Grizzlies Are the Kings This Time

Shane Battier didn’t do much over the first three quarters. In the fourth, he did plenty at both ends.

Battier keyed a fourth-quarter run with 11 points to help the Grizzlies defeat the Sacramento Kings, 105-100, Tuesday night at Memphis, Tenn.

Six Memphis players scored in double figures as the Grizzlies ended Sacramento’s four-game winning streak and beat the Kings for the first time since November 2001, a string of eight games.

It was a franchise-record fifth consecutive home win for Memphis.

“We were finally able to limit them on the defensive end to one shot, and the shots they did get we contested,” said Battier, who finished with 13 points and had four of the Grizzlies’ 10 blocked shots after going 0 for 4 in the first three quarters.

“Once I hit some free throws and saw the ball go in the basket, it brought my confidence back.”

The teams were tied at 83 with just under eight minutes left before Memphis went on a 7-1 run for a 90-84 lead with 5:15 left. Sacramento got within 94-93 on a drive by Brad Miller with 3:15 left, but never any closer.

“[Memphis] got some calls, and we didn’t,” Miller said. “On the road, you don’t get some of those calls. It happens sometimes. We have to find a way to win the games when we don’t get those calls.”

Pau Gasol led Memphis with 22 points. Peja Stojakovic led Sacramento with 27 points.

“We gave them too many chances,” King Coach Rick Adelman said.

“They beat us to loose balls. I am surprised that we were in the game.”

Minnesota 92, Houston 75 -- Sam Cassell had 25 points at Minneapolis to help the Timberwolves improve to 6-1 in December.

Kevin Garnett added 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who used a 16-4 third-quarter run to put the game away.

Steve Francis had 16 points for Houston, which lost its third in a row.

Denver 116, New Orleans 94 -- Carmelo Anthony had 21 points to help the Nuggets improve to 10-2 at home. Denver sat its starters for the fourth quarter.

Baron Davis had 25 points for New Orleans, beaten soundly again after losing, 109-80, Monday night to the Clippers.

Phoenix 92, Seattle 91 -- Shawn Marion dunked off an inbounds pass from Penny Hardaway with 5.6 seconds left in overtime in the Suns’ victory at Phoenix.

Marion had 19 points and 14 rebounds, helping the Suns end a six-game losing streak to win for the first time in four games under Coach Mike D’Antoni.

After Marion’s basket, Antonio Daniels tried to get the ball to Rashard Lewis, but the SuperSonic forward lost the ball out of bounds with 1.8 seconds left.

Lewis had 27 points and 13 rebounds for Seattle.

Milwaukee 106, Portland 99 -- Tim Thomas, playing in only his second game since missing nine because of a sprained ankle, had 23 points and six assists to lead the Bucks at Portland. Milwaukee trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half, then led by as many as 11 in the third quarter.

Zach Randolph led the Trail Blazers with 30 points and 18 rebounds.

Washington 91, Utah 87 -- Larry Hughes scored 20 of his season-high 38 points in the fourth quarter, and Etan Thomas blocked a potential game-tying layup by Andrei Kirilenko with about 20 seconds left in the Wizards’ victory at Washington.

The victory broke a four-game losing streak for the Wizards.

Kirilenko had 17 points for Utah.

Golden State 104, New York 86 -- Jason Richardson scored 26 points in a game that left Knick fans booing at New York.

The boos started when Shandon Anderson missed an uncontested layup with 3:30 left in the third quarter, continuing while fans started filing out in the middle of the fourth.

By that time, the Knicks were down 20, the Warriors’ starters were laughing on the bench and their reserves were making jumpers.

Allan Houston had 16 points for the Knicks.

Miami 97, Atlanta 79 -- Rookie Dwyane Wade made 15 of 22 shots and had 32 points and nine assists at Miami in leading the Heat to its fourth straight victory.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim had 16 points for Atlanta, which has lost eight of its last nine games.

Chicago 102, Orlando 88 -- Kendall Gill scored 27 of his season-high 29 points in the second half when he made 12 of 13 shots at Chicago as the Bulls won two in a row for the first time this season.

Chicago rookie Kirk Hinrich added a career-high 21 points.

The Magic’s Tracy McGrady scored 26 points, only eight in the second half and none in the final quarter.