Rookies Pau Gasol and Shane Battier have the Memphis Grizzlies moving forward. Gasol collected 20 points and 10 rebounds and Battier added 12 points as the Grizzlies won in Philadelphia for the first time in franchise history with a 93-87 victory over the 76ers.PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 2 — Rookies Pau Gasol and Shane Battier have the Memphis Grizzlies moving forward.
Gasol collected 20 points and 10 rebounds and Battier added 12 points as the Grizzlies won in Philadelphia for the first time in franchise history with a 93-87 victory over the 76ers.
The Grizzlies acquired both Gasol and Battier on draft day and have made them the cornerstones of the rebuilding process in the team’s new city. Both have moved into the starting lineup and are averaging in double figures.
Gasol made four free throws in the final 24 seconds as Memphis put together wins for the first time this season. Battier had a pair of 3-pointers during a fourth-quarter surge and even took a turn defending 76ers superstar Allen Iverson.
Brevin Knight scored nine of his 13 points in the final period for the Grizzlies, who had lost 10 straight meetings with the Sixers winning the first on January 5, 1996 in Vancouver.
Iverson had 30 points and 10 assists but was just 1-of-9 from the field in the fourth quarter as Philadelphia (8-8) lost for the third time in four games.
