MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Saturday night's Sacramento Kings-Memphis Grizzlies game at FedExForum had a scheduled 7 o'clock local start. Forward Rudy Gay said afterward that the Kings didn't join in until about 8:30.

"It was a classic case of we showed up too late," said Gay, who led the Kings with 21 points in their 121-117 loss to the Grizzlies. "We can't start out like that."

Their start included giving up 36 first-quarter points to Memphis. The Grizzlies had a season-high 65 points at halftime.

The Kings (20-27) lost their fourth straight, but they did make a hard charge with a 40-point fourth quarter. It still wasn't enough.

Sacramento trailed by 15 points with just under nine minutes to play. A 13-0 run brought the score to 104-102 with five minutes left as the Kings' Omri Casspi (17 points, seven rebounds) finished a fast break with a running dunk.

The Kings beat the Grizzlies 8-0 on fast-break points in the fourth quarter and 31-21 overall.

"They'll get you with transition offense," Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger said. "Certainly, that's what they do well and they try and to break you down."

Memphis answered with a fourth-quarter run of its own to go back up by 10 points, but a banked 3-pointer by guard Darren Collison (20 points) closed the gap to 118-117 with 18.7 seconds to go. Memphis guard Courtney Lee (18 points) hit three of four free throws to close things out.

Point guard Mike Conley was scoreless entering the fourth quarter but contributed eight points and also finished with seven assists.

"He led his team," said swingman Tony Allen, who finished with 12 points, five rebounds and two steals. "He didn't let us get ratted and kept us in our sets."

Sacramento All-Star DeMarcus Cousins (17 points, 14 rebounds) left the game with 2:02 remaining after injuring his left ankle. He had to be helped to the locker room.

Cousins twisted the same ankle in the first half but was able to return after he had it wrapped tighter. X-rays were negative.

"I'll live," Cousins said. "I can walk on it. There's a little pain, but I'll be fine."

Forward Jeff Green led Memphis with 29 points off the bench and was 11 of 16 from the floor. It was Green's third straight effort of at least 21 points.

"Another nice game," Joerger said.

Memphis (28-20) has won nine of its last 11. The Grizzlies shot 51.9 percent from floor and went 8 of 18 from 3-point range for 44.4 percent.

Center Marc Gasol filled the stat sheet with 22 points, six rebounds, five assists, five blocks and two steals. Guard Vince Carter chipped in 13 points off the bench.

Point guard Rajon Rondo had 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Kings but made seven turnovers and fouled out.

Sacramento shot 41.3 percent from the field and hit 9 of 24 from distance for 37.5 percent. Memphis scored 26 points off 19 Sacramento turnovers and the Grizzlies had 15 steals, led by three from Green.

Sacramento coach George Karl said in the first half, in which the Kings trailed by as many as 22 points, that they tried the force the ball into the lane too much.

"They protect the paint as well as anyone in the NBA," he said. "They've done if for about five years."

Sacramento fell to 8-15 on the road as it chases Portland and Utah for the eighth and last playoff spot in the Western Conference.

"We have a chance," Cousins said. "The potential is there. It's just about us putting it together. We make a lot of stupid mistakes."

NOTES: Coming into Saturday night's game, Memphis had scored 100 or more points in seven straight games, tying the second-longest streak in franchise history. Meantime, the Kings carried a three-game losing streak into the game and had given up an average of 118.3 points per game. ... Sacramento C DeMarcus Cousins made the Western Conference All-Star team for the second consecutive year. He is third in the NBA in scoring (27.2 points) and fourth in rebounding (11.2). In the Sacramento era of the franchise, Cousins is one of only four players to make multiple All-Star teams. The others are Mitch Richmond (six), Chris Webber (four) and Peja Stojakovic (three). ... Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger, speaking about players filling different roles this season, said before the game: "They've been all on board -- whatever it takes to win." ... When Memphis beat Sacramento 103-89 in November, the Kings had a season-low 11-point second quarter.