NBA: Conley returns from injury, lifts Grizzlies past Knicks

MEMPHIS - Point guard Mike Conley scored 22 points, 10 of them in the fourth quarter, in his first game back from an ankle injury and the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the New York Knicks 98-93 on Tuesday night (Wednesday, PHL time) at FedExForum.

.@memgrizz defeat @NYKnicks 98-93. @mconley11 returns with 22-5-3 performance. @MikeMiller_13 nets season high 19pts. http://t.co/JxP72P48Yl

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) February 19, 2014

Conley had missed seven games with an ankle sprain and the rust showed at times. But he and swingman Mike Miller (19 points, nine in the fourth quarter and 5-for-7 from three-point range for the game) brought the Grizzlies back from a seven-point deficit with 5:39 to play.

After trailing by 13 at the half, the Knicks outscored the Grizzlies 27-16 in the third quarter and were only down 66-64 going into the fourth quarter. A 20-11 run put the Knicks up 84-77 with 5:39 remaining.

Knicks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 23 points, scoring 14 in the fourth quarter, and hit 4-of-9 three-point shots.

New York forward Carmelo Anthony had a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Point guard Pablo Prigioni had 10 assists, seven points and five rebounds.

The Knicks (20-33) trailed 96-93 with 21 seconds left after two Conley free throws. Hardaway Jr. and Prigioni each missed three-point attempts, shooting guard Courtney Lee grabbed the rebound and then hit two free throws to close things out for Memphis.

The Grizzlies (30-23) led by as many as 18 points in the first half. A jumper from forward Tayshaun Prince put Memphis up 45-27 with 4:13 left in the second quarter.

The Knicks outscored the Grizzlies 10-5 to close the quarter and Memphis carried a 50-37 lead into halftime.

Anthony struggled in the first half, hitting just 3-of-10 shots from the field and 3-of-6 from the free-throw line for nine points. It was symptomatic of the team as New York shot 34.1 percent from the field (14-for-41) and whiffed from three-point range (0-for-9).

Memphis shot 52.5 percent from the floor in the first half (21-for-40). Forward Zach Randolph scored nine, Prince had eight and Miller added eight off the bench, including two three-pointers. - Reuters


The scores:

GRIZZLIES 98 - Conley 22, Miller 19, Randolph 13, Calathes 11, Prince 10, Gasol 8, Lee 6, Koufos 4, Johnson 3, Davis 2

KNICKS 93 - Hardaway Jr. 23, Anthony 22, Stoudemire 12, Chandler 9, Prigioni 7, Felton 6, Shumpert 6, Tyler 4, Smith 4

Memphis    22-28-16-32
New York    17-20-27-29