NBA: Grizzlies breeze past Pistons, win fifth straight
FILE – Jaren Jackson Jr. #13 and Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at FedExForum on November 18, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee. Justin Ford/Getty Images/AFP
Jaren Jackson Jr. led a balanced attack with 20 points as the host Memphis Grizzlies extended their winning streak to five games by defeating the Detroit Pistons 114-103 on Friday night.
Brandon Clarke had 17 points and seven rebounds and Dillon Brooks supplied 16 points. Ja Morant, one of the league’s top 10 scorers, was held to 15 points but also contributed 12 assists, six rebounds and three steals.
Article continues after this advertisementTyus Jones had 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Steven Adams added 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Adams was helped off the court with 5:33 remaining when he twisted his right ankle as he was grabbing a rebound.
Bojan Bogdanovic led seven Pistons in double figures with 19 points. Marvin Bagley III had 14 points and Isaiah Stewart and Kevin Knox tossed in 13 apiece. Jalen Duren added a double-double in his first career start with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Article continues after this advertisementJackson and Brooks had 12 points apiece in the first half as Memphis forged a 61-53 halftime advantage. Detroit was hampered by poor perimeter shooting — it made five of 21 3-point attempts.
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Morant opened the second half with a steal and layup. Morant went on a personal 6-0 run featuring two layups and two free throws to give his club a 73-58 lead.
Bogdanovic knocked down a 3-pointer with 6:47 left in the quarter to pull Detroit within 12 points.
The Pistons couldn’t make any more headway. Santi Aldama’s 3-pointer with three minutes remaining in the quarter gave Memphis a 91-74 lead. Jones soon made a 20-point game with a layup. The Grizzlies carried a 98-78 lead into the fourth.
Clarke began the quarter by converting an alley-oop pass from Jones. Stewart made his second 3-pointer of the quarter with 7:21 remaining to cut the Grizzlies’ lead to 105-89.
Detroit pulled with 12 at 111-99 on two Rodney McGruder free throws with 3:30 left. Jaden Ivey made a layup with two minutes left to cut the Pistons’ deficit to 11 but they couldn’t get any closer.
