Morant leads Grizzlies past Rockets
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Rookie guard Ja Morant had 26 points and eight assists, Dillon Brooks scored 24 and the Memphis Grizzlies won their sixth straight game by defeating the Houston Rockets 121110 on Tuesday night.
Jonas Valanciunas added 19 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. had 15 despite going 6 of 16 from the floor. Morant missed only one of his 11 shots as the Grizzlies extended their longest winning streak since December 2016.
James Harden led the Rockets with 41 points as backcourt mate Russell Westbrook took the night off in the first game of a back-toback. Eric Gordon finished with 23 points, and Clint Capela had 16 points and 16 rebounds.
Harden has scored at least 40 points in five straight games against the Grizzlies.
The teams were tied at 95 with about eight minutes left when the Grizzlies went on an 11-1 run fueled by 3-pointers from Solomon Hill, Brooks and Morant. CLIPPERS 128, CAVALIERS 103
In Los Angeles, Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 43 points in three quarters as Los Angeles routed Cleveland.
According to Sportradar, it was only the second time since 1996 a Clippers player scored at least 40 points in the first three quarters. Lou Williams had 40 against Golden State in a 2018 game.
Leonard played 29 minutes and was 14 of 22 from the floor, including 6 of 10 on 3-pointers. He was two points from tying his regularseason career high.
Williams added 24 points for the Clippers, who played again without injured star Paul George. They have won five of six and had six scorers in double figures.