Warrick lifts Grizzlies past Bulls

Pau Gasol had 21 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and five blocks as the Grizzlies blew a double-digit second half lead only to rally in the final seconds for the win.

Chucky Atkins scored 19 points off the bench, Warrick finished with 15 points and 10 boards an Rudy Gay added 13 points and eight rebounds for Memphis, which had dropped eight of its last nine contests.

Ben Gordon poured in 33 points and Luol Deng had 23, but missed a jumper at the buzzer that would have won it for the Bulls, who saw their four-game winning streak come to an end.

Chicago remains 4 1/2 games behind Detroit for the Central Division lead.

The Bulls trailed 99-92 with just over two minutes to play before Gordon nailed back-to-back three’s that brought Chicago within one with 1:16 remaining. Gasol came back with a three-point play for the Grizzlies that made it 102-98, but Hinrich drove to the lane on the Bulls’ next possession, dropped in a layup, drew contact and hit the free throw to make it 102-101 with 16.6 seconds remaining.

Atkins hit 1-of-2 free throws to make it a two-point game with 16.2 seconds remaining and Hinrich answered with a jumper in the lane to tie the game at 103-103 with 9.2 ticks left on the clock.

Then, on the Grizzlies’ final possession, Gasol found Warrick down low and Tyrus Thomas sent him to the line. Warrick hit 1-of-2 free throws to put Memphis back in front and on Chicago’s last possession, Deng’s running jumper from the lane found rim as the Grizzlies held on for the win.

Trailing by 15 early in the second half, the Bulls used a strong third quarter to get back into the game. After a Gay three pointer made it 65-51, Deng scored the first six points of an 8-2 Chicago spurt that brought the Bulls within 67-59.

Then, after a Gasol free throw gave Memphis a 70-62 lead with just under five minutes left in the third, Gordon nailed a three to spark a 13-3 Chicago run that gave the Bulls a 75-73 lead on Thomas’ jumper with 1:10 remaining. Chicago took a 77-75 advantage into the final quarter before Memphis rallied late for the victory.

A 7-0 run, featuring four points by Ben Wallace and a three from Gordon, staked the Bulls out to a 15-11 lead with 4 1/2 minutes left in the opening quarter. The Grizzlies, though, closed the first out with a 12-0 run and took a 27-17 lead into the second quarter. Miller led the charge for Memphis, connecting on two three’s and finishing with eight points.

A 8-0 run brought Chicago within 40-38 with just under five minutes left in the second, but the Grizzlies, led by Warrick and Gasol, answered with 14 straight points and took a 54-42 lead into the locker room. Warrick and Gasol combined to score 12 points during the late run.

Game Notes

Bulls forward Malik Allen returned to Chicago’s lineup after missing the last four games with an irregular heartbeat...The home team has won five straight and 12 of the last 14 meetings in this series.