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Warrick, Gay help Grizzlies snap slide

Feb 13, 2008 - 6:24 AM By Shawn Pachucki PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (Ticker) - Hakim Warrick was too much for the Sacramento Kings to handle.

Warrick's season-high 24 points led the Memphis Grizzlies to a 107-94 victory over the Kings on Tuesday night.

Warrick, who also pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds, scored 21 points in the second half for Memphis, which had six players reach double figures en route to snapping a six-game losing streak.

"We've been struggling, so it was good to finally come out and play well and finish strong and get a win," Warrick said. "It definitely felt good to play well and come away with the win."

Rudy Gay netted 21 points and Juan Carlos Navarro added 19 for the Grizzlies.

It was Memphis' first win in five games at FedExForum and its first since the blockbuster trade of Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie and a pair of draft picks.

Brown recorded one rebound in just two minutes of playing time and Crittenton did not make it off the bench Tuesday.

Warrick scored six of the Grizzlies' first eight points in the fourth quarter, including a jumper that capped a 14-0 run and put Memphis ahead 94-79 with 8:55 to play.

Memphis nearly squandered the lead when Warrick went to the bench two minutes later, as Sacramento used an 8-1 spurt to get within seven points with less than six minutes on the clock.

But rookie point guard Mike Conley Jr. scored on a layup and Mike Miller drained a 3-pointer seconds later to increase the lead to 100-88. The Kings never threatened again.

"We played simple. We moved the ball, and (Hakim Warrick) got a lot of open shots," said Miller, who recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. "Our defense was a lot better than it has been, and we rebounded."

The Grizzlies played solid defense after allowing the Kings to shoot 50 percent in the opening quarter. Memphis held a 41-25 edge on the glass in the last three quarters and forced Sacramento to miss 45-of-67 shots in that span.

"When you make teams work with your defense, it usually makes things a little easier when you get the ball," Warrick said. "We forced some tough shots tonight, and the guys were able to find me in good position to score on the other end."

Kevin Martin scorched the nets early on, with 26 of his game-high 33 points coming by halftime for Sacramento. But he struggled the rest of the way, finishing with only seven over the final two quarters.

"We wanted to win," Martin said. "They came out in the second half, we couldn't hit a jumper, and they were scoring well. We just have to get back to playing some defense.

Ron Artest and Mike Bibby each added 18 points for the Kings, who shot just 37 percent (34-of-91) while losing for the fourth time in five games away from Arco Arena.

"There are a lot of different factors, and you have to be professional and come gear your own energy to do your job," Kings coach Reggie Theus said. "I think all of us failed at doing our job tonight."

The Grizzlies hit 37-of-74 shots from the field (50 percent) and held a 49-42 rebounding edge.