Grizzlies 116, Warriors 108

Ja Morant scored 29 points, including five in the final minute, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Golden State Warriors 116-108 Tuesday night for their 10th straight win.

“I just like having that pressure,” Morant said of his scoring down the stretch. “I feel like that’s when I shine the most. I like to be the one taking that shot, hit or miss.”

Ziaire Williams and Tyus Jones had 17 points each, Williams recording a season-high in points. Jones keyed a fourth-quarter rally that put the Grizzlies ahead for good. He finished 6 for 8 from the field, including connecting on all five of his 3-point attempts.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season. Klay Thompson finished with 14 points. Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II scored 13 each.

The teams had a closely played game in the second half until consecutive 3-pointers by Jones gave Memphis a 109-100 lead with 3:33 left to play. That was enough of a buffer for the Grizzlies to keep their franchise-record win streak going, Memphis holding Golden State to 18 points in the fourth quarter.

“I thought Tyus Jones shooting 3s broke the game open. That was the key,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

The Grizzlies were the ones connecting from 3-point range in the first half hitting 8 of their first 13 from outside the arc. That allowed Memphis to build an 18-point lead in the second quarter, putting the Warriors in catch up mode from that point on.

“It was just turnovers early in the game, and that gave them a lot of confidence,” said Curry, who was 8 of 21 shooting, including 2 of 9 from 3-point range.

Grizzlies interim coach Darko Rajakovic noted it wasn’t just Williams’ offensive output, but the rookie from Stanford also had the job of guarding Curry from the opening tip. Rajakovic noted that Curry averages 14 3-pointers a game, but only took nine in the game.

“He did a really good job,” Rajakovic said of Williams' defense. “He followed the game plan. Obviously, Steph Curry is an amazing scorer and shooter. (Williams) did a really good job of chasing him to get him inside the 3-point line.”

Trailing 59-51 at the half, the Warriors then turned up the defensive pressure, particularly with Payton shadowing Morant, to open the second half. The Warriors' defense contributed to four early Memphis turnovers and the Grizzlies starting 1 of 7 after halftime.

“We did a lot of really good things to get back in it after a really bad first half,” Kerr said.

Then it settled into a playoff-type atmosphere with intensity on the court and the loud Memphis crowd on its feet and deeply involved. The teams exchanged leads, neither getting much more than a one-possession advantage and Golden State led 90-87 entering the fourth.

“It was a great game. Two of the best teams in the league,” Kerr said. “They’re the hottest team in the league, and we gave ourselves a chance, but we didn’t play well enough to win.”

For the Grizzlies, they kept their winning streak alive and moved even closer to the third spot in the Western Conference. They trail Utah by only percentage points for that spot.

“Our guys played another great game,” Rajakovic said. “Stuck together through the course of the game and through the ups and downs.

The Warriors’ Draymond Green was out with left calf tightness. Juan Toscano-Anderson started in Green’s spot.

Grizzlies center Steven Adams missed his third game under health and safety protocols. Rajakovic served as interim coach against the Warriors with coach Taylor Jenkins still in health and safety protocols. Assistant Brad Jones served in the interim role the previous three games as Jenkins and Rajakovic, the lead assistant, were in protocols.

Clippers 87, Nuggets 85

Amir Coffey had 18 points, Reggie Jackson scored 11 of his 13 in the fourth quarter and Los Angeles rallied from a 25-point deficit in the second half for a stunning victory.

Terance Mann scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter for Los Angeles, which won for the fourth time in 10 games since Paul George joined Kawhi Leonard on its lengthy injured list. The Clippers won despite managing a meager 28 points in the lowest-scoring first half in the NBA this season and then falling behind 59-34 midway through the third period.

Denver scored just seven points in the next 10 minutes, allowing the Clippers to mount their improbable comeback.

Aaron Gordon scored a season-high 30 points and Nikola Jokic had 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for the Nuggets.

Suns 99, Raptors 95

Devin Booker scored 16 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:02 remaining, and Chris Paul had 15 points and 12 assists as Phoenix beat Toronto to snap the latter’s longest winning streak of the season at six games.

Jae Crowder scored 19 points, Deandre Ayton had 16 and Mikal Bridges added 12 as the Suns improved to 31-9, matching the franchise’s best record through 40 games.

OG Anunoby scored 25 points, Pascal Siakam had 22 and Fred VanVleet added 21 for the Raptors, who lost for the first time since Dec. 28 against Philadelphia.

Chris Boucher had 13 points and 16 rebounds for the Raptors, who played without injured starters Scottie Barnes and Gary Trent Jr.

Pelicans 128, Timberwolves 125

Brandon Ingram capped a 33-point, nine-assist performance by hitting three 3-pointers in the final 1:13 — the last with less than a second left — and New Orleans edged Minnesota.

Ingram went 6 for 7 from 3-point territory and his most pivotal shots came in a long-range exchange with Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, whose fifth 3 of the game cut New Orleans’ lead to 117-115 before Ingram hit from the right wing while being fouled for a four-point play.

After Edwards came right back with a left-wing 3, Ingram hit another from deep to make it 124-118 with 50.5 seconds left.

Malik Beasley’s sixth 3 of the game cut it to 124-123 with 12.9 seconds left, and the Wolves fouled Devonte’ Graham, who made one of two free throws with 9.2 seconds to go. Minnesota tied it at 125 on D’Angelo Russell’s driving scoop with 3.6 seconds left, only to see Ingram’s rainbow 3 from more than 25 feet swish through for the win.

Bulls 133, Pistons 87

Nikola Vučević scored 22 points, DeMar DeRozan had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Chicago routed Detroit.

DeRozan sat for most of the final 16 minutes but still added seven assists. Eastern Conference-leading Chicago won after its season-best nine-game winning streak ended Sunday in Dallas.

Josh Jackson scored 16 points and Saddiq Bey added 14 for the Pistons, who had won two straight.

The Bulls led 61-52 at intermission and quickly turned it into a blowout by starting the second half on a 17-0 run that included four straight 3-pointers; two each from Derrick Jones Jr. and Vučević. The Pistons helped dig the hole by missing their first seven shots and turning the ball over three times during the four-minute stretch.

Wizards 122, Thunder 118

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 30.8 seconds remaining and Washington beat Oklahoma City despite being without star Bradley Beal because of health and safety protocols.

The Thunder lost their fifth straight game, and the key possession came with about a half-minute to play and the score tied at 118. The Wizards worked the shot clock down, and Caldwell-Pope’s attempt from the right wing went in off the glass. He responded by holding both arms out, apparently in relief, disbelief or both.

Luguentz Dort missed everything on a 3 at the other end, and Kyle Kuzma made a free throw with 13.3 seconds left.

Kuzma led the Wizards with 29 points, and Spencer Dinwiddie had 22 points and 10 assists. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 32 points, including two straight layups that tied it at 118.