Ja Morant hands out 17 assists, Grizzlies down Raptors

[December 30, 2022] Ja Morant scored 13 of his 19 points in the third quarter and added a career-best 17 assists as the visiting Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Toronto Raptors 119-106 Thursday night.

Dillon Brooks scored 25 points and Steven Adams had 14 points and 17 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who won for the second time in their past six games.

Desmond Bane added 16 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 15 and John Konchar contributed 11 points for Memphis.

Before fouling out late in the fourth quarter, Pascal Siakam had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto.

Gary Trent Jr. added 20 points for the Raptors, who have lost eight of their past 10 games and five straight at home. O.G. Anunoby scored 16 points, Scottie Barnes had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Chris Boucher scored 13 points.

The Grizzlies led by 18 entering the fourth quarter, but the Raptors cut the lead to nine on Siakam's layup with 5:53 to play. Brooks answered with a 3-pointer and Adams made a hook shot with 4:30 to play -- and the lead was back to 14.

After leading by 15 points, the Grizzlies were up 30-20 at the end of the first quarter.

The Raptors trimmed the lead to five two minutes into the second, but Memphis used a 12-1 surge to lead by 16 with 5:17 left in the quarter. Adams made a dunk from Morant's pass to increase the lead to 19 at 55-36 with 2:10 to go before ultimately taking a 57-43 lead into the half.

Memphis Grizzlies center Steven Adams (4) grabs a rebound in front of Toronto Raptors guard Malachi Flynn (22) in the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Brooks scored 15 points and Adams had eight points and 12 rebounds at the break for the Grizzlies, who shot 41.8 percent (23-for-55) in the half. Trent scored 12 points and Siakam had 11 for the Raptors, who shot just 29.8 percent (14-for-47) in the half.

Bane's 3-point basket with 7:54 to go in the third quarter stretched Memphis' lead to 23 -- its biggest spread of the game. Toronto used a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 14 with 2:37 remaining. Memphis responded with an 8-0 run and led 93-75 after three quarters.

Starting guard Fred VanVleet (back) did not play for the Raptors.

--Field Level Media

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