A short NBA night with just three games, but plenty of storylines. Cameron Boozer recorded his first triple-double in the Grizzlies' victory over the Trail Blazers in an undefeated matchup, and Memphis joins the Rockets as the only team with five wins in five games. On the other end, the Pelicans got their first win and the Kings become the first team in the league with five losses.
Grizzlies 124-103 Trail Blazers
The Grizzlies won the undefeated showdown in Portland thanks to a dominant second half of 66-45, after reaching halftime tied at 58-58. The fourth quarter (33-20) put the game away. The star of the night was Cameron Boozer, the No. 3 draft pick, who recorded his first triple-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in 28 minutes. At 19 years old, he's the second-youngest player in history to achieve it, behind only Josh Giddey. Isaiah Stewart (18) and Cedric Coward (17) rounded out a night in which Ty Jerome finished with 10 points.
The bad news came for the Blazers, who lose their undefeated record (3-1) and Ja Morant: the point guard, facing his former team, had 14 points when he left in the fourth quarter with left hamstring tightness. Deni Avdija led all scorers with 24 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists.
Read also:
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- Brunson Scores 38 as Knicks Rally from 19 Down in Chicago (133-127)
Cavaliers 111-114 Hawks
The Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak with a comeback against the Cavaliers, who led by 15 in the first half. A 43-point third quarter turned the game around, and late in the game Nickeil Alexander-Walker made two crucial free throws with 15 seconds left. Donovan Mitchell missed two three-pointers to tie in the final seconds. Onyeka Okongwu led Atlanta with 29 points and 12 rebounds, and Aaron Wiggins added 20 off the bench. James Harden (24) and Mitchell (22) led the Cavaliers, who snap their three-game winning streak.
Kings 120-132 Pelicans
The Pelicans got their first win against the Kings, thanks to clear dominance in the paint (80 points to 62). Jeremiah Fears nearly had a triple-double with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 13 assists, and Zion Williamson added 22 on 10-of-12 shooting. Rookie Darius Acuff Jr. scored 34 points and had 14 assists for the Kings, who remain winless (0-5).