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Holiday, Pelicans down Grizzlies

Jan 10, 2015 - 6:54 AM New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Jrue Holiday had 23 points and eight assists as the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 106-95 on Friday night.

Tyreke Evans posted 21 points and 10 rebounds, Anthony Davis supplied 20 points, nine boards and three blocks and Ryan Anderson added 20 points and six rebounds for the Pelicans, who had dropped three of their last four games coming in.

"We played really good defense against an efficient offensive team, a playoff tested team," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said.

Mike Conley tallied 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds for Memphis, which has dropped three of its last four contests. Marc Gasol netted 19 points and Zach Randolph provided 11 points and 11 boards in his return from a nine- game absence

Randolph had been out with a sore right knee and the Grizzlies went just 4-5 without him in the lineup.

A big run to start the second quarter helped Memphis cut an early 12-point deficit to 33-32, but the Pelicans responded with seven straight points. Anderson nailed a 3-pointer and Evans converted back-to-back layups to stake New Orleans to a 40-32 advantage.

Holiday's layup that beat the first-half buzzer staked the Pelicans to a 52-39 margin.

Memphis never cut the deficit below seven in the second half, though Beno Udrih's layup at the horn to conclude the third quarter pulled Memphis within 82-71 going into the fourth.

Holiday netted five quick points as the Pelicans raced out to a 13-4 start. They led 31-19 following a quarter of play.

Memphis, though, clamped down defensively during the early stages of the second.

The Pelicans missed their first seven shots from the floor during the frame as the Grizzlies were in the midst of a 13-2 burst. Conley jump-started the swing with a triple and Vince Carter capped it with a jumper to trim the gap to a point.

Game Notes

The Pelicans improved to 5-4 against Southwest Division foes. They went just 4-12 against the division last season ... Memphis has dropped three straight road games ... New Orleans improved to 8-3 over its last 11 contests at home ... The Pelicans were 10-of-20 from beyond the arc.