Grizzlies roll on without Morant
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tyus Jones had 22 points and 11 assists, Jaren Jackson Jr. added 21 points and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Golden State Warriors 131-110 on Thursday.
The Grizzlies played their third game without Ja Morant, the star guard who is away from the team after posting a video last weekend in which he appeared to be displaying a gun at a Denver-area strip club. The Grizzlies have announced Morant will miss at least the next three games.
“In the fourth quarter, we stayed disciplined on both ends of the floor,” Jones said. “Stayed locked into the game plan . ... We continued to trust one another.”
Stephen Curry had 29 points and seven rebounds for Golden State.
“In the fourth quarter, we stayed disciplined on both ends of the floor,” Jones said. “Stayed locked into the game plan . ... We continued to trust one another.”
Stephen Curry had 29 points and seven rebounds for Golden State. Jordan Poole had 22 points, Draymond Green added 16 points and seven assists and Klay Thompson had 14 points.
“I think we had multiple 20-point leads and they whittled it down to single digits,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “I was proud of our guys just staying the course, playing connected basketball on both sides of the floor.”
The teams met in Memphis for the first time since their heated Western Conference postseason that Golden State won 4-2.
“They just played much better and we played much worse,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, referring to his team winning the first two games in the season series.
Memphis jumped out to an early lead, extending it to as many as 20 points before settling into a 77-59 lead at the half, the 77 points, the most by the
Grizzlies in a first half this season. On several occasions in both halves, the Warriors carved into the Memphis lead only to let the Grizzlies have a burst to extend their advantage.
“I thought we fought back a couple of times,” Green said. “When you fight back, you've got to keep it going. You can't allow the team to make another run . ... Every time, we got back (into the game), we allowed them to make a run.”
The loss, the third straight for the Warriors, was also Golden State's eighth consecutive defeat on the road. They are 7-26 away from home this season.
“It's frustrating overall, not being able to win a game on the road or figure out the adjustments we
need to make to do it,” Curry said, later adding: “We're still trying to find our way on the road.”
Kings stay hot on Sabonis’ big game
Domantas Sabonis had 24 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his ninth triple-double of the season, helping host Sacramento hold off the New York Knicks 122-117.
The Kings are 7-1 since the NBA All-star break to reach 39-26.
Sabonis iced it, hitting two free throws with six seconds left to stretch the lead to five points.
“That's not how we should be playing basketball,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. "I am not happy with the way that
we played tonight ... 23 offensive rebounds. Happy about the win, but that does not sit well with me at all. If we don't fix that, we're going to get our behinds kicked come playoff time. That's when the big boys show up.”
De'aaron Fox scored 16 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter for the Kings.
“During the playoffs, it's going to be a normal occurrence, so hopefully we're able to get homecourt advantage and those first two games, let's get it rocking,” Fox said.
RJ Barrett scored 25 points for New York. The Knicks dropped to 39-29 with their second straight loss after a nine-game winning streak.
“We talked about it, we didn't like the way we started,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.
Starting guard Jalen Brunson left at halftime with left foot soreness and did not return. He finished with 19 points in 19 minutes.
Haliburton sets his assists high
Tyrese Haliburton had 28 points and a careerhigh 19 assists, Buddy Hield hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime and the host Indiana Pacers beat the Houston Rockets 134-125 on Thursday night.
Hield broke a 117-all tie with his fifth 3-pointer and Haliburton scored 12 points after that as the Pacers outscored the Rockets 19-10 in overtime.
“It ain't pressure,” Haliburton said. “It's just basketball. It's understanding guys expect me to make plays. That's what I'm here for.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle spoke of his All-star point guard's growing affinity for making plays late.
“He took over the game in overtime,” Carlisle said. “He certainly has demonstrated that is what he's about. He loves those moments, very much the way (Hall of Famer) Reggie Miller loved those moments.”