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Gasol leads Grizzlies past Hornets

Jan 19, 2012 - 4:27 AM New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - Marc Gasol put up 22 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, leading the Grizzlies to a 93-87 victory over the Hornets.

Mike Conley added 18 points and 10 assists, while O.J. Mayo logged 16 points off the bench in the wire-to-wire win, Memphis' fourth straight.

Jarrett Jack netted 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting to keep the Hornets within striking distance, but it wasn't enough to snap a four-game slide.

The Grizzlies were coming off a 16-point win over the Bulls on Monday and carried that momentum into the first quarter, when they connected on 13-of-16 shots from the field.

Conley hit all three of his three-point attempts, and Gasol converted a three- point play the conventional way in the final minute for a 33-22 cushion.

"I liked our focus, our intensity and our discipline at the beginning of the game," Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins said. "I told our coaches that if we could battle that for 48 minutes, that would be what we're trying to build to."

New Orleans slowly chipped away at the deficit and trailed 55-48 at the break, and Jack's three-pointer two minutes into the third tied things at 55.

Memphis scored the next seven points, though, and brought a 72-67 lead into the fourth.

A Mayo three-pointer pushed the margin to a healthy 87-75 with five minutes remaining, but New Orleans went on a 10-0 run, six coming from Jack, to get within two.

"Jarrett Jack was big in the fourth quarter," Hornets forward Trevor Ariza said. "He made some tough shots, but we couldn't come through in the end."

Mayo stopped the run with a jumper with 1:07 remaining, and four offensive rebounds on the next Grizzlies possession ended with two Conley free throws that sealed the outcome.

Game Notes

The Grizzlies are above .500 for the first time this season at 7-6...The Hornets have dropped seven in a row at home...Rudy Gay and Tony Allen each scored 12 points for Memphis, which had 13 fastbreak points to New Orleans' two...Ariza and Jason Smith totaled 18 and 14 points, respectively, for the Hornets.