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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Al Jefferson had 20 points and nine rebounds and the Utah Jazz reserves outscored their Memphis Grizzlies counterparts by 30 points on the way to a 94-85 victory Friday night.
Paul Millsap scored 14 and Josh Howard had 13 points and a key steal in the fourth quarter to help Utah stay unbeaten at home in four games. Earl Watson had 11 points and five assists as the Jazz reserves outscored the depleted Memphis bench 41-11.
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The Jazz harassed the Grizzlies into 6-for-33 shooting in the fourth quarter and the interior defenders repeatedly challenged at the rim to block 10 shots, boosting their NBA-leading average of 7.5 per game.
Tony Allen made two free throws to give Memphis a 63-56 lead - its largest of the second half - with 4:56 left in the third quarter. But the Jazz went on an 11-1 run to end the period, capped by an offensive rebound and fallaway shot by rookie Enes Kanter that brought the crowd to its feet and put Utah up 67-64.
Paul Millsap sparked a 9-0 spurt in the fourth quarter to widen the gap to 78-68 with 6:16 to play.
Marc Gasol and Allen both scored 21 points and Rudy Gay added 17 but the Grizzlies had 20 turnovers and appeared bothered by Utah's rugged style of defense.
Memphis lost leading scorer Zach Randolph to a right knee injury in the first quarter of a 104-64 loss at Chicago on Sunday. He has a torn MCL and is expected to miss six to eight weeks.
The Grizzlies beat two last-place teams this week in Sacramento and Minnesota without Randolph but couldn't get scores or stops down the stretch against the Jazz. Utah topped 50 percent shooting and scored 52 points in the paint.
Howard left the previous game with a strained left quadriceps but played tight defense against Gay in the fourth quarter, including a steal when Memphis was still within striking distance.
The Jazz have won their last 11 games against Memphis at home and overcame an early 10-point Memphis lead.
Notes: Hamed Haddadi, the first Iranian to play in the NBA, was re-signed by the Grizzlies last week but was not with the team due to personal matters. . Marreese Speights had yet to play this season until he was acquired by Memphis this week from Philadelphia. He played 6 scoreless minutes. . O.J. Mayo faked Watson out of his shoe on a fast break in the first half.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
