Gasol, Randolph lead Grizzlies past Pistons, 95-88
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Marc Gasol scored 23 points, Zach Randolph added 17 points and 22 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Detroit Pistons 95-88 on Saturday night.
Mike Conley added 18 points and Courtney Lee had 12 for the Grizzlies, who maintained the best record in the NBA (9-1).
Kyle Singler scored 21 points, going 5 of 7 from 3-point range to keep the Pistons close. Greg Monroe had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit, while Brandon Jennings scored 14 points and Josh Smith finished with 11.
Detroit's starting backcourt struggled, as Jennings and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were a combined 7 of 27, with Caldwell-Pope missing 10 of his 11 shots.
Detroit still shot 42 percent, while Memphis made just 37 percent. Vince Carter missed nine of his 10 shots and Randolph was 7 of 22.
Memphis pushed the lead back to 11 early in the fourth quarter, matching its largest of the game. But the Grizzlies could never get comfortable in the final frame, only holding five to seven-point leads down the stretch.
Both teams shot poorly in the third: Memphis hitting only 6 of 25, while the Pistons connected on six of their 21 shots. Memphis was held a 69-64 lead entering the fourth.
Memphis was up 11 in the first half as the Pistons struggled with early shooting woes. Those changed in the second quarter as Detroit connected from long range, including a trio of 3-pointers from Singler, who had 11 points in the half. Monroe had 10 points.
Still, Memphis was able to hold a 51-50 lead behind 11 points from Gasol and 10 from Randolph.
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TIP-INS:
Pistons: Smith grabbed a first-quarter rebound, giving him 6,000 for his career. ... Jonas Jerebko's 3-pointer in the fourth quarter put him over 2,000 points for his career. .The Pistons have lost nine straight to Grizzlies. Detroit's last win was 96-74 in the 2009-10 season opener in Memphis. . Smith drew a technical in the fourth quarter after he balked at a foul call on him.
Grizzlies: Play-by-play announcer Pete Pranica called his 1,000th game Saturday night. . Randolph's rebounding night marked the 14th time he has recorded at least 20 rebounds. .The Grizzlies have won 19 straight regular-season home games.
UP NEXT:
Pistons: Host Orlando on Monday.
Grizzlies: Host Houston on Monday.