Ja Morant lifts Grizzlies over Timberwolves, Cade Cunningham sparks Pistons in NBA

MINNESOTA – Memphis star Ja Morant was “built for those moments” when he scored the game winner with 18.6 seconds left on Jan 11, lifting the Memphis Grizzlies to a 127-125 road victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in a tension-packed National Basketball Association (NBA) clash.

The point guard, who was playing only his second game back from a shoulder injury, scored a modest 12 points and missed all four of his three-point attempts.

But the 25-year-old came through when it mattered, driving for a lay-up that made it 125-125 with 54.1 seconds remaining and then, after a Memphis steal, sinking a floater over Minnesota stars Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards.

“We know he was built for those moments,” said Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins after Morant completed the Grizzlies’ fightback from six points down with less than five minutes to play.

“It was a struggle in the beginning of the game for him but I thought he was getting great looks.

“His attack on offence was great, he’s created so much for us. His game defensively also improved throughout the game...

“And at the end, you have got the utmost faith in the kid, two big plays and taking over at the end (like he did) in a very, very competitive basketball game.”

Edwards missed an awkward three-point try as time expired.

Jaren Jackson Jr scored a game-high 33 points and Desmond Bane added 21 for the Grizzlies (25-14), who came out on top in an intense duel that featured 25 lead changes.

Donte DiVincenzo led the Timberwolves (20-18) with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Jaden McDaniels scored 21 points, Naz Reid had 19 off the bench and Edwards chipped in 15.

It was also close in Detroit, where Cade Cunningham’s 22-point triple-double propelled the Pistons to a bounce-back 123-114 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Cunningham added 10 rebounds and 17 assists for the Pistons, who returned to the win column – and improved to 20-19 – two days after a five-game winning run was halted by the Golden State Warriors.

Tim Hardaway Jr scored a game-high 27 points for Detroit and the Pistons made 19 of their 33 three-point attempts to come out on top in a game in which the lead changed 16 times.

“We just needed this win bad,” Cunningham said. “We got to .500 and we didn’t want to go back under. We wanted to keep rolling and get another streak going.”

Immanuel Quickley scored 25 points to lead seven players in double figures for the Raptors (8-31), who gave league-leading Cleveland a scare before falling to the Cavaliers on Jan 9 but have now lost five straight and 16 of their last 17.

The Phoenix Suns, fuelled by Devin Booker’s 34 points, led wire-to-wire in a 114-106 home victory over the Utah Jazz.

Kevin Durant added 25 points for Phoenix (18-19), who led by as many as 16 on the way to a second straight win.

Booker came out hot, connecting on seven of eight shots, including four of five from three-point range. He put up 22 points in the first half and finished with six of the Suns’ 13 three-pointers.

Lauri Markkanen scored 24 points to lead the Jazz (9-28), who came within three points early in the fourth quarter but were powerless when the Suns pulled away.

The last game of the day saw the Miami Heat beat the Portland Trail Blazers 119-98 on the road.

Three games scheduled on Jan 11, two in Los Angeles and one in Atlanta, were postponed.

The NBA had decided a day earlier to postpone the Lakers’ home game against San Antonio and the Clippers’ home game against Charlotte due to the deadly wildfires raging across Los Angeles.

Lakers coach JJ Redick, whose house was among those destroyed in the Palisades fire, said he hoped the team could return to action soon and “give people hope”.

But the NBA said it would reschedule the games to avoid diverting resources from the fire response efforts.

On the morning of Jan 11, the league postponed the Hawks’ game against the Houston Rockets in Atlanta, where a winter storm brought snow and ice that made roads treacherous. AFP