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Grizzlies edge Mavs in OT for 7 seed

Apr 17, 2014 - 6:09 AM Memphis, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Mike Conley corralled a Monta Ellis miss with seven seconds remaining in overtime and took off the other way.

Like a running back, he put his head down, tried to split four Mavericks on a drive to the basket and drew a foul.

Conley hit the subsequent free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining in overtime Wednesday to lift the Memphis Grizzlies to a 106-105 win over Dallas that clinched them the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

Following a Dallas timeout, Ellis, who scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, hit the back of the rim on a jumper from the top of the key at the buzzer.

"It felt good, but it didn't go down," Ellis said.

Memphis (50-32), which began the season 13-17 while dealing with a plethora of injuries, finished 37-15 and will face the second-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.

The Grizzlies knocked off the Russell Westbrook-less Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals last season before getting swept by San Antonio in the West Finals.

Zach Randolph had 27 points and 14 rebounds, Marc Gasol tallied 19 points, nine boards and nine assists and Conley added 22 points and five helpers in the triumph.

"Getting 50 wins is something you want on your resume as a player, and people remember those. Those are special seasons. It's a standard, a golden standard I think," Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger said.

Dallas (49-33), meanwhile, will clash with their in-state rival Spurs in the first round.

Dirk Nowitzki netted a game-high 30 points in defeat.

Devin Harris hit a jumper to stake Dallas to an 86-80 advantage with 7:58 left in the fourth, but Mike Miller capped a 9-2 flurry with a triple for an 89-88 Memphis edge with 3:20 to go.

A Randolph steal and layup gave the Grizzlies a 93-90 lead, but Ellis swished a right wing 3-pointer with 13 ticks on the clock to send the game to an extra session. Randolph missed a step-back jumper at the other end and Courtney Lee turned the ball over on the ensuing inbounds.

The tilt was tied 102-102 before Nowitzki rose and nailed a left wing triple with 46 seconds showing. Tony Allen's putback layup with 31.4 seconds on the clock cut the deficit to 105-104.

Earlier, the Grizzlies led 29-24 after a quarter of play, but Dallas outscored them 29-22 in the second and took a 53-51 edge into the break.

Memphis held a 75-73 advantage after three.

Game Notes

There were 16 ties and 15 lead changes ... The Grizzlies held a 58-42 points in the paint advantage ... Memphis shot 48.9 percent (43-of-88) from the floor.