Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley, right, and Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard battle for the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Oregon, on Feb. 22, 2015. Memphis and Portland clashed again on Saturday, March 21, 2015, with the Grizzlies mauling the Trail Blazers, 97-86. AP
MEMPHIS, Tennessee, United States — Jeff Green had 23 points and Mike Conley scored 21 with nine assists to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 97-86 victory over the struggling Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night.
Zach Randolph added 17 points for Memphis, which won its second straight. Marc Gasol had 13 points, and Tony Allen finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 27 points and seven assists. LaMarcus Aldridge had 16 points, but didn’t play in the second half because of an injury to his left hand. C.J. McCollum finished with 13 points, and Dorell Wright scored 10.
The Trail Blazers also played the second half without starting forward Nicolas Batum, sidelined with lower back pain. The team said X-rays on Aldridge’s hand were negative.
The loss was the season-worst fourth straight for Portland, which was creeping up the Western Conference standings a week ago. The defeat dropped the Trail Blazers four games behind the Grizzlies for the second playoff seed in the West.
SUNS 117, ROCKETS 102
HOUSTON, Texas — Eric Bledsoe had a career-high 34 points and Phoenix withstood a fourth-quarter charge by Houston.
Bledsoe scored 23 by halftime and surpassed his previous career best of 33 points, set earlier this season, on a free throw with about a minute remaining.
Phoenix led by 15 early in the fourth quarter when Houston used a 14-4 run to cut it to 105-100 with 5 minutes left. Neither team had scored for about 2 1/2 minutes when P.J. Tucker made a 3-pointer that started a 12-0 spurt by the Suns that secured the victory.
Donatas Motiejunas had 18 points for the Rockets and James Harden added 16 after scoring a career-high 50 in Thursday’s win over Denver.
Phoenix’s victory snapped a three-game winning streak for Houston and allowed the Suns to avoid a season sweep by the Rockets.
NETS 123, PACERS 111
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — Brook Lopez had 26 points and four blocked shots to lead Brooklyn over slumping Indiana.
Bojan Bogdanovic added 21 points and five rebounds off the bench, and Deron Williams scored 17 for the Nets, who have won four of five.
George Hill had 18 points and nine assists for the Pacers (30-39), who lost their fifth straight.
Brooklyn pulled away for good when Joe Johnson converted a three-point play and Bogdanovic made a 3-pointer to put the Nets ahead 109-100 with 4 minutes remaining.
A win for the Pacers would have put them in sole possession of eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Instead, the Nets (29-39) closed the gap in a crowded race for the final playoff spot.
PISTONS 107, BULLS 91
AUBURN HILLS, Michigan — Reggie Jackson had 22 points, including 17 in the third quarter as Detroit came back from a 19-point deficit to beat Chicago.
The Pistons trailed 72-53 with 7 minutes left in the third quarter, but got a combined 27 points and 13 assists from Jackson and fellow point guard Spencer Dinwiddie in the second half.
Detroit had already taken an 80-79 lead by the start of the fourth. In all, the Pistons outscored the Bulls 47-11 in a 16-minute stretch spanning the final two quarters.
Pau Gasol had 27 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago.