Turiaf scored inside to get the Lakers back within two after Odom and Vujacic missed. Gay got fouled and made the second of two for a 114-111 lead. Luke Walton inbounded the ball on the Lakers’ final play, but he turned it over and Milicic got the steal as time expired.

“Maybe they’re a little tired,” Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni said. “They look a little worn down. They’ve had a rough stretch and I think Kobe has been shouldering a lot of that. It’s hard to ask him to do that for both halves. He was incredible for that first half.”

Bryant notched 47 points through the first three quarters. He scored the Lakers’ first seven points, including his seventh and eighth 3-pointers, for a 61-56 lead. The Grizzlies tied it at 63 before a basket by Derek Fisher, a Bryant dunk and his ninth 3-pointer, gave the Lakers their largest lead, 70-63.

Memphis closed the third by outscoring Los Angeles 26-10, including seven by Miller and five each by Gay and Milicic that put the Grizzlies ahead 89-80. Bryant didn’t score any of the Lakers’ points and was on the bench for the final 2:47 of the spurt, watching his teammates miss a series of 3-pointers and D.J. Mbenga foul out.

That brought Chris Mihm into the game, just more than a month since he had right heel surgery. Prior to that, he’d been sidelined with right ankle problems for several weeks.

“I was going to be a cheerleader, but I’ll take it,” Mihm said. “I am confident my foot’s going to hold up. My timing isn’t where it needs to be, but I’ll work on it.”

Bryant was the only Lakers’ scorer in double figures at halftime, notching 34 points while taking 22 of their 52 shots and 7 of their 9 free throw attempts. He had nine points in a 13-2 spurt that gave the Lakers a 51-43 lead, but Memphis closed on a 10-2 run to tie the game at 53 going into the break.

Notes: It was the third time Bryant has scored at least 50 against the Grizzlies. He had 60 on March 22, 2007, and 56 on Jan. 14, 2002, both victories. ... Pau Gasol missed the first meeting between the teams since he was traded from Memphis on Feb. 1. The Lakers’ center could return Sunday from a sprained left ankle. ... Kwame Brown, sent to Memphis as part of the Gasol trade, did not play for the fifth consecutive game.

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