The Philadelphia 76ers have stopped their losing streak against top-seeded Cleveland. The Memphis Grizzlies scored enough to beat New Orleans even without superstar Ja Morant.
After seven straight losses, the Sixers finally had something to celebrate against Cleveland. Although the hosts were still trailing 110:116 with six minutes left on the clock, a 13:0 run with two threes from Eric Gordon (15 points) and one from top scorer Paul George (30, 11/21 FG) turned the game around in the space of three minutes.
The visitors made it exciting again with threes from Darius Garland (26, 7 assists) and Ty Jerome (33, 8/8 from outside) and had the opportunity to equalize again, but Jerome lost the ball in the final seconds when throwing in. Donovan Mitchell scored another 37 points (12/23), the guard trio made 21 of the Cavs’ 25 three-pointers, but otherwise no other player scored in double figures.
Theis loses with Pelicans in Memphis
It was also a points-rich game in Memphis, where the Grizzlies were able to compensate for the absence of Ja Morant (ill). A strong final quarter (34:26) sealed the game, with seven players scoring double digits, with the trio of Jaren Jackson Jr. (29), Desmond Bane (20, 14 assists) and Luke Kennard (27, 7/9 three-pointers) standing out.
Daniel Theis (4, 4 rebounds) did a decent job for New Orleans off the bench, while the Pels starters were clearly outclassed by the Grizzlies. Dejounte Murray was the visitors’ top scorer with 26 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
Portland also celebrated their fourth win in a row and kept the Hornets without LaMelo Ball (wrist) to 37.6 percent from the field. Anfernee Simons (27) and Jerami Grant (22) provided enough offense, while the rump force of the Hornets simply lacked quality.
