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Gasol, Grizzlies hold off Clippers

Dec 12, 2010 - 1:38 AM Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Marc Gasol scored 17 points, pulled down eight rebounds and swatted away a potential game-winning tip-in by Blake Griffin to give the Grizzlies an 84-83 win over the mistake-prone Clippers.

Baron Davis had a chance to give Los Angeles the win, but his baseline jumper with time winding down fell off the mark. Griffin got good position under the basket for the rebound, only to have Gasol swipe the loose ball away just before the buzzer.

Zach Randolph recorded 18 points and 13 boards for Memphis, which forced 27 turnovers to end a four-game road trip with consecutive victories. O.J. Mayo added 13 points in the win.

Griffin ended with 19 points and 11 boards for LA, which lost for the fourth time in five games despite 25 points from Eric Gordon.

"We're trying to make the home run play at lot of times instead of making the easy play," Griffin explained.

Rudy Gay's tomahawk dunk put Memphis in front, 80-79, late in the fourth, and on the next Grizzlies possession, Mike Conley found Tony Allen on a backdoor cut for another slam with 1:53 remaining.

Two free throws from Gordon made it a one-point game again, though Randolph cleaned up a Gay miss for an 84-81 cushion with 46.1 seconds to go.

Gordon's layup shortly thereafter tied it, and Conley gave the Clippers one last shot to win it by missing a jumper with just over five seconds remaining.

"It was a gutsy, gritty performance coming down the stretch," Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins said of his team.

Memphis failed to hit a field goal in the final 3 1/2 minutes of the first quarter, and Davis' buzzer-beating bucket gave the Clippers a 27-19 cushion.

LA never trailed in the second, and Brian Cook's desperation three near the end of the half gave the hosts a 47-41 lead at the break.

Gasol's three-point play tied the game at 51-all earlier in the third, but the Grizzlies never went ahead in the frame, which ended with the Clippers holding a slim 66-63 advantage.

Gasol's layup in the early stages of the fourth quarter gave Memphis a 69-68 lead, and it was close the rest of the way.

Game Notes

The Clippers are 0-4 this season in games decided by three points or less...The Grizzlies had 30 points off turnovers...Gay finished with 12 points, while Conley contributed eight assists to make up for a 3-for-14 shooting effort...Cook, who was suspended the previous two games for a flagrant foul during a loss to Portland on December 5, netted 13 points for LA, which got 10 points and 14 rebounds out of DeAndre Jordan...Davis had six points and four assists in just under 25 minutes of action.