By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA (AP) -- Memphis had not won a game in Atlanta in more
than six years.



The Grizzlies took care of that skid in a big way. Rudy Gay
scored 21 points, four other teammates were in double figures
and Memphis blew out the listless Hawks 96-77 Thursday night.



"It was outstanding defense from the start," said coach Lionel
Hollins, whose team came up with 13 steals. "We started
executing and our defense just took over from that."



Memphis snapped a five-game losing streak at Philips Arena,
winning for the first time since an 85-84 triumph on Nov. 12,
2005.



"We haven't won here in so long," Gay said. "We know we can beat
teams, but the reality is there's still a long way to go."



Memphis pulled away late in the first half, closing on an 18-7
run that gave the Grizzlies a 10-point lead at the break. They
totally blew it open in the third quarter after Atlanta missed
its first seven shots and turned it over three times.



The Hawks were coming off a 4-1 road trip that left them tied
with Miami for the Southeast Division lead. But they looked
exhausted in their return to Atlanta, putting up ugly jumpers,
playing pedestrian defense and struggling just to hang on to the
ball.



While fatigue could've been a factor after a grueling road trip
in the compressed, post-lockout schedule, that didn't totally
explain why the Hawks were so sloppy with the ball.



"When you have this kind of season, it happens," center Zaza
Pachulia said. "But that's not an excuse. We're a good team.
Good teams have to find a way to regroup."



Gay and the Grizzlies ran the court with abandon and slammed
down several thunderous dunks. The sparse crowd at Philips Arena
began booing in the third quarter, then mostly headed for home
early in the fourth as Memphis stretched the lead as high as 30
points.



Tony Allen and O.J. Mayo scored 18 apiece for Memphis, while
Mike Conley had 15. Marc Gasol turned in a double-double with 11
points and 10 rebounds, while Dante Cunningham chipped in with
10 rebounds off the bench.



Josh Smith led the Hawks with 11 points, playing only 19
minutes.



Both teams cleared their benches in the final minutes and the
only thing the Hawks could take solace in was avoiding their
worst loss of the season, which remains a 22-point defeat at San
Antonio.



The Hawks got an omen of things to come when backup center Jason
Collins tumbled to the court chasing a loose ball late in the
first quarter. His left arm was pinned under Cunningham, leaving
the 7-footer writhing on the court with a sprained elbow that
finished him off for the night. The Hawks were already
shorthanded in the middle with Al Horford recovering from
surgery for a torn pectoral muscle that will keep him out for
most, if not all, of the regular season.



Collins isn't much of a factor statistically. Still, his big
body was missed when Gasol and the Grizzlies started going
inside.



"We knew after Collins went out that they were a little small in
the front court, so we wanted to try to get some penetration and
get it to our big fella, Marc," Conley said. "We felt like we
had an advantage there and we tried to use it all night."



The Hawks never found an answer for Memphis' inside game. The
Grizzlies finished with 58 points in the lane, matching the most
allowed by Atlanta this season.



"We just didn't have the size to match up with Gasol," Willie
Green said. "We put (Pachulia) on him, and he did a good job,
but it takes a team effort. We'll see how the injury is and try
to move forward as a team. But it's definitely a tough loss if
he's out."



Atlanta was up 36-35 with 5 minutes left in the opening half.
That's when the game turned Memphis' way.



Mayo knocked down a jumper, Gasol hit a turnaround hook and
Allen laid it in off a nifty pass from Gay. After Jeff Teague
missed a jumper, Gay broke ahead of the pack, took a pass from
Conley and jammed it down. Then Mayo stole the ball from Joe
Johnson, feeding Allen for another layup.



The Hawks got a bit of a spark when Marvin Williams swished a
3-pointer, but Allen matched it with a 3 of his own just ahead
of the buzzer, sending the Grizzlies sprinting to the locker
room up 53-43.



Atlanta never got closer.



Johnson was smothered by the Grizzlies and finished with 10
points on 4-of-10 shooting. Ivan Johnson, also with 10, was the
only other Hawks player in double figures.



Notes: X-rays on Collins showed there was nothing broken, but
the team isn't sure how long he'll be out. ... The Hawks also
surrendered 58 points in the lane in a Jan. 5 loss to Miami, but
that game went to triple-overtime. ... Gay had three steals and
became Memphis' career leader in that category. ... Memphis
outrebounded the Hawks 49-36.