Mike Conley scored 26 points and tallied 11 assists as the Memphis Grizzlies busted up the Orlando Magic 100-97. Memphis' 100 points came in a slow-paced game, and the Grizzlies shot 53.3 percent from the floor. Conley himself hit nine of 14 shots and four three-pointers. He absolutely shredded former All-Star Jameer Nelson.
That caused an interesting scenario, given that Nelson's well-paid back-up Gilbert Arenas played well to start the fourth. The Magic trailed by 14 points minutes into the fourth quarter. Stan Van Gundy rolled with a line-up including three starters -- Dwight Howard, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu -- and two back-ups, Arenas and Ryan Anderson. That unit quickly went on a 12-0 run, and battled with the Grizzlies throughout the fourth, eventually tying the game at 96 before conceding to Conley's awesome will.
Whether this particular game will have an impact on the point guard position in Orlando going forward remains to be seen; Stan Van Gundy isn't a fluttery-hearted pancake artist, so expecting him to flip on a whim is misguided. But the eyes see what they want to see.
In other action:
Pacers 104, Raptors 93: It is the year of replacement coaches! Frank Vogel won his Pacers debut as interim coach, potentially giving the Raptors, led by a head coach, Jay Triano, of questionable repute, ideas. Roy Hibbert had 24 points, his highest total since November.
Mavericks 102, Wizards 92: Dirk Nowitzki had a silky 24 points on 7-11 shooting as the Mavs sent the 'Zards to a 0-24 road record. Tyson Chandler had 18 points and 18 rebounds, and Jason Kidd was a rebound away from a triple-double. Trevor Booker, starting in a three-forward line-up with Andray Blatche and Rashard Lewis, was scoreless in 11 minutes, which is too bad, because Booker is one of the least contemptible Wizards big men.
Jazz 83, Bobcats 78: The Jazz survived Game No. 3 without Deron Williams, but it took 21 points from Al Jefferson and 20 off the bench from C.J. Miles, in addition to the completely mediocre you've come to expect from the Bobcats. Charlotte is now 3-2 on its road trip, with a Wednesday game at Detroit wrapping things up.