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Williams leads the way as Cavaliers outlast Grizzlies

Nov 28, 2010 - 4:46 AM Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Mo Williams scored 25 points, dished out 12 assists and pulled down five rebounds, as the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a slow start to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies, 92-86, at Quicken Loans Arena.

J.J. Hickson added 16 points and five boards for the Cavaliers, who have won two of three since a three-game skid. Joey Graham chipped in with 12 points.

"Yes, I'm just trying to be consistent with it each and every night and trying to get a flow to it...Guys, as far as my teammates, are getting more and more comfortable finding their spots and being more familiar with what we are going to do," Williams said.

Rudy Gay ended with 17 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Grizzlies, who saw a three-game winning streak come to an end. Zach Randolph and O.J. Mayo each donated 13 points. Randolph also pulled down 11 boards in defeat.

Memphis started the fourth quarter with a 13-2 run to take a slim lead. Gay tallied five points during the flurry, which Mike Conley capped with a pair of free throws to give the visitors an 80-77 edge with 6:09 to play.

Conley's driving layup with 1:34 remaining made it an 84-84 game. Williams made a three-pointer and Hickson sank a layup after a Randolph miss to give the Cavs an 89-84 lead with 39.9 seconds to go.

It was a three-point contest following two free throws from Conley. Williams made a runner in the lane with 6.5 ticks left to give Cleveland a 91-86 margin.

After Mayo missed a three-pointer, Anderson Varejao made 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to account for the final margin.

"They ran and jumped us. They were all over the place," Gay said. "We were turning the ball over, running into each other, running into them. When they put pressure on us, we can't fold like we did today."

Memphis scored the final nine points of the first quarter to take a 32-22 lead.

Ahead by nine, 38-29, early in the second stanza, the Grizzlies ripped off seven straight points. Greivis Vasquez capped the surge with a jumper to make it a 45-29 game with 7:42 remaining.

The Cavaliers trailed 49-36 a few minutes later, but closed the half on a 9-2 surge. Hickson's two free throws cut the gap to 51-45 at the break.

Cleveland used a big third quarter to move in front. Down by a 60-56 margin midway through the period, the Cavs went on a 16-0 run. Williams tallied 10 points during the burst, including back-to-back three-pointers to give the home team a 72-60 edge with 3:07 to go.

The Cavaliers outscored Memphis, 30-16, in the third to take a 75-67 margin into the fourth.

Game Notes

Memphis and Cleveland split a home-and-home series a year ago, with each team holding serve as the host. The Cavs have won 11 of the previous 13 matchups between the teams. The Grizzlies are winless in their last seven visits to the Q...The Cavs started a three-game homestand on Saturday...Varejao tallied three points and 11 rebounds.