Mike Conley finished with team-high 22 points as Memphis won its fourth straight game, topping Philadelphia, 102-91, at FedEx Forum.
Zach Randolph posted 21 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Grizzlies, who ended a three-game home stand with the win. Sam Young added 12 points and five boards while Rudy Gay scored 11 points before leaving the game in the second quarter.
Gay drove in the lane and was fouled by Sixers rookie Evan Turner, injuring his left shoulder in the process. Gay shot the associated free throws, but left the game afterward and did not return.
Thaddeus Young led Philadelphia with a game-high 23 points in a reserve role, and Lou Williams added 18 points, five boards and four assists as the Sixers lost in Memphis for the first time since January of 2007.
"This is one of the most aggressive teams we've played just because the lineups they put in the game are so strong," Young said. "They try to outmuscle you and out-quick you to everything. Those guys just outhustled us."
A disastrous first quarter by the Sixers -- eight turnovers while shooting 29.4 percent from the field -- allowed the Grizzlies to take an early 26-10 lead after 12 minutes. Gay led Memphis with 10 points on 5-of-7 from the field in the opening stanza.
Young and Williams paced the Sixers with 14 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench in the second, and Philadelphia cut its deficit to 55-44 at the half.
Despite the recovery, many of the Sixers' deficiencies continued into the second quarter. It took until 5:05 remaining in the half for Philadelphia to force the first Memphis turnover, and Williams' three-pointer with 36.4 seconds remaining was Philadelphia's first made trey of the game.
After Williams' triple, Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo sank a three-pointer of his own with 22.2 seconds remaining -- the first points the third-year man has scored since serving a 10-game suspension for violating the league's anti-drug policy.
"I was just really eager to get back out there," Mayo said.
A Jodie Meeks three-pointer opened the third quarter, and after a Spencer Hawes putback dunk with 5:24 remaining, the Grizzlies' lead was down to four, 64-60. The 16-9 Philadelphia run was led by eight points from Meeks -- who made 2-of-3 from beyond the arc in the spurt.
Memphis responded with a Conley driving layup and three-pointer to widen its lead back to nine, 71-62. However, after trading baskets, an Elton Brand jumper at 3:31 started a quick 8-0 Philadelphia run, capped by three Williams free throws and a three-point conversion, to make it a one-point game.
The Grizzlies held on down the stretch. Sam Young's reverse layup and three- point conversion gave the hosts a 77-75 lead entering the final stanza.
Memphis opened the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run, capped by a Conley driving layup at 9:29, and its lead never fell below seven down the stretch.
Game Notes
The Sixers are now 1-1 on a three-game road trip that will conclude in Houston on Wednesday...Philadelphia's 10 first-quarter points were a season-low for a quarter...Brand finished with 13 points and eight boards while Jrue Holiday posted 10 points and five assists in the loss...The Sixers finished 3-of-13 from beyond the arc...Memphis has won three of the last four meetings in this series...Tony Allen scored 10 points in a reserve role for Memphis...Mayo's three-pointer accounted for his only points in just over six minutes of court time...Darrell Arthur and Marc Gasol both scored nine for the victors.
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