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Kobe struggles in Lakers' loss to Grizzlies

Mar 26, 2012 - 6:01 AM Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Rudy Gay scored 18 points, O.J. Mayo had 16 off the bench and the Memphis Grizzlies salvaged a four-game road trip with a 102-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

Gay scored 13 of his points in the first half and the Grizzlies went ahead by double-digits while Kobe Bryant struggled, shooting just 2-for-7 in the first two quarters.

Later, the Lakers used a 15-0 run in the third quarter to take the lead, but couldn't sustain the momentum.

"Give them credit. They out-worked us at both ends of the court," said Lakers coach Mike Brown. "Their energy they brought to the table was very good."

Entering the game, the Grizzlies were just 1-5 in their last six -- a stretch that started with a double-overtime loss to the Lakers at home on March 13 -- and had been 0-3 on their road trip after losing to the Clippers in the same building the night before.

Gay, who was 8-for-14, said they played with more of a sense of urgency in the road trip finale.

"Everybody came to play tonight," he said -- and the stat sheet backed him up.

Memphis had seven scorers in double figures. Zach Randolph had 10 points and 12 rebounds off the bench and fellow reserve Hamed Haddadi also scored 10.

Mayo was 6-of-11 and scored his 16 points in fewer than 20 minutes and the Grizzlies were efficient as a team, as well, shooting better than 51 percent.

"We were more aggressive," said Mayo, "and we were able to get some easy shots."

Bryant didn't pick up his second field goal until the last two minutes of the first half and ended 7-of-15 for 18 points.

The Lakers made a brief run with their star guard on the bench in the fourth quarter -- a move Brown downplayed afterward. Bryant played 38 1/2 minutes, more than everyone on the team except center Andrew Bynum, who scored 30.

The Lakers, sitting No. 3 in the Western Conference, had a two-game winning streak snapped with their third loss in five games. They fell to 20-4 at Staples Center.

Memphis, sixth in the West, had a 28-24 lead after the first quarter and went up by 12 three times before taking a 56-46 advantage into halftime.

The Lakers trailed 65-51 before going on their 15-0 run in the third quarter, during which they held Memphis scoreless for around five minutes. Waking up, Bryant had the first six points and Ramon Sessions capped the spurt with a three to make it 66-65 Los Angeles.

But Memphis scored eight straight after that and never trailed again, taking a 73-70 lead into the fourth quarter and pushing its lead as high as 14 down the stretch.

"We got off to a really good start and our bench really played well," said Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins. "We played with a renewed energy we haven't played with in a while."

Game Notes

Sessions scored 18 for the Lakers and Pau Gasol had 16 with 14 rebounds...The Grizzlies snapped a three-game losing streak against the Lakers and won for only the fourth time in their last 14 meetings...The Lakers are at Golden State on Tuesday, then back home for four straight games starting Thursday against Oklahoma City...The Grizzlies are back home to play Minnesota on Tuesday, then head out on the road again for three straight games starting Friday in Houston.