89-87 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
Marc Gasol had 15 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, and his rejection of Marcus Thornton's 3-pointer on the last play of the game preserved the victory.
Quincy Pondexter scored 17 off the bench and Tony Allen had 12 points for the Grizzlies, who moved to a game-behind idle Denver for the three-seed in the Western Conference.
DeMarcus Cousins had a team-high 22 points along with nine rebounds for the Kings, who have dropped the first four of a five-game homestand. Isaiah Thomas followed with 18 points and eight assists, while Toney Douglas and Jimmer Fredette scored 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Memphis was up by eight with just under four minutes to play, but Sacramento surged ahead, 85-84, with nine unanswered points. Cousins capped the surge with a long jumper to give the Kings the lead with 44 seconds left.
Conley, though, answered right back with a running jumper to put the Grizzlies ahead for good. After Cousins missed a layup at the other end, Pondexter sank a pair of free throws to create a three-point edge.
Thomas converted a layup with seven seconds left and the Kings trailed by just two after Conley only split a pair from the line. However, Thornton couldn't finish off the comeback, as his attempt from beyond the arc was went straight into Gasol's hand.
"He pump-faked and I didn't jump," Gasol said. "I'm not much of a jumper anyway. The switch worked out."
Memphis trailed by one with 3:45 left in the third, but pulled ahead 66-58 after Conley's 3-pointer capped a 9-0 surge. The Kings then trailed up until they took the lead with under a minute left in the game.
Pondexter had nine points 14 minutes through the game, with his slam putting the Grizzlies ahead 29-17. The Kings, though, countered with a 19-7 run and tied the score at 36-36 on a layup from Douglas.
Neither team led by more than two over the last four minutes of the half, and the Kings held a 44-43 edge at the break after Fredette's driving score in the final seconds.
"It came down to execution," Kings forward Chuck Hayes said. "They got a block and Conley hit a floater. You can tell they are getting ready for the playoffs and they are in playoff form."
Game Notes
Memphis improved to 22-17 on the road ... The Kings were 7-for-25 from 3-point range ... The Grizzlies' Zach Randolph finished with nine points and seven rebounds.
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