Grizzlies Overcome Spurs’ Dominance

The Memphis Grizzlies are so young, they didn’t even know when the losing streak started.

They just knew they needed a victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Pau Gasol had 28 points and 17 rebounds, and the Grizzlies defeated host San Antonio for the first time in nearly six years, ending a 21-game losing streak to the Spurs with a 98-93 victory Wednesday night.

“I only lost six times to this team,” Gasol of his two-season tenure with the Grizzlies. “I felt really good to get a win against them, especially on the road. We’re trying to build for the future; get this team in the right direction.”

Memphis hadn’t defeated the Spurs since Feb. 12, 1997, when the franchise was based in Vancouver. The Grizzlies are 4-26 against San Antonio.

“With a young team like we are, the effort and willingness to learn has been terrific,” Coach Hubie Brown said. “Tonight’s win definitely shows how hard they have worked down the stretch.”

The loss ended the Spurs’ four-game winning streak.

Jason Williams had 18 points, 10 assists and no turnovers for Memphis. Drew Gooden started in place of Shane Battier and scored 12 points.

Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 30 points and 21 rebounds despite double-team coverage.

Milwaukee 106, Boston 97 -- Ray Allen scored 34 points and Sam Cassell had his second career triple-double, and the Bucks capitalized on the absence of Antoine Walker at Boston.

Walker was sidelined because of a sprained right knee, only the 11th game he has sat out in his 6 1/2 seasons. Cassell had 14 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds.

Indiana 101, Toronto 98 -- Jermaine O’Neal had a triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocked shots, and made the winning three-point play with 3.2 seconds left at Indianapolis.

The Pacers improved their home record to a league-best 19-1.

Philadelphia 92, Detroit 83 -- Allen Iverson scored 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter at Auburn Hills, Mich., helping the 76ers win for only the third time in 11 games.

Corliss Williamson had a season-high 20 points for Detroit, which had defeated the 76ers in their previous three meetings.

Minnesota 96, Seattle 91 -- Kevin Garnett scored 20 points at Minneapolis and the Timberwolves finally put together a three-game winning streak.

Gary Payton led Seattle with 20 points and 13 assists. He made 10 of 13 shots.

Miami 92, Phoenix 85 -- Brian Grant had 16 points and 10 rebounds at Miami, where the Heat overcame the absence of Eddie Jones.

Jones, Miami’s leading scorer, sat out because of flu. The Heat has won five of its last six home games.

Orlando 94, Chicago 91 -- Tracy McGrady had 31 points and seven assists, and the Magic overcame a dismal fourth quarter at home.

The Magic went more than 10 minutes in the fourth quarter without a field goal but survived by making 15 of 24 free throws.

New York 97, Denver 88 -- Allan Houston scored 24 of his 37 points in the first half and the host Knicks pulled away in the third quarter.

Latrell Sprewell scored 17 points for the Knicks, who made 10 of 19 three-point shots to win their third consecutive game.

Juwan Howard scored 28 for the Nuggets, who have lost five in a row on the road.

Portland 112, Atlanta 110 -- Bonzi Wells banked in a running one-hand shot with 1.4 seconds left in the second overtime to defeat the Hawks at Atlanta.

The Trail Blazers have won four of five and Atlanta has lost six in a row.