NBA: Morant the engine driving red-hot Grizzlies; Nuggets win fourth straight game

LOS ANGELES (AFP, REUTERS) - Ja Morant lit a fire under Memphis' offence, delivering a triple-double as the red-hot Grizzlies rolled over the Utah Jazz 119-109 on Friday (Jan 28) night in Memphis in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The point guard finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Grizzlies (34-17).

Morant is averaging 35.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists over his past five games.

He was coming out of one of his best games of the season on Wednesday as he celebrated being selected to his first NBA all-star starting line-up earlier that day by scoring a season-high 41 points in a win over San Antonio.

He shot just under 50 per cent from the field (10 of 22) after having made 50 per cent or better six times this month.

Brandon Clarke finished with 22 points for the Grizzlies, who won for the 15th time in 18 games. Jaren Jackson Jr chipped in 18 points, and Desmond Bane added 17.

Stopping Morant proved to be an almost impossible task for the Jazz who were missing Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.

Mitchell missed his sixth straight game because of a concussion. Gobert missed his third consecutive contest because of a calf strain.

Danuel House scored a season-high 21 points to lead the Jazz (30-20), who have lost four straight games. Mike Conley added 15 points and six assists, and Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanovic chipped in 13 points apiece.

Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic had a triple-double as the Denver Nuggets won their fourth game in a row by defeating the New Orleans Pelicans.

Jokic finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists as the Nuggets (27-21) improved to 3-0 on a six-game road trip.

Aaron Gordon scored 20 points, Bryn Forbes added 14, Monte Morris had 13, Austin Rivers 12 and Zeke Nnaji 11 for Denver, who have won nine of their last 12 games.

Meanwhile, Chris Paul collected 21 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds, as the Phoenix Suns held on to beat the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves 134-124 for their ninth consecutive win.

Phoenix's Devin Booker led all scorers with 29 points to go along with nine assists. Cameron Johnson contributed 23 points, hitting 5 of 9 attempts from beyond the three-point arc.

And Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his 16th 30-point double-double of the season as Milwaukee defeated New York 123-108 to win their fourth consecutive home game.

He amassed 38 points on 12-of-19 shooting plus 13 rebounds and five assists to lead the Bucks to their fourth victory in the past five games overall. Jrue Holiday added 24 points and 10 assists, and Khris Middleton had 20 points.

Elsewhere, Miles Bridges scored 26 points and Ish Smith provided a large boost off the bench with 22 points, as hosts Charlotte held off injury-riddled Los Angeles 117-114.

Terry Rozier and LaMelo Ball each scored 20 points for the Hornets (28-22), who were two nights removed from setting a franchise record with 158 points against the Indiana Pacers.

The Lakers' LeBron James missed his second game in a row with a sore knee.

Russell Westbrook poured in all but five of his 35 points in the second half and Carmelo Anthony posted 19 points for the Lakers, who dropped to ninth in the West with a 24-26 record.

In other games, Trae Young and John Collins each scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds as Atlanta beat visiting Boston 108-92 to earn their sixth consecutive win, while Gabe Vincent shot 6 for 8 on third-quarter three-point attempts and Jimmy Butler went 16 for 16 on free throws en route to 26 points as Miami beat visiting Los Angeles Clippers 121-114.