Final
for this game
Grizzlies win in advance of showdown with Suns
Apr 14, 2014 - 4:30 AMVideo
Memphis' third straight win has it a full game ahead of the Suns for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference heading into their big showdown in Phoenix on Monday. The club is also a half-game behind Dallas for the No. 7 seed and hosts the Mavericks in the season finale on Wednesday.
"At the end of the day, we got the win that we needed, and that's the most important thing moving on to Phoenix," Grizzlies head coach David Joerger said.
Marc Gasol totaled 18 points and 15 rebounds, while Mike Miller chimed in with 13 points off the Grizzlies' bench.
The Lakers, losers of seven straight and nine of their last 10, were led by Jodie Meeks' 20 points. Wesley Johnson added 15 points and 15 boards for Los Angeles, which finished with a porous 14-27 record at Staples Center.
The Grizzlies were only in front 53-52 after a back-and-forth first half and held a tenuous 74-69 lead with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter before taking complete control.
Gasol scored on consecutive possessions to spark a quarter-ending 13-0 surge, with Miller's 3-pointer providing an 87-69 cushion entering the fourth.
"Sometime in the third quarter the air went out of us," Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni said. "They wanted it more than we did. You could see that."
The Lakers missed 16 straight shots during a nine-plus minute span that lasted nearly five minutes into the fourth, and it was a double-digit game the rest of the way.
Game Notes
The Grizzlies took the season series, 3-1, winning three games against the Lakers for the first time since the 2005-06 season ... The Lakers extended their franchise record with their 55th loss of the season.
Apr 13 11:40 PM- MEMPHIS: 87
LOS ANGELES: 69
End of 3rd
Apr 13 11:12 PM - MEMPHIS: 53
LOS ANGELES: 52
Halftime
Apr 13 10:32 PM - MEMPHIS: 23
LOS ANGELES: 27
End of 1st
Apr 13 10:03 PM - MEMPHIS: 0
LOS ANGELES: 0
1st Quarter - 11:45
Apr 13 9:42 PM
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