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.
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Grizzlies-Sixers: 56k | 300k  Brevin Knight goes for the layup against the Sixers in Philly. Jesse D. Garrabrant NBAE/Getty Images |
"I know that I have the talent and the ability to show that I can score points, get rebounds and give the effort to help the team win ballgames," the 21-year-old Gasol said. "I know that I'm young and a rookie, but I don't care."
"He is a very talented young man," Memphis coach Sidney Lowe said. "He is still learning the NBA game. Right now, he is just playing off sheer talent as opposed to really understanding what he needs to do to be even more effective in this league. He is a nice passer; he has a soft touch around the basket; and he can run the floor. He has a lot of talent."
Battier had a pair of 3-pointers during a fourth-quarter surge and even took a turn defending 76ers superstar Allen Iverson.
"I'm going to sleep well tonight. He goes full-tilt for 48 minutes," Battier said. "He makes you work on defense. All you can do is make him work back, make his shots tougher and make him run around a little more."
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. It also was Memphis' first win in eight road games this season.
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.
Dikembe Mutombo just missed his second straight triple-double with 14 points, 14 rebounds and nine blocks for the Sixers, who played without guard Aaron McKie. The reigning Sixth Man Award winner sat out with an irregular heartbeat.
"When we're missing Eric Snow, Aaron McKie, myself, Derrick Coleman, or Dikembe, anybody like that, our main pieces to the puzzle, it's hard to win," Iverson said. "It's hard to have any chemistry. Game to game, if somebody's not playing, it's tough."
"Until Eric gets back, we have to have people step up, especially on the defensive end," Sixers coach Larry Brown said. "That's not happening, we're getting exposed in some areas on the defensive end."
Two free throws by Speedy Claxton, who started for McKie and had eight points and eight assists, gave Philadelphia a 77-75 lead with 7:05 remaining. Battier followed with a 3-pointer to start a 12-4 surge.
During the run, Gasol clearly walked as he pulled up on a fast break and fed Jason Williams for a 3-pointer. Brown was hit with a technical foul for arguing and the ensuing free throw by Knight and another 3-pointer by Battier gave the Grizzlies an 87-81 advantage with 4:12 left.
"I didn't say anything. I jumped up because I thought it was a violation," Brown said. "After getting tossed twice during the exhibition season, I swore I wasn't going to get a technical this year. I went 15 games. I guess I couldn't do it."
The Sixers closed to 89-87 with 1:41 to go on a jumper by Matt Harpring, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds. But by grabbing a pair of offensive rebounds and a jump ball, the Grizzlies kept possession for over a minute.
"Shane Battier hit a couple threes and I thought they executed very well," Coleman said. "We just couldn't get our hands on loose balls. We kept getting jump balls and the ball kept bouncing so we couldn't get our hands on it."
Mutombo had a short jumper blocked by Stromile Swift and Gasol grabbed the rebound. He made two free throws with 24 seconds to play and, after Coleman missed a 3-pointer, sank another pair with 15 seconds left.
"We made a lot of mental mistakes, especially in the fourth quarter," Iverson said. "You also can't take anything away from those guys, they played well. Their big guys played well underneath the basket. We just had a bad game."
Former Sixer Rodney Buford scored 11 points and Williams handed out 10 assists for the Grizzlies, who shot 46 percent (36-of-79) from the field and held a 33-7 advantage in bench points.
Coleman scored 16 points for the Sixers, who shot 38.5 percent (35-of-91), including 1-of-11 from the arc.
Memphis led by as many as eight points in the first half before settling for a 43-40 halftime edge. Iverson kept the Sixers close with 17 points and added nine in the third period, which ended in a 67-67 tie.