Ja Morant posted a triple-double because the Memphis Grizzlies halted their slide with a come-from-behind victory over Indiana on Sunday as Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 50 factors in Milwaukee’s NBA win over New Orleans.
The Bucks had been already on their approach to a blowout when Antetokounmpo drained a wide-open three-pointer with 1:38 to play to take his tally to 50 factors in Milwaukee’s 135-110 victory over the Pelicans.
It was considered one of two wire-to-wire victories on the evening, with the Cleveland Cavaliers main all the best way in a 122-99 rout of the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers.
Morant scored 27 factors, pulled down 10 rebounds and handed out 15 assists because the Grizzlies received again within the win column after dropping 5 straight on the street.
“We would have liked it,” Morant stated.
The hangover from that disastrous journey was obvious within the Grizzlies’ sluggish begin. They trailed by as many as 19 and had been down 12 at halftime after Indiana’s reserves out-scored the Grizzlies bench 30-5 within the first half.
A 20-5 scoring run within the third quarter noticed Memphis pull degree. After the Pacers reeled off 5 straight factors the Grizzlies responded with an 18-6 run to seize a 12-point benefit, by no means trailing within the fourth quarter.
Bennedict Mathurin, the sixth choose within the 2022 draft, led the Pacers with 27 factors and eight rebounds.
Jaren Jackson Jr. added 28 factors for the Grizzlies, who’re two video games behind the Denver Nuggets on the prime of the Western Convention.
“We needed to lock in,” Morant stated in a post-game tv interview. “We had been enjoying with power, however I believed we had been giving up on some performs. They had been scoring just a little too simply. We needed to flip it round.”
In Milwaukee, two-time NBA Most Useful Participant Antetokounmpo delivered a ruthlessly environment friendly efficiency linked on 20 of his 26 shot makes an attempt, together with three of 4 from three-point vary, his 50 factors in simply half-hour on the ground placing him simply 5 off the profession excessive he set earlier this month in a win over the Washington Wizards.
He added 13 rebounds because the Bucks notched a fourth straight victory.
“I believe 50 on 26 (pictures) is spectacular,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer stated.
Jrue Vacation scored 17 and Brook Lopez added 15 for the Bucks, who’ve hit the 130 level mark in 5 of their final seven video games.
Antetokounmpo signalled his intentions early, scoring 29 factors within the first half because the Bucks overwhelmed a Pelicans group lacking prime scorers Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum.
In Cleveland, the Cavaliers welcomed Donovan Mitchell again from a two-game damage absence with an emphatic 122-99 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, whose five-game profitable streak crashed to a halt with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George sitting out on the second evening of a back-to-back.
Because the Cavs celebrated Turkish Heritage Night time, Turkish ahead Cedi Osman got here off the bench to steer Cleveland with 29 factors, matching his profession excessive.
Osman linked on 11 of his 13 makes an attempt, together with all seven of his pictures from three-point vary.
“Tonight we took severe and we performed an important sport,” Osman stated, little greater than per week after the Cavs had been embarrassed by a Golden State Warriors group enjoying with out its common starters.
Hornets sting Clippers
Within the day’s solely different sport, the Charlotte Hornets cooled off the Miami Warmth, rallying for a 122-117 victory that ended Miami’s three-game profitable streak.
The Warmth had been a group on the rise after per week that included a powerful victory over Jap Convention leaders Boston on Tuesday.
They led by as many as 13 factors within the third quarter, however the Hornets, led by 31 factors from Terry Rozier and with 27 from P.J. Washington managed to show the tide.
Jimmy Butler led the Warmth with 28 factors, connecting on 11 of 14 pictures from the ground with seven rebounds.
However the Warmth’s protection wasn’t as much as the duty within the fourth quarter, when Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball scored 13 of his 19 factors.
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