THE Memphis Grizzlies banked on their defense and all-around outings from Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and Jamychal Green to grind out a 103-91 win over the Atlanta Hawks at the Philips Arena on Thursday (Friday, Manila time).
The Grizzlies turned up the defense while Tony Allen led the attack in a 23-8 run in the third quarter that sparked the blowout after a tight first half.
Memphis extended the lead to 19 early in the fourth before Atlanta cut the gap to 10, 94-84, with 4:11 to play. But the Grizzlies preserved the win with a 9-3 finishing kick for their third straight victory.
Conley led the Grizzlies (39-30) with a double-double of 22 points and 12 assists. Gasol had a triple-double with 18 markers, 10 rebounds and 10 dimes, while Green also finished with a double-double of 14 points and 12 boards.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had 18 points off the bench to lead the Hawks (37-31), while Kent Bazemore and Taurean Prince scored 16 apiece.