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Grizzlies stumble in Sacramento, 90-102

The Memphis Grizzlies suffered a 102-90 loss in a wild match against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night. The Grizzlies had won 16 of their last 19 games in effort to get within striking distance of Golden State, which leads the West by four games.

Zach Randolph scored 20 points and grabbed five rebounds, and Marc Gasol added 14 points and seven boards as Memphis' climb up the Western Conference standings was slowed.

The Kings opened a 12-point lead in the first quarter and kept the cushion for most of the game.

In the second quarter, Kings Head Coach George Karl was hit with a technical and DeMarcus Cousins quickly picked up his third foul, kicking a chair on the bench in frustration. Randolph banked in a shot from beyond halfcourt - officially from 62 feet - as the half ended, giving Memphis a little momentum heading to the locker room with Sacramento up 62-52.

Emotions escalated in the third quarter when Cousins and Randolph exchanged shoves and jawed at each other after Randolph made a layup. Randolph was called for a technical foul. The next time down, Randolph earned a foul for elbowing Cousins in the face as he swung his arms with the ball. Cousins tapped his fist on his face while he strutted up court, apparently mocking Randolph's move. Meanwhile, Memphis held Sacramento scoreless for the first 4:39 of the third quarter and took a 77-76 lead into the fourth.

Sacramento scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter - with Cousins accounting for eight - to take an 86-77 lead. Rudy Gay hit three consecutive shots, including a 3-pointer, against his former team to rile up the home crowd. Then Cousins came back with a rebound and a layup to put the Kings ahead 99-85 with 2:13 left to put the game out of reach.

The Grizzlies will return home to take on their Western Conference rivals, the Clippers, on Friday night.

Quotes

Player Notes

  • Zach Randolph scored 20 points
  • Marc Gasol had 14 and seven rebounds
  • Mike Conley contributed 12 points and seven assists
  • Jeff Green added 11 points

Next Home Game

The Grizzlies will return to FedExForum on Friday, Feb. 27 to face the Clippers.