Instant Replay: Grizzlies 117, Sixers 95

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MEMPHIS -- Sixers coach Brett Brown had hoped to motivate his young team to play the role of spoiler in the Memphis Grizzlies' chase for one of the last spots in the playoffs in Western Conference.

Instead, it was Sixers' trio of native Memphians who saw their homecomings spoiled, as the Grizzlies used a balanced scoring attack that featured six players in double figures to hand the Sixers a 117-95 loss Friday night at FedExForum.

It was the Sixers' third straight loss and fifth in their last six games since snapping their NBA record-tying 26-game losing streak.

Turning point
Once forward Thaddeus Young picked up his fourth foul midway through the third quarter and was forced to the bench, the Sixers (17-62) wilted.

Young's three-pointer with 7:08 left cut Memphis' lead to 63-57 before he was called for his fourth foul 11 seconds later.

Memphis outscored the Sixers, 10-2, with Young on the bench and turned that into a 24-7 run over the final 6:57 of the quarter to take an 87-64 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Grizzlies (47-32) shot 54.3 percent for the game and were led by center Marc Gasol's 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Carter-Williams watch
Sixers guard and NBA Rookie of the Year candidate Michael Carter-Williams struggled for most of the game, going 4 of 13 from the field.

Carter-Williams' frustration was evident when he picked up a technical foul with 5:19 left in the third for mouthing off to an official.

He didn't play in the fourth quarter, finishing with eight points, six rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes. Carter-Williams had been averaging 19 points (on 52.5 percent shooting), 7.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists over the Sixers' last six games.

Hometown returns
The game was a homecoming for three native Memphians on the Sixers' roster in Young and former University of Memphis players Elliot Williams and Adonis Thomas.

Young, who played at Mitchell High School in Memphis before going on to star at Georgia Tech, led the Sixers with 18 points. Guard Tony Wroten, who began his career with the Grizzlies, also had 18 points.

Williams had 13 points and four assists off the bench and Thomas, who signed a 10-day contract with the Sixers this week, saw his first action as a Sixer, scoring four points on 2 of 3 shooting over the game's final eight minutes.

What's next?
The Sixers wrap up their three-game road trip Saturday at Charlotte before returning to Philadelphia for their final home game of the season Monday against Boston.

Charlotte owns a 2-1 lead in the season series, having clobbered the Sixers 123-93 in the teams' most recent meeting last week in Philadelphia.

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