Ja Morant had 27 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds, Jaren Jackson Jr. added 28 points and the Memphis Grizzlies overcame a lackluster first half to defeat the Indiana Pacers 112-100 on Sunday.
Brandon Clarke had 13 points, hitting all five of his shots as Memphis snapped a five-game losing streak and ran its home record to 21-3. It was Morant’s fifth triple-double of the season and second in a row.
‘We needed it,’ Morant said. ‘Obviously going through a terrible slump that we haven’t been in in years, dropping five games on the road. That’s not our identity. That’s not us.’
Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) attempts a dunk as Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23)
But the game started as if Memphis was going to continue its losing ways. The Grizzlies were down by 12 at half, but the second-half change, fueled by defensive adjustments, allowed them to outscore the Pacers 62-38 in the final two quarters.
‘Pretty clear that the first half was really excellent and exactly what we were trying to do, which was make it tough on them with solid defense,’ Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. ‘… The second half, they were able to flip the whole thing.’
Bennedict Mathurin, the sixth pick in the 2022 draft, led the Pacers with 27 points and eight rebounds. Aaron Nesmith had 16 points and Myles Turner added 15 points. Indiana has lost 10 of its last 11.
The Pacers dominated the first half, leading by as many as 19. Indiana’s first-half shooting, which hovered at 60% at the midway point of the second quarter, helped it to a 62-50 lead at the break.
Morant shoots for three during the second half against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night
But 14 straight points brought Memphis back into the game early in the third quarter, and the Grizzlies outscored Indiana 30-17 in the third to retake the lead.
‘It’s hard to play away,’ Mathurin said of the second-half collapse. ‘They had momentum. The crowd got into it. … We should have stayed locked in. Defense was pretty bad in the second half.’
Memphis’ 13-2 run to open the fourth opened the game up.
‘We just accepted the challenge,’ said Jackson, who also had five blocks. ‘We have to come out and compete every night. This is nothing new. We’re just glad to be back home and get a nice win.’
Morant celebrates in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers
BUCKS 135, PELICANS 110
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 50 points and 13 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks trounced New Orleans 135-110 on Sunday, handing the Pelicans their eighth straight loss.
Antetokounmpo’s 50 points were five off the career high he set Jan. 4 in a 123-113 victory over the Washington Wizards. He shot 20 of 26 from the floor, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, and went 7 of 12 on free-throw attempts.
Antetokounmpo collected 29 points and 10 rebounds in the first half alone. Jrue Holiday scored 17 and Brook Lopez added 15 for the Bucks, who shot 55.2%.
New Orleans was missing its top three scorers, so Jose Alvarado led the Pelicans with 18 points, while Trey Murphy III and Jonas Valanciunas had 16 each.
Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks over the ball New Orleans Pelicans’ Jonas Valanciunas
HORNETS 122, HEAT 117
Terry Rozier scored 31 points, P.J. Washington had 27 and Charlotte stopped Miami´s three-game win streak.
LaMelo Ball scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter as Charlotte improved to 7-16 at home. Gordon Hayward was a perfect 7 of 7 from the field for 20 points.
Rozier also had seven assists and six rebounds. He was 11 for 19 from the field, including a 5-for-11 performance from 3-point range.
Jimmy Butler scored 28 points for Miami, and Tyler Herro had 24.
Charlotte shot 54.2% from the field and outrebounded Miami 47-36.
Hornets’ Terry Rozier (L) reacts after making a 3-pointer as forward PJ Washington watches on
CAVALIERS 122, CLIPPERS 99
Cedi Osman tied his career-high with 29 points, Darius Garland had 16 points and 10 assists, and Cleveland led Los Angeles wire-to-wire for a win.
All-Star starter Donovan Mitchell had 11 points in his return for Cleveland after missing three games with a strained groin. Osman, a member of Turkey’s national team, drained all seven 3-point attempts on Turkish Heritage Night
Brandon Boston Jr. scored 24 points and Moses Brown had 13 points and 16 rebounds for Los Angeles, which had its five-game winning streak snapped. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard didn´t dress for the Clippers because of knee issues and Reggie Jackson didn´t play because of a sore right Achilles.
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Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman (16) dunks during the second half against the LA Clippers
