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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Vancouver Grizzlies' decision to ignore the
distractions swirling around the franchise has worked.
|  | | Michael Dickerson scored 23 points to help the Grizzlies earn their record fifth straight win. |
Michael Dickerson scored nine of his 23 points during a decisive
third-quarter run as the Grizzles beat the Washington Wizards
116-104 Tuesday night, extending their franchise-record winning
streak to five games.
NBA commissioner David Stern recently gave Vancouver owner
Michael Heisley permission to explore moving the franchise, a
distraction the players are trying to block out.
"We're not really worried about all that stuff they're talking
about," Grizzlies guard Mike Bibby said. "We're playing, that's
all we can do."
Vancouver, which had never won more than three straight games in
its six-year history, won its third straight on the road after
losing 15 straight road games.
"We're not there by any means, but maybe we're getting an idea
of what this thing's about," Vancouver coach Sidney Lowe said.
"Maybe they're thinking 'Gosh, this could be real nice.' "
The Grizzlies shot 55 percent from the field (44-for-80) and
rarely missed open chances.
The Grizzlies shot 13-for-20 in the fourth quarter, squelching
Washington rallies in the final minutes.
"This happened to be a night where we were not very sharp
defensively, and we went against a team that, when they got open
looks, they just knocked them down with high regularity,"
Washington coach Leonard Hamilton said. "That's a bad match."
The Grizzlies received double-figure scoring from six players.
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf scored 13 of his 19 in the second half while
Shareef Abdur-Rahim also scored 19 points. Grant Long, who had 14
rebounds, matched his season-high with 16 points.
Bibby had 10 points and 13 assists, included 12 in the second
half for Vancouver, which received 40 points from its reserves.
Juwan Howard led Washington with 27 points. Chris Whitney hit a
season-high six 3-pointers and finished with 24 points.
Washington scored the first four points of the second half and
trimmed its deficit to five points, 59-54, in the first minute of
the third quarter.
But Dickerson seized control, hitting two 3-pointers and capping
a 13-0 run with a three-point play, as the Grizzlies moved out to
an insurmountable 72-54 lead.
Game notes
Long had eight rebounds in the first quarter. The Wizards
had nine. ... The Grizzlies scored 100 points in consecutive games
for the first time since Jan. 13-15, against Cleveland and the Los
Angeles Lakers. ... The Wizards shot 28-for-31 from the line.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Vancouver Clubhouse
Washington Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 113
Golden State 102
Vancouver 116
Washington 104
Phoenix 110
Orlando 104
New York 76
Miami 74
Milwaukee 101
Chicago 92
LA Lakers 119
Dallas 109
Houston 101
Boston 84
Portland 104
Denver 94
Sacramento 94
Atlanta 80
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