"Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins kept imploring his troops all night to not allow their intensity to wane against a scrappy New Orleans Hornets squad.

Hollins reminded his guys when they trailed after the opening period. He sounded like a broken record when the Griz built a 17-point lead.

It wasn't until the final five minutes Saturday night that the Griz finally put away the feisty Hornets and left FedExForum with a 108-99 victory before a crowd of 14,983.

"Their whole team plays hard. They stay after it," Hollins said, adding, "It was a tough win and an important one."

The Hornets (3-9) saw what's made a difference for the Griz, who were coming off a convincing win over the New York Knicks because of a spirited defensive effort. Despite a lull against the Hornets, the Griz (5-6) were seemingly dialed in on defense –- which allowed them to shut down the Hornets' comeback.

Memphis used a 10-2 run during a three-minute stretch to extend to a 105-95 lead, and then made clutch free throws to wrap up its second straight victory.

"We just needed to play smart basketball," said Rudy Gay, who led the Griz with 23 points. "We had things we needed to go to and we did that. But it all starts with defense. Those W's make it faster for you to get a rhythm. But we can revert so we can't let up."

All five Griz starters scored in double figures. Center Marc Gasol amassed 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Mike Conley chipped in a season-high 17 points and seven assists."