Suns show mettle down the stretch
Bridges’ dunks help hold off Pelicans for 3-2 series lead
Mikal Bridges was playing his 47th minute of basketball Tuesday when he leaped into the air, threw down a huge two-handed jam and pulled himself up on the rim with a little sneer for good measure.
He’s the do-everything man for these Suns. And, no, he’s not even close to tired.
Bridges scored 31 points and blocked four shots in arguably the best game of this pro career, leading the top-seeded Suns over the eighth-seeded Pelicans 112-97 in Phoenix to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.
Chris Paul added 22 points and 11 assists. Deandre Ayton added 19 points and nine rebounds.
The Suns never trailed but also never totally pulled away until the final few minutes against the feisty Pelicans. Once again, the Suns found a way to close, improving to 50-0 this season when leading after three quarters, including 3-0 in this series.
Bridges closed the Suns’ scoring with two emphatic dunks in the final minute.
Game 6 is Thursday in New Orleans.
Ja Morant scored on a layup with a second left, and the Grizzlies rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to edge the Timberwolves 111-109 on Tuesday in Memphis, Tennessee, and grab a 3-2 lead in their first-round Western Conference series.
Morant, named the NBA’s most improved player on Monday, struggled mightily much of the game. But he turned it on in the fourth, scoring 18 points — including 9 of 10 at the free-throw line.
Morant came from the low post as the Grizzlies inbounded the ball with 3.7 seconds left and lost Anthony Edwards at the top of the key. That left him an open lane into the paint, beating Jarred Vanderbilt with his left hand for a layup.
Morant finished with 30, 13 rebounds and nine assists. Desmond Bane added 25 points for the second-seeded Grizzlies.
Morant comes up big late:
Karl-Anthony Towns led the seventhseeded Timberwolves with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Edwards had 22, and D’Angelo Russell added 12 and Taurean Prince 10.
Game 6 is Friday in Minneapolis.
Injury updates: A day after an MRI on his left hamstring was negative, Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell said he would be available for Thursday’s Game 6 against the Mavericks. “I’m good to go,” Mitchell said. “I’ll be ready.” ... Warriors forward Andre Iguodala will be out at least one week with a left cervical disk injury. “It’s a huge loss for us,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.