Grizzlies hold off Magic surge for 86-81 victory


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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Zach Randolph had 20 points, Courtney Lee added 17 and the Memphis Grizzlies held off the Orlando Magic 86-81 Wednesday night.

Memphis beat the Magic for the sixth straight time and enters the All-Star break having won eight of its last 11.

The Grizzlies led by as many as 13 points in the second half, before having to fight off several Magic runs down the stretch. They also lost center Marc Gasol in the third quarter after he aggravated a left knee injury.

Nik Vucevic had 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Magic. Tobias Harris added 13 points.

But they committed 14 turnovers that led to 19 Memphis points.

Orlando had won three straight and five in a row at home.

Following the Grizzlies' win over Washington on Tuesday, coach David Joerger acknowledged his team was mentally tired.

It showed as the game wore on Wednesday against Orlando.

First they lost Gasol, then after leading by as many as 13 points in the first half, the Magic stormed back and briefly took the lead in the third quarter. Orlando trailed by three entering the final period.

Magic coach Jacque Vaughn began the fourth with the young, quick lineup of Harris, Victor Oladipo, E'Twaun Moore, Maurice Harkless and Kyle O'Quinn that had been so effective in back-to-back wins, over Oklahoma City and Indiana

Orlando surged at the outset, but Memphis weathered the rally and got two free-throws from Randolph that put the Grizzlies up 78-77 with 4 minutes to play.

Memphis was leading 80-79 when Jameer Nelson's 3-pointer bounced off the back of the rim and was rebounded by the Grizzlies.

Lee got it and raced into the front court before a clear path foul was called on Arron Afflalo with just 35.7 seconds left. The call was upheld after an official review.

Lee connected on both free throws to make it 82-79.

Memphis retained possession and wound down the clock before getting Randolph free in the paint for a layup to stretch the lead to five.

The Magic called timeout, but they could only muster a long 3-pointer on the other end by Oladipo that caromed off the backboard and was rebounded by Memphis.

The Grizzlies were more aggressive in the first half and led 42-34 at the break.

Orlando struggled offensively throughout the half, shooting 39 percent and turning it over eight times, leading to 13 Memphis points.

NOTES: Memphis G Mike Conley missed his seventh straight game with a sprained right ankle.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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