Zach Randolph scored 25 points and Lance Stephenson added 16 off the bench to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 94-88 victory Friday over the Utah Jazz at FedExForum.
The win was the seventh in nine games for the Grizzlies (37-24) and the first of the season in three tries over the Jazz (28-33). Utah lost its fifth straight and fell to 9-21 on the road.
Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 18 points and Rudy Gobert contributed 13 points and 18 rebounds. Memphis shot 45.7 percent to Utah’s 42.7 percent and overcame being out-rebounded 45-42.
Randolph was efficient in the clutch. He drained a rare 3-pointer with 3:23 to go for an 89-81 Memphis lead and sank four free throws in the final 14 seconds to secure the victory.
Utah closed the gap to 90-87 after two Gobert free throws with 1:01 to go before Randolph stepped up. Randolph also had a key offensive rebound with 22 seconds to go with Memphis clinging to a 90-88 lead.
The Grizzlies trailed by five entering the fourth quarter, but took advantage of the errant shooting by the Jazz. Utah missed its first seven shots of the quarter as the Grizzlies opened with an 8-0 run. Memphis never trailed after Vince Carter’s 3-pointer from the left wing gave the Grizzlies a 78-77 lead with seven minutes left.
Memphis, which led by 10 at the half, could not maintain its advantage. Utah opened the third quarter with a 21-10 run, taking a 61-60 lead on a 3-pointer by Trevor Booker. The Jazz pushed their lead to seven points later in the quarter on a jumper by Hayward and led 72-67 entering the final quarter.
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