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Grizzlies Rally In Final Minutes To Stun Blazers 109-105
Portland, OR (Sports Network) - O.J. Mayo scored 27 points and came up with a key steal, leading to the go-ahead free throw in the last minute, as Memphis edged Portland, 109-105, at the Rose Garden.
Ex-Blazer Zach Randolph ended with 27 points and 14 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who have won four in a row and seven of their last eight games. Marc Gasol chipped in 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Rudy Gay also scored 18 in the victory. Memphis finished the game on a 13-1 run.
“It was a tough game tonight, we came back from some adversity and played hard, played 48 minutes and got the ‘W.’ We played great defense towards the end of the game, our defense was a little suspect in the first half, the second half was a little better,” Randolph said. “We got a couple of stops and finished on the other end. We did good tonight, everybody stepped it up.”
Brandon Roy had 27 points and nine assists, but was charged with a questionable foul with 21.6 seconds left that led to the go-ahead foul shot from Mayo.
Andre Miller finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who lost by 10 on the road against the Clippers Monday night.
"We had a game that we let slip away," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "You've got to execute down the stretch. We got control of the game, we have some shots that we've got to knock down. We had about five or six shots down the stretch that didn't go down and that's the difference in the game."
A steal by Randolph led to a Mayo layup, which tied the game at 104 with 30.5 seconds left. Mayo then pressed the action, guarding Roy tightly near midcourt. Mayo reached in for the steal and Roy was whistled for a foul for pushing off.
Fans responded with a chattering of boos, but Mayo then made 1-of-2 foul shots.
Martell Webster missed a three-point try from the right corner, but Gasol went just 1-of-2 at the line for a 106-104 margin with 9.6 ticks left.
Jerryd Bayless was fouled on a drive into the lane for Portland, and his 1-of-2 performance with 4.3 seconds left had Portland within one again.
Mayo then made the first free throw, missed the second, but Gasol tipped the ball into the corner. Roy dribbled the ball out of bounds, and Randolph’s two free throws with 2.4 seconds to go iced the victory.
Webster finished with 21 points, while Bayless and Juwan Howard each scored 13 for Portland, which led 104-96 following a Bayless layup with 3:45 left.
One Gasol free throw and a pair of Randolph tip shots had the margin at three. Randolph then made 1-of-2 free throws with 56.1 seconds left before Memphis tied the game on Mayo’s lay-in.
The Blazers held a 25-24 edge after the opening quarter and were up nine in the second before settling for a 58-57 advantage at the half.
Mayo’s layup ended an 11-0 run for the Grizzlies, who went up 80-73 with 3:38 remaining in the third. It was 87-79 moving to the fourth, but Portland opened the final quarter on a 12-2 spurt.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 11 points and seven rebounds for Portland, which shot 52.6 percent from the field, barely ahead of the 51.9 for Memphis...The Grizzlies have won two straight in the series after losing eight in a row...Memphis next has a home-and-home series with Utah, beginning Wednesday in Salt Lake City...Portland hosts the Lakers on Friday.
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