NBA recap: Ja Morant leads the Grizzlies past the Rockets

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October 22: Ja Morant led the visiting Memphis Grizzlies to a 129-122 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday with a game-high 49 points.

Morant made 17 out of his 26 field goal attempts. His 5-for-6 3-point shooting percentage was his best, with his lone miss being late in the fourth quarter on a heave with the shot clock running out.

The Rockets kept the score close as Morant added a game-high eight assists and two blocks of shots, falling three points short of his career high.

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With 33 points, Jalen Green led the Rockets, and Kevin Porter Jr. contributed 18 points and four assists. Off the bench, Alperen Sengun contributed a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds.

Warriors 123, Nuggets 128
With the help of a triple-double from Nikola Jokic, Denver defeated Golden State in San Francisco.

Jokic contributed to the Nuggets getting some payback against the Warriors, who knocked Denver from the Western Conference playoffs in the first round in April. He also had game highs with 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

For the Warriors, who had defeated the Los Angeles Lakers on Opening Night before being shocked by a 70-point Nuggets first half three nights later, Stephen Curry scored a game-high 34 points.

Suns 111, Trail Blazers 113 (OT)

With 7.2 seconds left in overtime, Anfernee Simons nailed a running hook shot to break the tie, and Damian Lillard added 41 points and seven rebounds to help Portland shock host Phoenix.

The Trail Blazers scored the game’s final seven points to secure the victory. Simons scored 16 points, Jusuf Nurkic added 20 points and 17 rebounds, and Portland won its second straight game to start the season.

For the Suns, Devin Booker scored 33 points and Deandre Ayton added 26. With 1.2 seconds left after Simons’ score, Ayton was fouled but didn’t make the first of his two free throws. Jock Landale, a teammate, grabbed the rebound after he intentionally missed the second shot but missed the follow-up attempt just before time ran out.

Timberwolves 126, Jazz 132 (OT)

In overtime at Minneapolis, Utah defeated Minnesota after coming back from a 17-point hole behind 29 points by Jordan Clarkson. For their second straight victory to start the season, the Jazz scored seven points in overtime.

Lauri Markkanen had 24 points overall, Kelly Olynyk had 21 points before fouling out late in regulation, and Malik Beasley, a former Minnesota player, added 15 points for Utah.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 27, D’Angelo Russell added 23, and Anthony Edwards scored 30 points for the Timberwolves, forcing overtime with 5.4 seconds remaining in regulation. Rudy Gobert, who was acquired by Minnesota in an offseason trade from Utah, pulled down 23 rebounds but managed to score just nine points.

Raptors 105, Nets 109

With 56 seconds left, Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant made a game-tying 3-pointer to give them a victory over Toronto in New York. Brooklyn was on the verge of going down in the final minutes.

With 30 points and seven assists, Kyrie Irving led the Nets in scoring. In order to help the Nets overturn a 10-point deficit late in the third, Durant added 27 points for Brooklyn, and Nic Claxton chipped in 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Pascal Siakam of Toronto scored a game-high 37 points, added 12 rebounds, and handed out 11 assists for a triple-double. With Scottie Barnes scoring 17 points and Fred VanVleet adding 18, the Raptors lost for just the sixth time in their previous 28 encounters with Brooklyn.

Bulls 100, Wizards 102

With 7.4 seconds left, Bradley Beal scored from close range to break the tie as Washington held off visiting Chicago. At the buzzer, DeMar DeRozan of the Bulls missed a crucial 3-point attempt that may have won the game.

For the Wizards, Kyle Kuzma had a game-high 26 points, while Bradley Beal had 19.

DeRozan scored a game-high 32 points, and Nikola Vucevic added 24 for the Bulls, who were playing without Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball for the second straight game.

Hornets 112, Pelicans 124
In helping New Orleans defeat Charlotte, Jonas Valanciunas had a solid start and a crucial final stretch on route to 30 points and 17 rebounds.

In his homecoming to his home state, Brandon Ingram scored 28 points, while CJ McCollum added 21 points for the Pelicans, who maintained their lead throughout the whole game and held off Charlotte’s fourth-quarter rally. With 16, Zion Williamson contributed.

For the Hornets, Terry Rozier scored 23 points, while Gordon Hayward scored 26 points.
Magic 98, Hawks 108

Trae Young led the home team Atlanta to a victory over Orlando by scoring 23 of his 25 points in the second half and finishing with 13 assists.

John Collins of Atlanta scored 23, grabbed 13 rebounds, and had three steals. Dejounte Murray led the Hawks back from a 13-point deficit with 20 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, and four steals.

After sitting out Orlando’s season opening due to illness, Cole Anthony made his season debut off the bench and scored 25 points. Paolo Banchero, the Magic’s first-round pick, finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Heat 104, Celtics 111

In a rematch of the Eastern Conference finals from the previous season, Boston overcame Miami behind 29 points from Jayson Tatum and 28 from Jaylen Brown.

The pair helped the Celtics win their second game in a row to start the season by making 22 of their combined 40 field goals (55 percent). Boston was particularly effective from beyond the arc, hitting 14-for-33 (42.4 percent).

With 25 points and six rebounds on 10-for-21 shooting, Tyler Herro led the Heat. Jimmy Butler contributed 18 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while Bam Adebayo contributed 19 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.

Pistons 106, Knicks 130

Immanuel Quickley led six players in double digits with 20 points off the bench as New York defeated Denver in its home debut with little threat.

For the Knicks, the starter RJ Barrett (18 points), Jalen Brunson (17 points), Julius Randle (15 points), and Quickley’s fellow reserves Obi Toppin (16 points) and Derrick Rose all scored in double figures (13).

For the Pistons, Saddiq Bey scored 26 points. Jaden Ivey contributed 17 points, Bojan Bogdanovic scored 18 points, and Cade Cunningham scored 15 points total.
Pacers 134, Spurs 137

San Antonio hung on to defeat Indiana in Indianapolis despite playing with fewer players because to the 27 points from the bench from Josh Richardson and two clutch free throws from Tre Jones in the closing seconds.

For the Spurs, Devin Vassell scored a career-high 23 points, and Keldon Johnson added 23 as well. Poeltl finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

With 27 points and 12 assists, Haliburton led the Pacers, and Mathurin contributed 26 points. Myles Turner, Indiana’s starting center, did not participate (ankle sprain).
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