NBA Game Summary - Memphis at New Jersey

East Rutherford, NJ (Basketball News) - Lorenzen Wright and Jason Williams each scored 20 points, as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the New Jersey Nets, 105-96, at Continental Airlines Arena.

Wright also grabbed 10 rebounds, while James Posey collected 12 points and seven boards for Memphis, which has won nine of its last 12 games. Bonzi Wells netted 11 points for the Grizzlies.

Vince Carter paced the Nets with 22 points to go along with eight assists. Nenad Krstic chipped in 21 points and six rebounds for New Jersey, which had its five-game winning streak halted and fell two games behind idle Philadelphia for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Rodney Buford had 15 points and Jason Kidd contributed 12 points and 12 assists in the loss.

Earl Watson’s three-point play with 9:17 left in the fourth quarter staked Memphis to an 83-75 advantage.

The Nets were able to cut the deficit to one point twice, the last time at 85-84 on two foul shots by Krstic with 6:26 remaining.

The Grizzlies then countered with a 10-0 burst, highlighted by three-pointers from Watson and Posey, to increase the margin to 11 at 95-84 with 4:01 left.

New Jersey again rallied and closed within 97-93 on two free throws by Kidd with 1:13 on the clock. After a series of missed shots, the Nets were forced to foul Shane Battier, who proceeded to make both attempts from the stripe with 24.7 seconds remaining to seal it.

Posey’s three-pointer with 2:39 left in the first quarter gave Memphis a 26-17 lead.

New Jersey then scored the final seven points of the period and the first five points of the second quarter to move in front 29-26. Clifford Robinson and Buford each drained three-pointers during the 12-0 surge.

The Nets continued to pour it on, stretching their advantage to 45-37 on a three-point shot by Robinson midway through the period.

The Grizzlies battled back and tied the contest at 51-51 on a layup by Wright with 1:09 left in the stanza. New Jersey eventually led 55-53 at the intermission.

Buford ended the first half with 13 points, while Williams led Memphis in the opening 24 minutes with 17 on 7-of-7 shooting from the floor.

The Grizzlies then opened the third quarter with a 9-2 run, capped by Brian Cardinal’s basket, to regain the advantage at 62-57. Memphis later led by four, but the Nets went on a 12-4 run, keyed by Kidd’s three-pointer, to grab a 73-69 advantage with 1:14 remaining in the period.

The Grizzlies then received two free throws from Gasol and a three-pointer from Mike Miller and held a 74-73 lead after 36 minutes.