Nets Fall to Grizzlies 101-77

Marc Gasol had 20 points and nine rebounds and the Memphis Grizzlies built a 30-point lead in the second half en route to a 101-77 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.

Gasol was 10 of 15 from the field, all of his points coming in the first half, as Memphis, which had seven players in double figures, won for the fourth time in the past five games.

Mike Conley made six of seven shots, including 2 of 3 outside the arc, for 14 points, while Zach Randolph had 12 points and matched Gasol's nine rebounds.

Rudy Gay, Jerryd Bayless and Tony Wroten scored 11 apiece, while Chris Johnson, on a 10-day contract with Memphis, had 10 points.

Brook Lopez led the Nets with 18 points, while Deron Williams scored 12, adding six assists. Joe Johnson and Reggie Evans scored 11 points each, with Evans grabbing 10 rebounds.

Brooklyn's starting backcourt of Williams and Johnson both were 4 of 10 from the field, part of the Nets shooting 41 percent.

Memphis' dominance on the inside was set early and continued through the game. The Grizzlies held a 62-40 advantage in the paint and outrebounded Brooklyn 45-37.

Memphis had 15 offensive rebounds, leading to 27 second-chance points.

Memphis played one of its best halves of the season in carrying a 67-44 lead into the break. Gasol had 20 points, while Randolph had scored 12 in the first two quarters.

The 67 points were the most scored by the Grizzlies in a half this season.

Memphis connected on 60 percent of its first-half shots as it worked the offense through Gasol early, and the Grizzlies center was 10 of 15 from the field in the first two quarters.

The lead got to as many as 25 points before intermission.

Lopez had 15 for the Nets, connecting on 7 of 12 shots.

The Nets, who have had trouble handling the ball recently, committed only five turnovers in the first half, but shot 43 percent from the field, not near enough to keep pace with the Grizzlies.

Memphis extended the lead to 30 in the early stages of the second half, but the Nets had a 13-3 run to get their deficit to 79-59.

Memphis could not maintain its shooting touch from the first half, and turnovers were hurting as Memphis had four miscues in the period.

Memphis held an 85-67 lead after three quarters, despite being outscored 23-18 in the period.

The Nets actually could have cut into the lead at the start of the fourth as Memphis continued to commit turnovers, missed its first two shots and was scoreless through almost 3 minutes.

Problem was, Brooklyn also was scoreless during the span, missing its first six shots to start the fourth.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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