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National Basketball Association
Memphis 109, Brooklyn 90
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Officials: #24 Mike Callahan, #61 Courtney Kirkland, #20 Leroy Richardson, #28 Kevin Scott
Attendance: 14262

NEW YORK -- On Tuesday, the Memphis Grizzlies received the shocking news that center Marc Gasol would be sidelined indefinitely with a fractured right foot.

The realization about what the Grizzlies would have to do in Gasol's absence came Wednesday.

It took a half for the Grizzlies to push the pace against the Brooklyn Nets, and once they did, their first game without Gasol proved mostly stress-free.

Point guard Mike Conley scored 20 points, and the Grizzlies rode a dominant third quarter to a 109-90 victory over the Nets.

Hours after coach Dave Joerger said he would have been content with simply a one-point win, the Grizzlies scored 39 points in the third quarter while hitting seven 3-pointers. They had their most productive third period of the season and achieved it after Joerger expressed some reservations about the first half.

"He was just disappointed because he knows we're a veteran team," Conley said. "We know better. We got to go out there and handle our business. He expected that from us, and we went out there did that."

Conley hit the first two in the opening minutes when Memphis scored the first 10 points to expand its 50-45 halftime lead. Reserve forward Jeff Green scored 12 of his 18 in the deciding quarter, including three 3-pointers in a span of 54 seconds late in the period to expand the gap to 82-58.

Zach Randolph started at center for the first time this season and highlighted a 15-point showing by hitting a corner 3-pointer as the shot clock expired about a minute before Green began his flurry.

"That's what we had to do," Randolph said. "We picked it up and got to playing fast, screening and hitting shots."

While Conley and Green thrived from 3-point range in the third and Randolph was productive, others helped Memphis head into the All-Star break with a 31-22 record. Forward JaMychal Green tied a season high with 13 points, while former Nets swingman Vince Carter added 11 points, including a highlight-reel dunk.

The prolific offensive display of the third allowed the Grizzlies to rebound from the devastating news about Gasol and consecutive overtime home losses to the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers. Memphis rebounded by shooting 52.3 percent and making nine of 20 3-pointers.

"It was just a really good feeling because it has not been a fun 36 hours for us with the news about Marc," Joerger said. "It kind of set in today. Yesterday was kind of shock. Today it kind of set in. So now we can go into the break, get some mental rest and some physical rest and have a plan of what we're going to do."

Grizzlies guard Tony Allen said of Gasol, "He's a former defensive player of the year, a franchise player. To see him go down is devastating."

Two days after hitting a one-legged bank shot at the buzzer to beat the Denver Nuggets, Nets forward Joe Johnson went scoreless and failed to make a field goal for the first time in 938 games, ending the league's longest active streak. According to basketballreference.com, it was the first time since Dec. 6, 2003, Johnson went scoreless.

"That's sad," Brooklyn interim coach Tony Brown said. "He's a great pro. Obviously, it wasn't his best night."

Center Brook Lopez scored 20 points for the Nets, while guard Wayne Ellington added 18. Those totals were not nearly enough as Brooklyn (14-40) did not get a point from its bench in the first half, committed 22 turnovers overall and trailed for the final 33:05 en route to its 17th loss in 21 games.

"They shot the ball well," Lopez said. "We couldn't really get anything going the other way."

NOTES: The Nets announced they will officially move into their new Brooklyn practice facility next Wednesday. Owner Mikhail Prokhorov is expected to attend. ... Wednesday marked the one-month anniversary of Lionel Hollins being fired by the Nets. He coached the Grizzlies before the Nets. Asked about him, Memphis PG Mike Conley said, "For me, it was tough to see him get fired. I want him to have a job. I want him to have an input on people's careers and change people's careers kind of how he did mine." ... Nets interim coach Tony Brown said he has not any conversations with the front office about possible roster changes before next Thursday's trade deadline.
Top Game Performances
 
Memphis   Brooklyn
Mike Conley 20 Scoring Brook Lopez 20
Zach Randolph 6 Assists Donald Sloan 8
Tony Allen 6 Rebounds Thomas Robinson 9
Mike Conley 3 Free Throws Made Brook Lopez 4
Courtney Lee 3 Steals Brook Lopez 2
Mario Chalmers 1 Blocks Thomas Robinson 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Memphis 109 52.3 9-20 10-12 26 35 2 15 12
Brooklyn 90 46.5 11-22 13-19 25 35 2 4 22
Upcoming Games
  • Brooklyn will play their next game at home against New York. The Nets have a W/L % of .143 after a win and .300 after a loss.
  • Memphis will play their next game at home against Minnesota. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .533 after a win and .652 after a loss.