Rudy Gay hit the go-ahead jumper with 26.3 seconds remaining as the Memphis Grizzlies rallied to beat the slumping Toronto Raptors 102-99 Friday night.
Gay finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds, but it was his crowd-silencing dagger that made the difference in a back-and-forth final quarter that saw the teams exchange the lead several times.
Marc Gasol and Mike Conley added 21 points apiece for the Grizzlies (21-15), who have won seven of their last eight games. O.J. Mayo added 16 points in a reserve role.
Jerryd Bayless paced a balanced attack with 18 points for the Raptors (11-25), who squandered several chances to put the Grizzlies away in the opener of a four-game homestand.
James Johnson had 14 points and Leandro Barbosa added 13 for Toronto, which fell despite shooting 52.8 per cent from the field.
With the score tied at 98 with 52.5 seconds remaining, Toronto's Aaron Gray was fouled down low and hit one of two free throws.
Gay buried a long jumper on the Grizzlies' next possession — holding his finger to his lips as if to silence the Air Canada Centre crowd of 17,168 — as Memphis seized the lead for good.
Linas Kleiza's go-ahead shot attempt at the other end bounced off the back rim and the Grizzlies quickly fired an outlet pass to Tony Allen, who hit the layup and drew a foul. He missed the free throw, but Jose Calderon's game-tying three-pointer hit the side of the rim and caromed out.
After shooting 56.8 per cent on the way to a 52-45 halftime advantage, the Raptors came out cold in the third quarter — and it cost them the lead. Toronto missed its first four shots, allowing the Grizzlies to rip off a quarter-opening 11-0 run highlighted by a Conley three-pointer set up by a nifty behind-the-back pass from Allen.
Toronto erased a seven-point deficit later in the quarter but couldn't contain Mayo, who scored six points in the final 1:35 to send the Grizzlies into the fourth with a 77-75 lead.
The teams exchanged runs early in the final quarter before the Raptors pulled away thanks to seven straight points from Kleiza. Memphis stormed back to regain the lead on a Gay layup and foul shot with 3:19 remaining, but Johnson countered for Toronto with a soft layup and foul shot for a one-point Raptor edge with 1:38 left.
The teams traded baskets, setting the stage for the thrilling finish.
Notes: Two nights after shooting a season-best nine for 15 from three-point range in New Orleans, Toronto connected on just 6-of-16 attempts from beyond the arc. ... Memphis improved to 10-1 this season against teams below .500. ... Eight different Raptors had at least one assist in the first half. ... Memphis finished with 10 steals and 24 points off Toronto turnovers. The Grizzlies entered the night second in the NBA in both categories.