Memphis beat Houston 93-85 in Tennessee on Friday to hand the Rockets their third straight loss this season.
Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin, the first NBA player of Taiwanese descent, rallied his team in the fourth quarter with 4 minutes 55 seconds left on the clock and the Grizzlies leading 87-75, but it was not enough to turn the tide for the Rockets.
Lin scored 15 points in the game, eight in the last quarter, including five off steals, which cut the Grizzlies lead to 87-85.
In all, he had three rebounds, three assists, four turnovers and two steals.
However, with 1:57 left on the clock, Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley hit a three-pointer that started a seven-point streak for his team and put away the Rockets.
After the game, the Rockets conceded that the Grizzlies had won their eight-point victory on strong offense.
“We had 20 turnovers and they had 18 offensive rebounds. That’s too much. We have to control that,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale was quoted saying on the NBA’s official Web site after his team’s defeat.
Rudy Gay had 21 points for Memphis. while Zach Randolph had 15 points and 14 rebounds. Conley had 14 points and Jerryd Bayless added 12.
The Grizzlies are 4-1 for the first time since the 2000-2001 season, when they played in Vancouver.
Chandler Parsons led the Rockets with 19 points, including 15 in the second half. James Harden had 18 points, but shot only four of 18 from the field and one of six outside the arc.
HEAT 95, HAWKS 89
In Miami, LeBron James scored 21 points, including the clinching jumper with 13.6 seconds remaining, as the Heat picked up their fourth straight win.
Jeff Teague hit consecutive three-pointers as the Hawks rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but Josh Smith, on an awful night, missed two free throws with just over a minute remaining, and James finished off Atlanta after the teams traded turnovers.
Everyone in the building knew James would shoot, but it didn’t matter. He muscled away from DeShawn Stevenson, swished a 15-footer and hopped along the sideline in front of the Atlanta crowd. The Heat won without Dwyane Wade, who did not play because of a cold.
Chris Bosh led Miami with 24 points. James just missed a triple-double, adding 11 rebounds and nine assists.
Teague paced the Hawks with 20 points and 11 assists.
KNICKS 104, MAVERICKS 94
In New York, Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points as the Knicks improved their best start in nearly two decades to 4-0.
Reserve J.R. Smith added 22 points for the Knicks, the only unbeaten team in the NBA. They had not been perfect after four games since the 1993-1994 team started 7-0 en route to the NBA Finals.
The Knicks averaged 104.7 points and allowed just 85.3 per game while routing Miami and sweeping a home-and-home series from Philadelphia to start the season, but did not seize control of this one for good until nearly the midpoint of the fourth quarter.
O.J. Mayo scored 23 points for the Mavericks, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.
HORNETS 107, BOBCATS 99
In New Orleans, Anthony Davis had 23 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in his first game back after a concussion, as the Hornets handed the Bobcats their third straight loss.
Ryan Anderson hit five three-pointers and finished with 25 points for New Orleans, who have won three of their first five games despite being without injured star guard Eric Gordon.
Ben Gordon scored 34 points for Charlotte. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Davis’ former Kentucky teammate and the second overall draft pick, had 12 points and six rebounds.
In other NBA games on Friday it was:
Suns 107, Cavaliers 105
Timberwolves 96, Pacers 94
76ers 106, Celtics 100
Nets 107, Magic 68
Spurs 97, Kings 86
Thunder 105, Pistons 94
Bucks 101, Wizards 91
Nuggets 104, Jazz 84
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