JA MORANT made a career-high six 3-pointers and scored a season-high 41 points as the Memphis Grizzlies rallied for their third straight win, beating the visiting Los Angeles Lakers (104-99) on Wednesday.
Desmond Bane scored 20 points and Jaren Jackson, Jr. had 15 for Memphis, which trailed for nearly all of the first three quarters before outscoring the Lakers (26-16) in the final period.
LeBron James tied his career high with eight 3-pointers and finished with 37 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists for the Lakers. Russell Westbrook recorded his eighth triple-double of the season with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.
Malik Monk added 15 points for Los Angeles, which has lost six of its last seven games. James, who turns 37 on Thursday, has scored at least 30 points in six straight games.
Memphis trailed by as many as 14 in the second half but cut the deficit to five entering the fourth quarter. Morant made a 3-pointer to cap a 12-0 run and give the Grizzlies a 99-92 lead with 4:28 remaining.
The Lakers pulled within 100-97 on James’ trey with 2:48 to play. Los Angeles trailed 102-99 with 6.7 seconds left before James committed a turnover and Bane made two foul shots to seal the comeback victory.
Morant shot 13 of 27 from the field and 6 of 7 from beyond the arc for Memphis, which has won 13 of its past 17 games. He also grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Grizzlies trailed by 13 late in the first half before Morant scored seven straight points to pull Memphis within 54-48 at the break.
James had 15 points and eight rebounds in the first half for the Lakers, who limited the Grizzlies to 35.4% shooting over the first 24 minutes, including 2 of 14 (14.3%) from 3-point range.
Monk scored with 4:33 left in the third quarter to extend the Lakers’ lead to 80-66 before the Grizzlies closed the period with a 12-3 run to cut the deficit to 83-78. Morant capped the rally with a 3-pointer, giving him 14 points for the quarter.
Memphis played without Dillon Brooks, John Konchar, Jarrett Culver and De’Anthony Melton, who are all in the league’s health and safety protocol. Los Angeles was missing four players due to COVID protocol or a lack of conditioning upon being reinstated from COVID-related absences.
JAZZ EXTEND WIN STREAK
Rudy Gobert scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and Rudy Gay netted 21 points to lead the visiting Utah Jazz to a 120-105 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.
Six Jazz players scored 15 or more points and the team shot 52.9% from the field to win its fifth straight game overall and run its record to 7-0 on the road.
Damian Lillard and Norman Powell each fired in 32 points for Portland, but Larry Nance, Jr. (14 points) was the only other Blazer to reach double figures for the short-handed squad that has dropped three games in a row.
The Blazers, who never led and trailed by as many as 22 points, were without two coaches, including Portland head coach Chauncey Billups, and seven players who are all caught up in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Utah’s bench came up big on a night the team’s leading scorer, Donovan Mitchell, was sidelined with a back injury.
Along with Gay, who hit eight of 13 shots and grabbed six rebounds, Jordan Clarkson totaled 19 points, five assists and four rebounds, and former Blazer big Hassan Whiteside collected a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds.
In all, the Jazz bench outscored the Blazers’ backups 59-22.
Gobert put the first points on the scoreboard with a dunk, foreshadowing a dominating night inside for the Jazz. Utah outscored Portland (74-30) in the paint.
Bojan Bogdanović got off to a hot start, quickly scoring eight of his 15 points to boost the Jazz to a 16-3 lead almost six minutes into the game. Lillard helped Portland surge to within five, 25-20, with a 3-pointer, but Gobert and Clarkson finished the quarter with consecutive dunks for a 36-27 lead.
Despite 13 points in the second quarter by Powell, the Jazz built their lead up to 16 before settling for a 10-point advantage at the break.
Gobert dominated the interior to open the fourth, scoring six straight Jazz points to give Utah a 107-87 lead with 7:26 remaining.
Utah improved to 5-0 vs. Northwest Division opponents and 15-3 in Western Conference action.
BULLS COMPLETE HOME-AND-HOME SWEEP
Zach LaVine scored 25 points and Nikola Vučević and Coby White registered double-doubles as the host Chicago Bulls stretched their winning streak to five games with a 131-117 victory against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.
A 12-point winner at Atlanta on Monday, the Bulls swept the home-and-home series while sending the short-handed Hawks to their third straight defeat and fifth loss in six games.
Vučević contributed 16 points and 20 rebounds for his third straight double-double and fourth in five games. White added 17 points and 12 of Chicago’s season-best 38 assists.
DeMar DeRozan (20 points), Ayo Dosunmu (14), Javonte Green (14), and Tyler Cook (10) also finished in double figures for the Bulls, who led by as many as 27 points. DeRozan added eight assists.
Trae Young scored a game-high 26 points to go with 11 assists for Atlanta in the opener of a six-game road trip. Beset by numerous absences due to the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) health and safety protocols for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Hawks fielded a roster that included just four regular rotation players and had numerous additions who signed 10-day hardship contracts.
Atlanta’s Clint Capela had 18 points and 15 rebounds. Chaundee Brown, Jr. (16 points), Cam Reddish (14), Malcolm Hill (13), and Cameron Oliver (13) were next. The Hawks hit 47.8% of their field-goal attempts but allowed the Bulls to make 61.9% from the floor.
A torrid, 69.8% effort from the field boosted the Bulls to a 74-53 lead at half time. Chicago had 24 assists on 30 made field goals in the opening 24 minutes while boasting four players in double figures, led by LaVine with 15.
Chicago pulled away behind a 22-3 run to close the half. After the Hawks drew to within 52-50 on a Brown, Jr. layup with 6:04 left in the second quarter, Atlanta tallied a mere three free throws before intermission.
The Bulls will try to claim the season series from the Hawks when the teams meet on Jan. 24 in Atlanta. The Bulls and Hawks are set to close the series Feb. 24 in Chicago. — Reuters