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Grizzlies rout Rose-less Bulls

Jan 17, 2012 - 1:49 AM Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - Rudy Gay scored 24 points while Mike Conley filled the stat sheet with 20 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and four steals as the Memphis Grizzlies routed the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls, 102-86, in the 10th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Game on Monday.

Marc Gasol had 19 points and 10 rebounds and Marreese Speights netted 16 points with 12 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who won their season-high third straight game. They shot 54 percent from the field against Chicago, which came into the contest limiting its opponents to 41.3 percent shooting -- tied for third in the NBA.

"They are a great defensive team and I just tried to penetrate and make plays for guys," Conley said. "To beat a good team like Chicago, you have to have energy. You have to outwork them. That's what we wanted to do from the beginning of the game, pick up fullcourt, inbounds plays and make a statement that we're going to be in this game for all four quarters."

Rose sat out Monday's game due to a lingering toe problem. He initially suffered the injury on January 10 against Minnesota and missed the following night's game against Washington. He returned for the next two contests at Boston on Friday and Toronto on Saturday.

"I went out there to shoot and was a little more sore than usual and decided to sit out," said Rose. "I was mad, but hopefully it'll get better. If it's up to me, I want to play tomorrow (against Phoenix)."

John Lucas and C.J. Watson split time at point guard for the Bulls and recorded four turnovers apiece. Chicago posted 19 total turnovers and was just 1-of-12 from beyond the arc.

Luol Deng led the Bulls with 20 points and six rebounds.

The Grizzlies started hot and finished strong in the opening quarter. They opened 7-of-8 from the field and made their final six shots of the first stanza, taking a 28-21 lead into the second. Speights and Gay had eight points apiece to pace Memphis, while Carlos Boozer netted 10 first-quarter points for Chicago.

Memphis continued to scorch the nets in the second quarter, hitting on 61.9 percent of its shots. Following a Josh Selby steal, Gay sank a three-pointer with 22.5 remaining in the first half to give Memphis a 58-38 halftime advantage.

Gay poured in 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting for the Grizzlies, who shot 69.2 percent in the opening half of play.

A 7-0 spurt in the third gave Memphis its largest lead of 27, 69-42, following a Gay fadeaway jumper with 8:40 remaining in the quarter. The Bulls, though, hung tough and whittled the lead to 77-66 after three quarters as Chicago closed the third on a 19-6 surge.

But the Grizzlies pushed the lead back to 18 at 92-74 following an 11-2 run. Conley had four points and two assists during the surge to essentially put the game away with 6:42 left.

Game Notes

The Bulls crushed the Grizzlies in their previous meeting on January 1, 104-64...In 13 games this season, Rose is averaging team highs of 20.8 points and 8.7 assists...The Grizzlies scored 26 points off Chicago's 19 turnovers...Memphis outrebounded Chicago, 46-34... The Grizzlies are 5-5 on MLK day games...George Gervin and Clyde Drexler were honored and recognized pre-game for their contributions towards civil and human rights.