Detroit’s defensive woes continues in loss to Grizzlies

DETROIT >> Ja Morant scored 21 of his 33 points in the third quarter and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Detroit Pistons 122-112 on Sunday night.

Morant added 10 assists to help Memphis win for the fourth time in five games.

Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson Jr. each scored 22 points and Brandon Clarke had 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Saddiq Bey led Detroit with 20 points and Bojan Bogdanovic had 18.

Memphis played without center Steven Adams (hip), the NBA’s leading offensive rebounder, but still finished with a 16-8 edge in secondchance points.

The Grizzlies scored the first seven points and led by 19 early in the second quarter.

The margin was still 12, 69-57, at the half, thanks to 35 points from Brooks and Jackson.

Morant took over in the third quarter, going 8 of 10 from the floor while his teammates went 3 of 13. Morant assisted on all three baskets he didn’t score, helping Memphis build a 101-83 lead.

The Grizzlies led by 22 in the fourth.

Jackson, who attended Michigan State, is averaging 21.1 points in his last seven games.

Memphis is 3-0 against Detroit in the last two seasons with an average victory margin of 21.7 points.

Detroit has allowed an average of 129 points in its last three games, including a 140-110 loss to the New York Knicks on Tuesday.

The Pistons are at Miami on Tuesday night to start a three-game trip.