Heroics by Morant don’t derail Lakers
Guard pours in 40, but Grizzlies edged
LOS ANGELES — Carmelo Anthony scored 28 points, Anthony Davis had 22 points and four blocks, and Lebron James scored 19 as the Los Angeles Lakers overcame Ja Morant’s 40-point effort and beat the Memphis Grizzlies 121-118 Sunday NBA for their first win of the season.
The final minute had plenty of drama as Morant was fouled on a 3-point attempt by Kent Bazemore with 2.5 seconds left and Memphis trailing by three. Morant had a chance to tie the game but missed the third free throw.
Anthony moved into ninth on the NBA’S all-time scoring list with 27,423 points.
The Lakers snapped a season-opening two-game skid. The Grizzlies lost for the first time after two consecutive wins to open the season.
Morant added 10 assists and made a career-best five 3-pointers. By halftime, Morant had 17 points, including four 3-pointers.
Davis blocked a Morant layup attempt with 50 seconds left, and that appeared to seal it for the Lakers. The teams exchanged free three throws, and then Bazemore fouled Morant. But the Grizzlies failed to complete the comeback.
Memphis led by as many as 10 points in the first quarter. The Lakers then dominated inside to take a 62-56 halftime lead.
■ Warriors 119, Kings 107:
At Sacramento, Calif., Stephen Curry had 27 points and 10 assists while becoming the first player in Golden State history to reach 5,000 assists. Harrison Barnes scored 24 points for Sacramento, which closed within 107-104 in the fourth quarter.
■ Celtics 107, Rockets 97: At Houston, Jayson Tatum scored 20 of his 31 points in the first half for Boston, which turned 20 Houston turnovers into 28 points while avoiding its first 0-3 start in eight years. Rookie Jalen Green had 30 points for the Rockets.
■ 76ers 115, Thunder 103: At Oklahoma City, Seth Curry hit 6 of 7 3-point tries while scoring 23 of his 28 points in the first quarter for Philadelphia, which led 87-78 entering the fourth. Shai Gilgeous-alexander had 29 points for Oklahoma City.
■ Hornets 111, Nets 95: At New York, Miles Bridges had 32 points and nine rebounds for Charlotte, which had a 61-37 second-half scoring edge while moving to 3-0 for the first time. Kevin Durant scored 38 points for Brooklyn (1-2).
■ Magic 110, Knicks 104: At New York, Terrence Ross scored all 22 of his points in the fourth quarter, helping Orlando erase a six-point deficit entering the period. Cole Anthony had 29 points and 16 rebounds for the Magic.