New Orleans Pelicans

Pelicans fall flat in fourth quarter of loss to Grizzlies

Published Feb. 1, 2016 10:46 p.m. ET

foxsports

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Zach Randolph had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Memphis beat the New Orleans Pelicans 110-95 on Monday night, marking the Grizzlies' 10th victory in 12 games.

Jeff Green scored 24 points for Memphis, and Vince Carter added 13, including a pair of back-breaking 3s in the last three minutes.

Anthony Davis had 23 points and nine rebounds for the Pelicans, who lost for just the third time in 10 games, with two of those losses coming against Memphis.

New Orleans led 86-84 after Ryan Anderson's free throw with 7:02 left, but the Grizzlies responded with a pivotal 10-0 run to take the lead for good, closing the game on a 26-9 run.

Mike Conley, who had 17 points and 10 assists, started the surge with a 3 and two free throws. Carter followed with the first of his three 3s and Marc Gasol added a dunk on his way to 14 points.

Norris Cole also scored 23 for New Orleans, which has recently pulled within striking distance of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. But guard Jrue Holiday, who hit a game-winning shot against Brooklyn on Saturday night, uncharacteristically struggled to find his shooting touch against Memphis. He made only one of 14 shots and also missed two of four free throws.

Davis and Cole each reached 10 points in the opening quarter and the Pelicans opened a double-digit lead when Ryan Anderson's 3-pointer made it 34-22 early in the second quarter.

Green, who scored 10 of his points in the second period, helped the Grizzlies erase the deficit. He hit both 3s he put up during that stretch, the second giving the Grizzlies a 50-47 lead.

Memphis led 54-52 at halftime and was able to briefly build its advantage to six points twice in the third quarter, but it was back to a one-possession game when Davis rose up for a twisting, one-handed put-back jam of Jrue Holiday's missed floater, making it 77-75 in the final seconds of the period.

TIP-INS

Grizzlies: Memphis Matt Barnes was held out with what coach Dave Joerger described as a mild right hamstring pull. The decision effectively gives him five days' rest until the Grizzlies' next game. ... The Grizzlies, who entered the game with a league-best turnover differential of minus-163, committed 14 turnovers to the Pelicans' 10. ... Memphis outscored New Orleans in the paint, 50-32.

Pelicans: New Orleans guard Tyreke Evans, the club's third-leading scorer (15.2 points per game) was held out for a third straight game with right knee tendinitis. Coach Alvin Gentry said Evans was capable of playing through the pain, but that it made more sense to let him rest at this point of the season. ... The Pelicans closed out a seven-game homestand at 5-2. ... Anderson, who scored 22 or more points in his previous four games, had nine points on 3-of-9 shooting.

UP NEXT

Grizzlies: At New York on Friday night.

Pelicans: At San Antonio on Wednesday night.