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Grizzlies best Kings on disputed late basket

Nov 14, 2014 - 6:25 AM Memphis, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Courtney Lee's remarkable, albeit controversial, layup at the buzzer capped a furious fourth-quarter comeback that lifted the Memphis Grizzlies to a thrilling 111-110 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Lee flew through the air to catch Vince Carter's inbounds feed and got a reverse off-balance shot to fall as time expired, though television replays appeared to show the Kings' Ryan Hollins getting a hand on the pass, which would have started a clock that had just 0.3 seconds showing at the start of the play.

"I figured I'd just try to keep it in the air and he was just going to have to make a play on the other side," said Carter. "I just threw it up, tried to avoid the tip. It worked out for us."

After a review that lasted several minutes, the basket was upheld to give the Grizzlies their 18th consecutive regular-season home win dating back to the 2013-14 campaign.

Lee finished with 16 points and Mike Conley had 22 with 11 assists for Memphis, which overcame a 24-point third-quarter deficit and trailed 103-86 with under 7 1/2 minutes left before rallying back.

Marc Gasol added 20 points and Carter sank a trio of three-pointers during a 23-5 run that got the Grizzlies back in it.

Rudy Gay scored 25 points and DeMarcus Cousins netted 22 along with 12 rebounds in Sacramento's third straight loss and eighth in a row to Memphis. Darren Collison recorded 20 points in the tough-luck defeat.

"This is two games in a row we had the exact same type of result in a game," said Cousins. "We can't continue to make the same mistakes. We can't blame the refs, we can't blame the (clock operator). It's on us. We have to learn from our mistakes and become a better team."

The Kings shot a scorching 68.2 percent in the first quarter and led by as many as 25 points in the opening period. They seemed to have the game well in hand when Ramon Sessions knocked down a jumper with 7:22 remaining that had the Kings up by a 103-86 count.

Carter hit a three on the other end, however, to begin a stretch of seven straight Memphis points. The veteran then buried another less than two minutes later to cut the lead to 104-96.

The Grizzlies continued to close the gap, with Zach Randolph making 1-of-2 free throws before Carter drained another trey and Conley scored off a Lee steal to pull Memphis within 104-102 with 3:34 left.

It was a tie game just over two minutes afterward when a missed 3-pointer from Collison led to a Memphis run-out the concluded in Conley's layup that knotted the score at 106-106.

Cousins was fouled by Gasol while driving the lane with 10.7 seconds on the clock, moments after Conley drilled a three to give the Grizzlies a 109-108 edge. He got both free throws to go to send Sacramento back in front, and Ben McLemore grabbed the rebound of a Randolph miss and was fouled with 0.6 seconds remaining.

McLemore missed both attempts, however, to open the door for Lee's game- winner.

The Kings came out red-hot, hitting six of their first seven shots during a game-opening 14-2 run in which Cousins accounted for seven points. An 18-2 sequence later in the quarter put Memphis in a major hole, with Gay putting up seven straight points at one stretch before Cousins capped the surge with a short jumper that staked Sacramento to a commanding 33-8 lead with three minutes left in the period.

Sacramento cooled down in the second quarter and the Grizzlies were able to cut into the deficit, as Kosta Koufos tallied six points during a 14-1 flurry that pulled Memphis within 45-32 midway through the frame.

The Kings answered with a 10-2 run, however, to get the margin back over 20 points before cruising into the break owning a comfortable 62-46 advantage behind 15 points from Gay.

Memphis was able to gain only minimal ground in the third quarter. The Kings held a 24-point lead less than five minutes into the second half and were up by 22 prior to the Grizzlies showing some life with a 14-4 push that trimmed the differential to 88-76 near the end of the third.

Collison and Nik Stauskas buried back-to-back 3-pointers, however, to send Memphis further behind with less than a minute elapsed in the fourth.

Game Notes

The Grizzlies haven't lost a non-playoff game at home since a 110-96 setback to Dallas on Feb. 5 of last season ... Randolph ended with 17 points, all of which came in the second half ... The Kings lost for the ninth straight time in Memphis and last won there on Feb. 20, 2009 ... Collison returned to action after missing the Kings' loss at Dallas on Tuesday with an injured shoulder ... Sacramento had been 29-of-32 at the foul line prior to McLemore's two late misses.