|
The impressive display came two days after Morant scored a
franchise regular-season-record 46 points in a victory over the
Chicago Bulls. His previous career high for any contest was 47
in a playoff loss to the Utah Jazz last season.
Morant provided a number of signature moments on Monday,
including an emphatic dunk over Jakob Poeltl late in the second
quarter and a buzzer-beating jumper to give the Grizzlies a
68-58 lead at halftime.
De'Anthony Melton scored 15 points for Memphis, which recorded
its 11th win in 14 outings overall and prevented San Antonio's
Gregg Popovich from tying Hall of Famer Don Nelson's NBA record
for regular-season coaching victories (1,335). Lonnie Walker IV
led the Spurs with 22 points.
Raptors 133, Nets 97
Rookie Scottie Barnes tied a career high with 28 points and
collected a career-best 16 rebounds as Toronto routed Brooklyn
in New York.
The Raptors, still without Fred VanVleet (knee), bounced back
from losing by a combined 59 points in a weekend back-to-back at
Charlotte and Atlanta -- Toronto prevailed even though Pascal
Siakam was held to eight points on 2-of-14 shooting from the
floor.
LaMarcus Aldridge led the Nets with 15 points while Bruce Brown
and rookie Cam Thomas added 14 apiece for Brooklyn, which
allowed 31 points off 23 turnovers. The Nets also were coached
by lead assistant Jacque Vaughn after announcing Steve Nash was
placed in health and safety protocol shortly before the opening
tip.
Bucks 130, Hornets 106
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his fifth consecutive
double-double as Milwaukee defeated visiting Charlotte to snap a
two-game losing streak.
The two-time MVP amassed 26 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and
four blocks plus a 14-of-14 performance from the free-throw
line. Jrue Holiday contributed 21 points and Bobby Portis
finished with 20 to go along with 10 rebounds.
LaMelo Ball paced the Hornets with 24 points on 9-of-18
shooting. Terry Rozier scored 17 while handing out eight
assists, and Kelly Oubre Jr. notched 17 points off the bench.
Heat 112, Bulls 99
Tyler Herro and Gabe Vincent scored 20 points each as host Miami
beat Chicago in a matchup between the top two teams in the
Eastern Conference.
Bulls star DeMar DeRozan, who scored 18 points, had his streak
of consecutive 30-point games snapped at 10. DeRozan finished
one game short of Michael Jordan's franchise record for
consecutive 30-point contests. Chicago's Ayo Dosunmu also had 18
points.
Gabe Vincent and Tyler Herro scored 20 points apiece for the
Heat, while Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each had 15.
Timberwolves 127, Cavaliers 122
D'Angelo Russell fired in a team-high 25 points as Minnesota
ended Cleveland's eight-game home winning streak.
Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 points, including the
game-winning 3-pointer with 12.4 seconds left that snapped a
122-122 tie. Towns won the league's 3-point contest during
All-Star Weekend in Cleveland.
Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels each added 17 points and
Patrick Beverley had 11 for the Timberwolves, who shot a sizzing
54.7 percent from the field. Kevin Love led all scorers with 26
points for the Cavaliers, who hadn't dropped a home game since
Jan. 4 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Magic 119, Pacers 103
Wendell Carter Jr. scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for
his fifth consecutive double-double, and Markelle Fultz made a
successful season debut, leading host Orlando past Indiana.
Fultz, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, finished with 10
points on 5-for-7 shooting, six assists and two rebounds in 16
minutes off the bench. He had not played in almost 14 months due
to a left ACL injury.
Tyrese Haliburton had 23 points and seven assists for Indiana,
which lost its fifth straight on the road. The Pacers' Buddy
Hield added 18 points.
Kings 131, Thunder 110
De'Aaron Fox scored 29 points and added 10 assists to lead
Sacramento to a victory at Oklahoma City. The Kings snapped a
four-game losing streak, while the Thunder lost for the eighth
time in 10 games and the fifth consecutive time at home.
Sacramento interim coach Alvin Gentry inserted Trey Lyles into
the starting five for the first time since Lyles was acquired
Feb. 10 from Detroit. Lyles had 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting
after he put up just 12 total points in his first four games
with the Kings.
Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 37
points, making 12 of 16 from the floor and adding 10 assists. He
has scored 30 or more points in each of his three games back
since missing the final 10 games before the All-Star break with
a sprained ankle.
--Field Level Media
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
