MEMPHIS, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Point guard Jason Williams hit a pair of free throws with 7.3 seconds left Tuesday night to give the Memphis Grizzlies a 99-95 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA exhibition opener for both teams.
The Grizzlies moved to Memphis after six awful seasons in Vancouver and revamped their roster upon their arrival. They traded their two best players in Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Mike Bibby and are going with a youth movement.
Among the new players is Williams, acquired from Sacramento for Bibby. He collected 19 points and 11 assists.
Williams averaged 11 points and six assists per game in three seasons with the Kings and made a name for himself with flashy play. But he wore out his welcome by making poor decisions on and off the court.
Forward Shane Battier, one of the team's first-round picks, had 11 points and six steals. Pau Gasol, the third overall pick who was acquired in the trade for Abdur-Rahim, added six points.
Memphis native Lorenzen Wright, also acquired from Atlanta in the Abdur-Rahim trade, collected 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The Grizzlies gave the crowd something to cheer about in the opening minutes. Playing their first game under new coach Maurice Cheeks, the talented Trail Blazers responded with a 20-0 run to take a 42-24 lead with 9:05 remaining in the first half.
Vancouver rallied and took the lead for good at 80-78 with 11:05 remaining on a 3-pointer by veteran guard Nick Anderson, who also was acquired in the Bibby trade.
Derek Anderson led Portland with 20 points on 8-of-19 shooting. Anderson was acquired from San Antonio for fellow guard Steve Smith.
