Each time the Utah Jazz threatened

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. Teofilo Gutierrez Jersey . -- Each time the Utah Jazz threatened Memphis lead, the Grizzlies responded with defensive stops. Utahs second-half effort pulled the Jazz even in the fourth before Memphis clamped down its defence and beat the Jazz 96-86 on Wednesday night. Zach Randolph scored 21 points, Marc Gasol added 20 as Memphis maintained its hold on a Western Conference playoff spot. "When we do things were supposed to, everything is easier. Its more us," Gasol said of holding off the late Utah threats. "When we start breaking down and not doing what were supposed to, things get ugly quick." Mike Conley finished with 18 points and seven assists, and Tony Allen scored 10 points. Memphis won its eighth straight home game and fifth straight game at home over the Jazz. Gordon Hayward, Trey Burke and Alec Burks each scored 16 points for Utah, while Enes Kanter had 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Jazz lost their sixth straight and 11th of their last 12. "I love the way we fought in the second half," Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said. "We gave ourselves a chance, and we fought back in the game." Memphis weathered several runs by the Jazz before six straight points in the fourth quarter provided a sufficient buffer. The Grizzlies victory, coupled with Dallas overtime loss to Minnesota, moved Memphis into the seventh playoff spot by percentage points over the Mavericks. Utah kept making runs at Memphis and finally caught the Grizzlies near the midway point of the fourth. Memphis had carried its advantage to 12 early in the period, but Utah answered with a 16-4 run to tie the game at 84 with 5:38 left. The tying basket came after Memphis fourth turnover of the quarter, leading to a breakaway by Burks. Helping the Utah run was the Jazz hitting 10 of their first 12 shots in the fourth. But Memphis got inside for its next three baskets -- by Tayshaun Prince, Randolph and Conley -- to increase the lead to 90-84, enough for the Grizzlies to secure the game. After tying the game, Utah would commit four turnovers the rest of the way and missed nine of its final 10 shots, preventing the Jazz from threatening again. "I think we kind of settled too much, tried to just get the game over with instead of going out there and playing the style that got us the lead," Conley said. "Late in the fourth quarter, we finally got that back." As poorly as the Jazz played in the first half when they trailed by as many as 18, they reversed their fortunes in the third quarter. Hayward, who converted only one of eight shots in the first half, got untracked, helping Utah go on a 16-4 rally to get the Jazz close. "We just came out in the second half and played hard," said Jazz forward Derrick Favours, who was limited to six points on 3-for-10 shooting. "Gordon Hayward got going. We were just out there playing hard. We will get one of these games sooner or later." Utah would get within 3 in the third, but Memphis responded to run the advantage back to 13 before holding a 74-63 lead heading into the final period. Hayward scored eight in the quarter, while Richard Jefferson had nine for Utah, which made 13 of 22 shots in the third. "I think the second half we played pretty good, especially in the third quarter," Kanter said. "We got a really good run and we came back." Memphis, which led 48-32 at halftime, maintained its poise as Utah pecked away at the lead. Despite tying Memphis in the fourth, Utah never led in the game. "We stepped up our game, got three stops in a row, scored three times in a row and executed most of the rest of the way," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said of holding off Utah. NOTES: The Grizzlies, who hadnt played since Saturday remained undefeated (4-0) when coming off three days rest. ... Memphis native Ian Clark, a Utah rookie out of Belmont, did not play in the game. ... Utahs only win in their last 12 was over the Philadelphia 76ers. ... Memphis reserves shot 42.9 per cent, ending a streak of 14 games where the backups shot at least 50 per cent. Juan Fernando Quintero Colombia Jersey .J. -- The New York Giants are not only back in the playoff hunt with a four-game winning streak, theyre calling the plays that get them those wins. Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio Jersey . #SportingKC pic.twitter.PHILADELPHIA -- The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the All-Star break as one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The time off didnt slow them down. Tyler Zeller scored a season-high 18 points and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds, Kyrie Irving added 14 points and the Cavaliers pushed their winning streak to five games Tuesday night with a 114-85 victory over the skidding Philadelphia 76ers. Irving, selected MVP of the All-Star game Sunday with 31 points and 14 assists, played only 23 minutes in this rout. The Cavaliers won their final four games before All-Star weekend and came out of the break with the same intensity. "Give the guys in the locker room credit," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "Theyve done a great job. Our guys just keep fighting." Dion Waiters had 13 points before leaving with a knee injury in the second quarter. Luol Deng also scored 13 and Tristan Thompson had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers (21-33), on their longest winning streak since an eight-game run in March 2010. That was LeBron James final season in Cleveland. "Were playing together and were working together," said Zeller, who had his second double-double of the season and the ninth of his career. "When you play together and have success and win, it kind of takes some of the stress off." The reeling Sixers fell to 15-40 with their ninth loss in a row and eighth straight at home -- their longest skid since the 1996-97 season. Philadelphia has dropped 19 of 22 overall. C.J. Miles scored 10 points and Anthony Bennett had 10 points and 11 rebounds in a balanced effort for Cleveland. Thaddeus Young and Michael Carter-Williams led the Sixers with 15 points each. Tony Wroten had 12 and Evan Turner scored 11. Before the game, the buzz in the Philadelphia locker room centred arround Young, Turner and Spencer Hawes. Cristian Zapata Jersey. . All three players have been mentioned in trade talk with the deadline looming Thursday. Maybe that affected the last-place Sixers because they came out sluggish and struggled all night. Late in the third quarter, fans expressed their displeasure with boos throughout the arena. "Were all sticking together, trying to keep this locker room together," Young said. "The biggest thing is going out there and staying focused." For the Cavaliers, the news wasnt all good. Waiters hyperextended his left knee following a spectacular, one-handed dunk with 54.1 seconds remaining before halftime. He stayed down on the court for several minutes before walking to the locker room on his own. Brown didnt have an immediate update on Waiters following the game and believed he would be examined further. Waiters never returned, but the Cavaliers didnt need him the rest of the way. They built a 64-43 lead at halftime and extended it to 85-62 after the third. Even with such a large cushion, Cleveland stayed sharp and outscored the Sixers 8-4 to open a 93-66 advantage slightly more than 2 minutes into the fourth. Philadelphia didnt pose a serious threat the rest of the night. "There were effort problems," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "You cant hide from that." NOTES: Carter-Williams had five turnovers and no assists in the first half. He finished with seven turnovers and one assist. ... Kevin Grow joined the Sixers on Monday with a ceremonial two-day contract. Grow, who has Down syndrome, played his final two varsity basketball games for Bensalem High School and scored 14 points, including a buzzer-beater to win a game. Grow took part in pregame activities with the 76ers and received a jersey. ... Cavaliers C Anderson Varejao missed the game with a sore back. cheap jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '