Grizzlies halt T-Blazers’ streak
PORTLAND, Oregon—Memphis maintained its overall NBA lead by winning 112-99 at Portland on Friday, ending the Trail Blazers’ nine-game winning streak.
The Grizzlies moved two games clear atop the Southwest Division, ahead of an injury-depleted Houston, which was comfortably beaten at home by the Los Angeles Clippers, while other key results saw Dallas win over Eastern Conference leader Toronto and San Antonio won in the absence of its head coach, defeating Sacramento.
Memphis’ Marc Gasol had 26 points and nine assists while Mike Conley added 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Grizzlies improved to an impressive 14-2 record. Conley only narrowly missed out on a triple double, as he had nine assists.
Wesley Matthews scored 26 or the Blazers, who whittled a 15-point deficit back to four points in the fourth quarter but could not sustain that momentum.
Dallas’ Monta Ellis scored 15 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to guide the Mavericks to a 106-102 victory at Toronto.
Tyson Chandler had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who got a win on the occasion of coach Rick Carlisle’s 300th game. He is the third Dallas coach to reach the mark after Don Nelson and Dick Motta.
The Los Angeles Clippers coasted to a 102-85 win at Houston, with Blake Griffin having 30 points and 10 rebounds.
The Rockets were playing their fifth straight game without Dwight Howard (knee strain) and were also missing two other starters. James Harden had 16 points to lead Houston.
San Antonio notched a 112-104 home win over Sacramento, despite a second-straight game without head coach Gregg Popovich, who has an undisclosed illness.
Popovich did meet with the players on the morning of the game, but his status for an upcoming four-game road trip is unknown.
Denver brought up its fourth-successive home win, defeating Phoenix, 122-97, with seven Nuggets reaching double figures.
Arran Affalo led the way with 22 points for the Nuggests, who had lost their previous five home games against the Suns.
Golden State made it eight straight wins with a 106-101 victory at Charlotte.
Marreese Speights scored 16 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter while Stephen Curry finished with 26 points despite a poor shooting night from 3-point range.
Atlanta held off New Orleans and won, 100-91, with Jeff Teague scoring 26 points.
Chicago’s Jimmy Butler hit four free throws late in the game and finished with 22 points, guiding the Bulls to a 109-102 win at Boston.
Indiana’s Rodney Stuckey scored a season-high 24 points to help the Pacers defeat Orlando, 98-83.
Milwaukee’s bench led the Bucks to a 104-88 win at slumping Detroit, which suffered a seventh-straight defeat.
Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook scored 32 points in his first game back from a broken hand, leading the Thunder to a 105-78 victory over New York.
Minnesota hung on for a 120-119 win at the Los Angeles Lakers when Kobe Bryant’s 3-point attempt missed as time expired. AP
