Ja Morant put on a show with 41 points, Desmond Bane added 20 and the Memphis Grizzlies overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 104-99 on Wednesday night.
LeBron James led Los Angeles with 37 points, one day away from celebrating his 38th birthday. The star also had 13 rebounds and achieved his best stat of the season, with eight triples.
Russell Westbrook scored a triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.
The Grizzlies improved to 22-14 on their third win in a row, while the Lakers fell to 17-19 after tripping for the sixth time in seven games.
Memphis trailed in the second half until Tyus Jones hit a float to make it 93-92 with 6:50 left. Morant followed with consecutive triples that put the lead at 99-92 with 4:28 minutes to go.
Bane secured the victory with two free throws with 5.1 seconds remaining.
Bulls 131, Hawks 117
CHICAGO (AP) – Zach LaVine scored 25 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday for the second time in three nights, this time 131-117.
The Bulls extended their winning streak to five, the best they have had this season. The Hawks, who were short of 15 players due to injuries and NBA coronavirus protocols, fell for the fifth time in six games.
Trae Young scored 26 points and Clint Capela added 18 for the Hawks in the first of six road games.
The Bulls made 61.9% of their shots and posted their best number of the season with 38 assists. On Monday, they beat the Hawks 130-118 in Atlanta.
LaVine capped his performance with a dunk that included a 360-degree spin that stretched the Bulls’ lead to 119-96 with 6:44 left. Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 20 rebounds, his highest number of the season, for Chicago.
DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points, while point guard Coby White finished with 17 and provided 12 assists.
Another point guard, reservist Ayo Donsunmu, made six of seven shots and finished with 14 points, the same as Javonte Green.
Knicks 94, Pistons 85
DETROIT (AP) – Alec Burks scored 34 points, his highest number of the season, to star in a great night for the substitutes for the New York Knicks, who beat the decimated Detroit Pistons 94-85 on Wednesday night.
Burks stayed within a career-high point, while Immanuel Quickley added 18 points. Knicks reservists combined to score 65 points.
RJ Barrett was the only double-digit starter with 15 points, and New York edged Detroit 30-14 in the fourth quarter.
Saddiq Bey had a career-high 32 points for the Pistons, while Hamidou Diallo had 31 points, his highest number of the season, in addition to grabbing 13 rebounds.
The Pistons have lost four games in a row and 18 of 19. A COVID-19 outbreak has left the team with just four players, out of the usual 15 on the roster.
The team has signed 10-day contracts with seven replacements. He made the services of another with a contract in which the remuneration depends on whether the signer is active in the NBA or in the development league.
Kings 95, Mavericks 94
SACRAMENTO, California, USA (AP) – Chimezie Met hit a triple from the corner on the buzzer and the Sacramento Kings defeated the Dallas Mavericks 95-94 on Wednesday in the first of two games between the teams.
Dallas led 94-92 with 33.2 seconds left in the game after a short jump by Jalen Brunson and two free throws by Kristaps Porzingis. After Harrison Barnes missed a layup for Sacramento, and the Mavericks were penalized for a 24-second violation, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox drove down the lane and passed Metu in the right corner. The crowd at Golden 1 Center erupted after Metu’s shot went through the net.
Fox had 16 points and five assists. Barnes and Davion Mitchell each scored 14, and Tyrese Haliburton added 12 points and 10 assists.
Brunson scored 25 points for Dallas. Porzingis had 24 points and seven rebounds. The Mavericks have lost 14 of 21 to the Kings.
The teams will meet again on Friday in Portland.
Jazz 120, Trail Blazers 105
PORTLAND, Oregon, USA (AP) – Rudy Gobert had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz beat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-105 on Wednesday with star Donovan Mitchell out with back pain.
Portland’s Damian Lillard and Norman Powell each scored 32 points. The Trail Blazers were seven players short due to NBA action against COVID-19 for the second game in a row.
Utah’s Hassan Whiteside had 15 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, while backup forward Rudy Gay threw 21 points.
Powell was key in keeping the Blazers close, scoring 25 of his 32 points in the first half.
Lillard’s 3-pointer cut Utah’s lead to 76-70 with 7:32 left in the third period, the closest Portland had come since the first half.
A triple by Portland’s Tony Snell at the halftime bell cut Utah’s lead to 69-59 after the Jazz won 16 in the first half.
With Utah leading 111-91 with 4:59 minutes left in the game, Lillard was called for a technical foul and later substituted.
Suns 115, Thunder 97
PHOENIX (AP) – Devin Booker joined a very special club on Wednesday.
The Suns point guard scored 38 points, exceeding 10,000 for life, and Phoenix overwhelmed the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-97, to cut a two-game losing streak and share the top of the NBA.
At 25 years and 60 days, Booker is the seventh youngest player in history to pass 10,000 units in the NBA. The others are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“This means a lot,” Booker said. “I am truly grateful to be in this position. I acknowledge the work of my coaches for trusting a young man and allowing him to make mistakes, because not everyone receives this opportunity ”.
The Suns bounced back from home losses to Golden State and Memphis. They caught up with the Warriors for No. 1 in the league, going 27-7.
Booker made 12 of 24 shots from the field. He made six of 12 triples.
JaVale McGee and Cameron Payne had 16 points per head. McGee also had eight rebounds, while Payne led Phoenix in assists with seven.
Cam Johnson finished with 12 points, while Jalen Smith posted 11 and set a career-best 14 rebounds.
Both teams lacked key players and their coaches.
Suns starters Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder as well as strategist Monty Williams missed their second straight game.
The Thunder played without point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with a sore right ankle. Also starters Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Josh Giddey were already on the coronavirus protocol, and coach Mark Daigneault missed his second game in a row.
Oklahoma City trailed by 10 points after the first period, but recovered and took the lead in the final quarter. The Suns outscored the Thunder 30-16 in the fourth quarter, in which Booker set the tone with nine tallies.
“We kind of knew it was going to be like this against a hungry team, with guys who were excited to have a chance,” said Kevin Young, who replaced Williams as coach. “What we love about Book is that he’s a fierce competitor and he’s not afraid of anything.”
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