Ja Morant scored 28 of his 39 points in the third quarter and added 10 assists and 10 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Los Angeles 121-109 on Tuesday night in the Lakers’ first game since LeBron James injured his foot. right.
Morant hit 10 of 12 shots in the fourth-highest scoring by a Grizzlies player.
“I was just feeling it,” Morant said. ‘I went and was able to keep the momentum going and put us in a good position to win the game.’
Xavier Tillman finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis, while Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane each scored 16 points.
“Obviously, Ja had a special third quarter,” said Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins. ‘He was just in attack mode.’
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers
Morant scores a fierce dunk as Lakers defenders look on during the Memphis game
The Lakers matched a season-high 26 turnovers, leading to 41 points in Memphis – a Grizzlies franchise record. Memphis also dominated the standings, beating Los Angeles 86-48 and added 33 points on the break.
“A lot of it was cause and effect with our turnovers,” said Los Angeles manager Darvin Ham, adding, “They just forced their will on us in the paint.”
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 28 points and 19 rebounds, while Lonnie Walker IV scored 21 points. Austin Reaves had 17, as he matched his season high with four 3-pointers.
“It was the turnover that killed us,” Davis said.
Morant’s outburst opened up a close game and gave the Grizzlies a 93-84 lead going into the fourth. He had only made three of his 14 tries in the first half. He was 12 of 15 in the last two quarters.
“I wouldn’t say it’s pushing the button,” Morant said. ‘It’s just the shots I missed in the first half, I took them in the second half.’
Memphis would score eight straight points to take the game’s first double-digit lead, as Brandon Clarke scored on a dunk on the Lakers’ 22nd turnover with 9:14 remaining. The lead would eventually reach 106-92 with around nine minutes left.
But using a 3-point shooting streak, the Lakers cut Memphis’s lead to 110-106 on a three-point play by Davis. Memphis responded by increasing the lead to 118-106, enough to claim their second consecutive win.
Morant fires during victory over the Clippers at the FedEx Forum in Memphis
James’ injury, sustained in Sunday’s win over Dallas, left the Lakers without their top scorer with 29.7 points per game. They don’t know how long he will be gone.
Los Angeles were 37 percent and Memphis 33 percent in the first half. The Grizzlies held a six-point lead, the most at halftime for either team.
‘At halftime, my teammates continued to encourage me. Just telling me to keep going,’ Morant said. “I told them I wouldn’t lose many more.
BUCKS 118, NETWORKS 104
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 15 rebounds as Milwaukee beat Brooklyn for their 15th consecutive win.
Jrue Holiday had 14 points and eight assists for the Bucks, who went 10-0 in February and passed Boston as the best record in the NBA. They rebounded Antetokounmpo after he missed Sunday’s home win over Phoenix with a right quadriceps injury.
Mikal Bridges led Brooklyn with 31 points. Spencer Dinwiddie had 26 points and eight assists.
Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) celebrates with his teammates as they are substituted
SPURS 102, JAZZ 94
Keldon Johnson scored 23 points as San Antonio beat Utah to snap a 16-game losing streak.
Doug McDermott added 19 points for the Spurs, Jeremy Sochan had 13 and Devonte Graham 12. San Antonio improved to 15-47, winning for the first time this season after trailing early in the fourth quarter.
Lauri Markkanen had 28 points and nine rebounds for Utah.
San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) shoots Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler
NUGGETS 133, ROCKETS 112
Nikola Jokic scored his 100th career triple-double and Jamal Murray scored 32 points as Denver defeated Houston.
Jokic had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his 24th NBA-leading triple-double this season and 15th in the last 20 games.
Michael Porter Jr. added 17 points and Bruce Brown had 15 off the bench to help the Nuggets to their second consecutive victory and sixth in their last seven games.
Jalen Green and Tari Eason each scored 17 points for Houston. The Rockets were down for their 10th consecutive season.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (right) finishes as Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun
PACERS 124, MAVERICKS 122
Tyrese Haliburton scored 32 points and won a birthday duel with Luka Doncic, moving Indiana ahead of Dallas.
Doncic had 39 points and nine rebounds on his 24th birthday, but has fallen to 1-4 in games with Kyrie Irving since the Superstars struck a deal with Brooklyn ahead of the trade deadline.
Irving scored 16 points, but his 3-pointer before the buzzer was the last of five deep misses in the final two minutes as Dallas trailed by two.
Haliburton, 23, born February 29, 2000, is 9-of-18 from the field and 12-of-15 on free throws, adding seven rebounds and six assists.
Tyrese Haliburton of the Pacers goes to the basket against Justin Holiday of the Mavericks
WIZARDS 119, HAWKS 116
Washington spoiled Quin Snyder’s coaching debut in Atlanta, taking 37 points from Bradley Beal and 28 from Kyle Kuzma in a win over the Hawks.
Trae Young led Atlanta with 31 points.
Snyder spent eight seasons as Utah’s head coach before resigning last June after the Jazz were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Snyder, 56, says he quit coaching to spend more time with his family, but the chance to lead the talented but enigmatic Hawks lured him back to the sidelines sooner than expected.
Wizards point guard Bradley Beal (3) gestures toward the Atlanta Hawks dugout after hitting a shot
KINGS 123, THUNDER 117
Harrison Barnes scored 29 points as Sacramento beat Oklahoma City for their fourth consecutive victory.
Domantas Sabonis had 22 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists and Kevin Huerter added 20 points for the Kings. They also beat the Thunder on Sunday night.
Thunder rookie Jalen Williams matched a season-high 27 points. Dario Saric, a backup forward the Thunder acquired in a trade from Phoenix before the All-Star break, had a season-high 21 points. But Oklahoma City shot just 43.9 percent for its fourth straight loss.
Kings Harrison Barnes (40) drives against Oklahoma City Thunder Kenrich Williams (34)
RAPTORS 104, TOURS 98
Pascal Siakam scored 20 points, Gary Trent Jr. made 19 as Toronto beat Chicago for their eighth win in 10 games.
OG Anunoby added 17 points and Jakob Poeltl had 14 to help the Raptors win their fourth straight home win.
Nikola Vucevic led Chicago with 23 points and Zach LaVine had 17. DeMar DeRozan scored 13 points against his former team.
Pascal Siakam #43 of the Raptors kicks the ball during the game against the Chicago Bulls
WARRIORS 123, TRAIL BLAZERS 105
Jordan Poole had 29 points, six assists and five rebounds, Klay Thompson scored 23 points as the Golden State Warriors beat Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers 123-105 on Tuesday night.
Lillard had 25 points and seven assists to follow his franchise record and career-best 71-point masterpiece against the Rockets on Sunday night, when his 13 three-point shots fell short of Thompson’s league record. NBA.
Lillard was whistled for three quick fouls after the break and Portland unsuccessfully challenged his fourth personal.
The Warriors seized every chance during their decisive 39-point third quarter, taking the lead definitively on Thompson’s 3-pointer with 1:46 left in the period en route to winning their fourth straight home win and eighth in nine.
Poole’s leap with 6:14 to play in the third took Golden State up 74-67, then Thompson’s leap in 4:59 made it a two-point game with Golden State coming back from 23 down after trailing 125- 122 in Portland on February 8.
Jordan Poole (No. 3) of the Warriors looks to pass the ball during the game against the Trail Blazers
TIMBERWOLVES 108, CLIPPERS 101
Jaden McDaniels scored 20 points, Anthony Edwards added 18 as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Clippers 108-101 on Tuesday night, snapping a three-game losing streak.
McDaniels scored at least 20 points for the fourth time this season.
Paul George had 25 points and Kawhi Leonard 23 for the Clippers, who lost three consecutive points. Los Angeles’ last two losses before Tuesday came in overtime, including a 176-175 double-loss on Friday night to Sacramento in the second-highest scoring game in NBA history.
Jaden McDaniels of the Timberwolves dribbles the ball during the game against the Clippers