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Balanced attack leads Grizzlies over Suns

Jan 3, 2014 - 6:27 AM Phoenix, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Zach Randolph led six Grizzlies in double figures with 20 points and 15 rebounds and guided Memphis to a 99-91 win over the short-handed Phoenix Suns from U.S. Airways Center.

The Grizzlies got a major boost from their reserves, with Jerryd Bayless scoring 17 points and Ed Davis totaling 16 points with 11 boards off the bench. Mike Miller also started the game on the pine and contributed 11 points, seven boards and four assists, while starters Mike Conley and Kosta Koufos added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

"We've played up and down," said Bayless. "Just getting the win in general is something I'm excited about. We've got to continue this pattern."

Phoenix was without second-leading scorer Eric Bledsoe, who sprained his right knee in a 107-88 rout of the Clippers on Monday. The Suns had won five of six entering Thursday's clash.

Goran Dragic made 13-of-22 shots for a career-high 33 points in the setback, while Channing Frye netted 14 and Miles Plumlee pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds.

"This was not a good matchup for us," said Dragic. "They have a lot of big guys under the rim, and they took advantage."

The Suns' bench, which had been so reliable for most of the season, went for just 15 points on 6-of-23 shooting from the field.

Memphis trailed 26-22 after the first period but held Phoenix to just 15 points in the second to open a 12-point halftime edge.

Randolph made a pair of shots in the paint around a Bayless triple for a 32-29 Memphis lead early in the period.

The lead was five late in the frame on a Markieff Morris dunk, but the Suns went scoreless the rest of the half. Conley's three-point play was followed by layups from Randolph and Koufos before the halftime buzzer.

The Suns turned it around in the third quarter, doing what Memphis did to them in the second. After Tony Allen started the frame with a driving layup, Phoenix went on an unprecedented 21-2 run to go back in front. The hosts scored on eight straight possessions during the charge, which finally ended when Gerald Green missed a 3.

The game of runs was finally decided early in the fourth, when Bayless' trey ignited an 11-0 Grizzlies surge. Memphis stretched the lead to double figures midway through the period, which got chippy late. Two players on both sides were assessed technicals before the Grizzlies coasted to the finish line.

Game Notes

Memphis outscored Phoenix 56-48 in the paint and 17-7 on second chance points ... The Grizzlies outrebounded the Suns 59-40 ... Both teams shot worse than 60 percent from the foul line.