POOLE DELIVERS A NEEDED SPARK
Jordan Poole scored 32 points — highlighted by emphatic one-handed slam off a pass from Draymond Green in the third — to outduel Ja Morant before being ejected, and the Warriors beat the visiting Memphis Grizzlies 123-109 on Sunday night in a rematch of the Western Conference finals won in five games by Golden State.
Morant scored 36 points in the Grizzlies’ first Christmas Day game.
Klay Thompson added 24 points and nine rebounds, Donte DiVincenzo had 19 points and Ty Jerome came up big off the bench in the third for 14 points as the Warriors played their 10th straight Christmas game.
Facing a Grizzlies team that is healthy at last and using its regular lineup, tensions were high just like that playoff round seven months ago. Poole was tossed for the first time in his career with 9:20 left and Golden State had six technicals.
Poole hit back-to-back 3pointers 22 seconds apart in the first as the Warriors played without injured reigning NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry for a fifth straight game because of a shoulder injury. Poole had 17 points in the opening quarter on 5-of-9 shooting with three 3s.
Mavericks 124, Lakers 115: Luka Doncic scored 32 points, Tim Hardaway Jr.
Warriors 123, Grizzlies 109
had 16 of his 26 points in a huge third quarter for Dallas and the Mavericks beat visiting Los Angeles.
Christian Wood added 30 points and tied a career high with seven assists as the Mavericks finished off a celebration of Dirk Nowitzki’s statue unveiling by winning just the second Christmas Day home game in franchise history.
Dallas took its first lead during a 51-point third quarter, the highest-scoring quarter on Christmas in NBA history and a league-best this season.
LeBron James scored 38 points, one shy of his season high, and the Lakers led by 12 early in the third before the Mavericks took over.
76ers 119, Knicks 112: Joel Embiid scored 35 points, James Harden had 29 points and 13 assists and Philadelphia blew by host New York in the final quarter, extending its winning streak to eight games,
Georges Niang hit four 3pointers in Philadelphia’s fourth-quarter surge and finished with 16 points.
Julius Randle scored 35 points for New York.
Nuggets 128, Suns 125 (OT): Nikola Jokic had 41 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists, Aaron Gordon had seven dunks in his 28 points and host Denver held off Phoenix, which lost Devin Booker early to a groin injury.