With trade rumors flying, Gay pushes Grizzlies past 76ers

PHILADELPHIA -- Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay remains the subject of trade rumors. He also remains unbothered.

"Right now I'm a Grizzly," he said, "and I'm going to play like I'm a Grizzly."

His follow shot with 13.9 seconds left Monday night put Memphis ahead to stay, and the Grizzlies went on to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 103-100.

Gay, who finished with 26 points, rebounded a miss by teammate Jerryd Bayless in traffic and scored from point-blank range as the Grizzlies (29-15) won for the third time in four games.

Marc Gasol led Memphis with a season-high 27 points. Bayless, filling in for injured Mike Conley (ankle) at point guard, had a season-high 21 points and added nine assists.

"It's a huge win," Gay said. "We needed this one so bad, because Mike being out, it bought us some more time. Not to take anything away from Jerryd; he played great."

Gasol added, "We needed it. We showed some mental toughness. When we play together, basketball's a lot easier. We've got to keep it up."

Evan Turner scored a season-high 27 points and Thaddeus Young added 23 for the Sixers (18-26), who after assuming a 100-97 lead with 3:04 left did not score again.

Jrue Holiday chipped in 18 points and 10 assists for Philadelphia, which was seeking to win consecutive games for the first time since late November.

The Sixers, trailing 90-85 early in the fourth quarter, outscored Memphis 15-7 over the next 6:25 to claim a three-point lead on Holiday's jumper.

But a tip-in with 59 seconds left by Zach Randolph, who had a season-low four points but a game-high 12 rebounds, cut the gap to one. After a Nick Young miss, Bayless found himself isolated on the left wing against Sixers center Spencer Hawes. His jumper was off the mark, but Gay grabbed the rebound and scored.

When asked about the pivotal possession, Gay said, "I wanted the ball, first of all. But he got off a pretty good shot. At that point, when the ball goes up, you've got to make sure if it does go off, you go get it."

Gay added two free throws with 1.2 seconds left, and Gasol blocked a 3-point attempt by Nick Young at the buzzer to seal the win.

"Tough loss," Sixers coach Doug Collins said, "but I told our guys I'm not disappointed in them. I'm disappointed for them, because they played well enough to win."

The Sixers shot 54.2 percent from the field, but Memphis made 54.8 percent of its attempts. The Grizzlies, who began the night 25th in the league in 3-point accuracy, also made eight of 13 tries from the arc.

The Grizzlies erased an early 32-15 deficit to take a 57-54 halftime lead as Bayless scored 19 points -- five more than his previous season high -- and Gasol added 14. In all, Memphis outscored the Sixers 37-21 in the second quarter. It was the most points Philadelphia has allowed in any period this year.

Thaddeus Young had 13 points and Holiday contributed 12 points and seven assists in the first half for the Sixers, who in taking a 33-20 lead after a quarter enjoyed their highest-scoring first period of the season.

Turner scored 14 points in the third quarter, eight in the last 2:24, as the Sixers forged a 79-79 tie.

NOTES: Sixers center Andrew Bynum, who has yet to play this season because of bone bruises to both knees, said before the game he hopes to return to action right after the All-Star break. General manager Tony DiLeo said Bynum probably would begin practicing the first week of February, but Bynum was less certain, saying a decision would be left up to his doctors. ... Grizzlies guard/forward Quincy Pondexter missed his 17th consecutive game with a sprained knee. ... The Sixers signed guard Shelvin Mack to a second 10-day contract. ... Sixers guard Jason Richardson missed his fourth straight game with a sore left knee. ... Collins and Memphis coach Lionel Hollins were teammates on the 1980-81 Sixers. Hollins spent three years with the 76ers, ending in '81-82. ... Gasol and Tony Allen each made his first 3-pointer of the season, Gasol in the fourth quarter, Allen in the first. ... The Sixers, outrebounded 38-27, managed their fewest boards of the season. ... Nick Young finished with 13 points for the Sixers.