WEDNESDAY’S GAMES HIGHLIGHTS
BASKETBALL Morant back, helps Grizzlies notch win
Ja Morant had 17 points and five assists in his return from an eight-game, league-imposed suspension to help host Memphis beat Houston 130-125. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 37 points for the Grizzlies in their fourth straight win and seventh in eight games. Morant, who didn’t start, played 24 minutes. The two-time All-star was suspended for waving a firearm during a live stream from a Denver-area strip club.
■ Warriors 127, Mavericks
125: At Dallas, Stephen Curry assisted on Draymond Green’s go-ahead three-point play with 1:32 left and totaled 20 points and 13 assists for Golden State. Luka Doncic had 30 points and 17 assists for Dallas after missing five games because of a left thigh strain. The Warriors won a second straight road game for the first time since the NBA Finals in June.
■ Timberwolves 125, Hawks
124: At Minneapolis, Karl-anthony Towns hit two free throws with 3.6 seconds left and totaled 22 points for Minnesota, which trailed by 10 with 7:18 left. Towns, a three-time All-star, had been sidelined since Nov. 28, a 51-game stretch, with a right calf strain.
■ Lakers 122, Suns 111: At Los Angeles, Anthony Davis scored 27 points, D’angelo Russell 26 and Austin Reaves 25 for Los Angeles, which had lost six straight to Phoenix dating to May 2021. The Suns lost their second straight and fifth in six games.
■ Trail Blazers 127, Jazz 115:
At Salt Lake City, Damian Lillard had 30 points for Portland, which halted a six-game slide. Lauri Markkanen scored 37 of his 40 points in the first three quarters for Utah, which had won four of its previous five.
■ Nuggets 118, Wizards 104:
At Washington, Nikola Jokic had 31 points and 12 rebounds for Denver, which hit 15 of 32 3-point tries in its third win in four games. Washington lost its fourth straight and seventh in eight games.
CBI
■ Charlotte 71, Eastern
Kentucky 68: At Daytona Beach, Fla., the third-seeded 49ers (2214) shot 72 percent in the first half and led 42-24 at intermission in the College Basketball Invitational final. The eighth-seeded Colonels (23-14) had won three straight overtime games after trailing at halftime in all of them.
NHL Penguins end skid, cool off Avalanche
Jeff Carter scored twice to help Pittsburgh beat host Denver 5-2, halting the Penguins’ four-game skid and the Avalanche’s six-game win streak. Sidney Crosby reached 30 goals for an 11th season with a second-period backhander, tying Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux with the most 30-goal seasons for Pittsburgh.