Jaren Jackson Jr. sank two free throws with 8.6 seconds remaining to lift the Memphis Grizzlies to a 120-119 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Thursday.
In a matchup of two of the Western Conference’s top three teams, the game featured 14 ties and 13 lead changes. Houston had an opportunity to win at the buzzer, but Fred VanVleet missed a 3-point attempt.
Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 24 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Luke Kennard scored 22 points, and Jackson finished with 21. Memphis ended the contest on a 13-4 run to register its seventh win in eight games.
Houston, which had its four-game win streak end, got 25 points, six rebounds and five assists from Jalen Green. Dillon Brooks contributed 22 points and Amen Thompson had 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four blocks.
Cavaliers 137, Hawks 115
Darius Garland scored 26 points and Donovan Mitchell added 24 as Cleveland beat visiting Atlanta.
Ty Jerome scored 20 points off the bench, Evan Mobley celebrated his maiden NBA All-Star Game selection with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Jarrett Allen pulled down 15 boards to go with nine points. A dominant 39-21 third quarter, a clinical 58.2 percent shooting clip and a 53-43 rebounding advantage all contributed to Cleveland’s resounding third straight victory.
Zaccharie Risacher scored 30 points on 11-of-14 shooting for the Hawks, while sixth man De’Andre Hunter had 25 and Trae Young posted 15 points and 10 assists.
Timberwolves 138, Jazz 113
Anthony Edwards had 36 points and 11 assists as Minnesota extended its winning streak to five games with a win in Salt Lake City.
Edwards made 12 of 18 field-goal attempts, hitting 6 of 9 from 3-point range, in addition to blocking three shots. Minnesota rookie Rob Dillingham, the eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft, chipped in with career highs of 19 points and eight assists. Luka Garza scored a season-high 16. Former Jazz players Rudy Gobert and Nickeil Alexander-Walker both played well in their old home. Gobert totaled 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four blocks, while Alexander-Walker produced 15 points and five assists. Minnesota’s Julius Randle left due to right groin soreness.
Keyonte George topped six Jazz players in double figures with 23 points. Collin Sexton added 19 points, while John Collins and Jordan Clarkson each netted 16 points.
Lakers 134, Wizards 96
LeBron James had 24 points and 11 assists to help visiting Los Angeles rout Washington.
Bronny James, the 20-year-old son of 40-year-old LeBron, entered the game for Los Angeles to start the fourth quarter and played the final 12 minutes. He finished with a career-high five points. Rui Hachimura added 22 points, while Shake Milton chipped in 21 points off the bench as the Lakers won their fifth game in six tries.
Washington, which dropped its 16th straight game, was led by Jordan Poole’s 19 points and Kyle Kuzma’s 13.
Trail Blazers 119, Magic 90
Reserve Shaedon Sharpe poured in 23 points and Portland cruised to a victory over visiting Orlando.
Sharpe went 3-for-6 from 3-point range as part of a 9-for-14 performance from the field. Scoot Henderson also had 23 points to go along with seven assists for the Trail Blazers, who are 6-1 over their past seven games.
Wagner finished with a team-high 24 points as the Magic fell for the seventh time in eight games. Paolo Banchero paired 21 points with six rebounds
