Grizzlies 97, Kings 83
Mike Conley led a balanced attack with 18 points as host Memphis regained second place in the Western Conference.
Jeff Green scored 16 points and Zach Randolph added 15 for Memphis, which moved a half-game ahead of Houston in the race for the second seed and the Southwest Division title. Courtney Lee finished with 10 points while Marc Gasol had eight points, 11 rebounds, a game-high six assists and a game-high three steals.
Rudy Gay scored 24 points before leaving in the third quarter with a head injury and his fellow starters combined for 31 as Sacramento could not survive the absence of All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins (rest). Ray McCallum had 12 points and Derrick Williams added 10 in a reserve role for the Kings, who lost their second straight following a four-game winning streak.
Randolph had the first two baskets in a 12-0 burst early in the second quarter to help Memphis open up a 36-22 advantage. It was a 56-43 lead at the break and Randolph's basket midway through the third made it a 15-point gap before the Kings crawled within 75-64 entering the fourth.
Omri Casspi's 3-pointer with nine minutes left cut Sacramento's deficit to 78-70 before Gasol, Vince Carter and Nick Calathes scored in a 7-1 burst that opened it back up. The Kings pulled within 91-79 with just under three minutes left before Conley had a layup and a 3-pointer to help Memphis close it out.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Grizzlies SF Tony Allen (hamstring) missed his second straight game. ... Memphis has won 10 straight home games against Sacramento. ... C Kosta Koufos had eight points, 12 rebounds and three blocks off the bench for the Grizzlies