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Grizzlies go for 3 in a row, visit Detroit

Mar 17, 2015 - 1:31 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Memphis Grizzlies will try to push their winning streak to three games on Tuesday when they invade The Palace of Auburn Hills to face the Detroit Pistons.

After consecutive losses on the road, the Grizz returned to Beale Street and collected a pair of wins over the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets. They start a two-game road trip Tuesday, which ends Friday in Dallas.

On Monday, the Grizzlies featured a balanced scoring attack in a 92-81 win over the Denver Nuggets.

Zach Randolph led the way with 21 points and 16 rebounds. Marc Gasol and Tony Allen added 14 points apiece and Nick Calathes scored 12 for the Grizzlies, who increased their lead over idle Houston to 2 1/2 games atop the Southwest Division.

The Grizzlies led 65-63 going into the fourth quarter and never trailed the rest of the way. The scored was tied with 4:54 remaining but the Grizzlies scored seven points in a row over a two-minute span following a 20-second timeout and were never ahead by fewer than five points the rest of the way.

"We just buckled down," Randolph said. " We just played hard and got the stops when we need to."

Mike Conley didn't play for the Grizzlies to rest his ailing ankle.

The Pistons return home to The Palace in the midst of a 10-game losing streak. Detroit hasn't won since Feb. 22 at home against the Washington Wizards and dropped three in a row as the host.

The Pistons went 0-4 on a recent trip west which culminated in an 88-85 loss Saturday to the Utah Jazz.

Greg Monroe led the Pistons with 16 points and Anthony Tolliver added 14 points off the bench for Detroit. Jodie Meeks had 11 for the reserves and Reggie Jackson and Joel Anthony both chipped in 10.

"They played with better energy," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. "We had some other guys ... I don't know - fatigue, whatever - just didn't move the ball. We need a win, but we've got to get guys playing better. We just do. Our guard play tonight is not going to win games. We're at 38 percent again. Our defense in the second half was a lot better, but we just can't make shots."

Spencer Dinwiddie buried a 3-pointer at 1:57 to cut Detroit's deficit to 82-81. After each team traded a basket, Utah's Rudy Gobert found a cutting Gordon Hayward with a no-look pass that ended with a layup for an 86-83 edge with 37.9 seconds left.

The Pistons got a quick bucket from Monroe before Trey Burke netted a floater that kept Utah in front by three with 13.1 seconds left. Dinwiddie missed a 3- pointer in the closing seconds, then Gobert missed a pair of free throws prior to Dinwiddie's heave from beyond midcourt as the buzzer sounded.

The Grizzlies have won 10 straight over the Pistons and six in a row in Motown.