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Conley helps Grizzlies top Rockets

Feb 15, 2012 - 5:14 AM Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - Mike Conley scored 21 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range as the Grizzlies defeated the Rockets, 93-83, at FedEx Forum on Tuesday.

Memphis had five scorers in double figures, including 20 from Rudy Gay and 18 from Marc Gasol. The Grizzlies have now won three of their last four contests.

Kyle Lowry led all scorers with 24 points and Courtney Lee added 13 points for Houston, which dropped its second straight game after winning the previous three.

"They played harder than we did tonight," Rockets head coach Kevin McHale said. "It took us a long time to get engaged in the type of game it was, which was going to be a grind-it-out one, as you could see (from) the first quarter. You can't ease into a game like that."

Memphis led by as many as 15 in this game, but the Rockets scored eight straight to cut the deficit to 84-79 with just under three minutes remaining.

The Grizzlies responded to the Houston surge as Conley knocked down a three and Gay forced a turnover. Gay then found a streaking O.J. Mayo, who finished on the other end to put the Grizzlies back up double digits.

"We turned the ball over, just crazy turnovers," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said about his team faltering down the stretch. "Guys didn't know where to be and we couldn't really run anything. Then Conley hit the big three at the top of the key and then we started getting to the foul line."

Conley knocked down a triple with 6:25 left in the first to spark a 13-2 spurt for the Grizzlies, allowing them to take a 21-17 lead after one quarter of play.

The Grizzlies finished the first quarter shooting 52.6 percent, while the Rockets managed to shoot just 29.6 percent from the field.

Conley scored seven straight points with just over a minute left in the second as Memphis held a 52-43 advantage at halftime.

Memphis turned eight first-half turnovers into 16 points as the Rockets managed just six points on four Memphis turnovers.

Houston got four straight points from Lowry to close out the third quarter as the Rockets cut the deficit to 72-64.

Game Notes

Both teams will play the second game of a back-to-back on Wednesday as Memphis will visit New Jersey and the Rockets will begin a season-high six-game homestand against Oklahoma City...Houston's Luis Scola scored his 5,000th career point on a first quarter layup...Memphis shot 47.9 percent from the field, while the Rockets shot 38.5 percent.