Memphis, Tennesse: Zach Randolph had 17 points and 14 rebounds and Jeff Green scored 18 as the Memphis Grizzlies coasted to a 101-83 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.
Vince Carter added 13 points as the Grizzlies (31-12) won their sixth in the last seven games.
Memphis led by as many as 25 in the second half, allowing coach Dave Joerger to rest his starters in the fourth quarter. Marc Gasol, selected as an All-Star starter, finished with nine points, as did point guard Mike Conley.
Jerami Grant, the 39th overall pick in last summer’s draft out of Syracuse, led the Sixers with a career-high 16 points. Michael Carter-Williams was the only other Philadelphia player in double figures with 10 points going 3 of 12 from the field.
The Sixers shot 38 percent for the game and committed 24 turnovers.
Memphis needed a 41-point fourth quarter to eventually defeat the Sixers 120-115 in overtime on Dec. 13. The return match in Memphis was never really close after the Grizzlies took a double-digit lead early in the second quarter.
As usual, Memphis dominated the paint 52-32. But the 76ers, who lost their fifth straight, out-rebounded Memphis 48-47 and held a 20-12 advantage in fast-break points.
That wasn’t enough to overcome the poor ball handling and shooting percentage.
Memphis dominated the first half, holding leads up to 24 and carrying a 60-41 advantage into the break, as Green had 11.
The Sixers shot 40 percent and committed 13 turnovers before intermission. Both teams shot well from outside the arc, Memphis hitting 4 of 6 and the Sixers connecting on half of their 10 shots from 3-point range.
Things stayed about the same through three quarters. Randolph had reached his double-double and Memphis continued to play sloppy at times, committing a handful of turnovers in the frame. But the Sixers continued to shoot poorly, converting 7 of 24 in the frame as Memphis took an 81-61 lead into the fourth.
Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge has postponed planned surgery on an injured left thumb and will stay in the line-up, the NBA club said.
The update came two days after the Trail Blazers announced Aldridge could miss between six weeks and two months of the season for an operation on a torn ligament.
Aldridge was injured in Monday’s victory over Sacramento when he collided with center DeMarcus Cousins and then missed Wednesday’s loss to Phoenix, but was set to rejoin the roster Saturday against Washington.
Aldridge has averaged 23.2 points and 10.2 rebounds over 38 games for the Trail Blazers, leading the club in both categories. While not voted in as a starter, he might yet receive a berth in his fourth NBA All-Star Game in a row.
The Trail Blazers are 31-13, third overall in the Western Conference and leading the Northwest division by 8.5 games over Oklahoma City.
