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Newly-acquired Green leads Grizzlies over Magic

Jan 17, 2015 - 4:36 AM Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Jeff Green made his presence known in his second game with the Grizzlies, scoring 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter to lead Memphis past the pesky Orlando Magic 106-96 on Friday.

Green, acquired in three-team deal on Monday, threw down a thunderous dunk over Victor Oladipo in the third quarter and added two more slams after the Magic cut their deficit to four down the stretch.

"He's learning how to play off other guys," said Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger. "He's a really good cutter ... that's kind of where he made his money tonight."

All five Memphis starters finished in double figures. Marc Gasol filled the stat sheet with 12 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists, while Zach Randolph chipped in with 18 points and 12 boards.

Elfrid Payton recorded the third double-double of his rookie season with 22 points and 12 assists for the Magic, who were coming off surprising wins over the Bulls and Rockets.

"I was able to get into the paint," said Payton. "Shots were falling today."

A 12-2 run that stretched into the fourth quarter gave the Grizzlies an 85-74 advantage. Randolph scored six points during the surge, and Green capped it with a bucket in the opening minute of the final frame.

Payton converted a three-point play, then added a layup to pull the Magic within 100-96 with under two minutes to play.

Green answered with a slam off a nice pass from Gasol, and after Payton missed from long range, Green went baseline on Oladipo for a second time and finished it with another dunk to all but seal the win.

The difference was no more than seven points either way in the first half, which ended with Orlando holding a slim 49-48 edge.

Game Notes

Memphis has won three straight overall ... With his 13th point, Randolph eclipsed the 15,000-point mark of his 14-year career. He is also eight rebounds shy of passing Pau Gasol (4,096) as the Grizzlies' career leader ... Tony Allen and Courtney Lee tallied 17 and 16 points, respectively, for Memphis, which has won seven straight meetings ... Nikola Vucevic recorded 18 points and nine rebounds in a losing effort.