JALEN Williams scored a season-high 26 points, Ajay Mitchell added 23 and Kenrich Williams also posted a season high with 21 off the bench as the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from 21 points down in the second half to stun the host Memphis Grizzlies 117-116 on Friday night.
The Thunder outscored the Grizzlies 71-51 in the second half and extended their winning streak over Memphis to 16 consecutive games (including playoffs). The Grizzlies haven’t defeated the Thunder since Dec. 7, 2022. Memphis lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Oklahoma City trailed by 11 (114-103) with 3:32 to go when it began a furious comeback. The Thunder went on a 14-0 run and grabbed their first lead since the opening quarter on a 3-pointer by Kenrich Williams with 1:07 to go. Lu Dort capped the run with two free throws with 58.9 seconds left for a 117-114 advantage.
Memphis got a putback basket from Jock Landale with 37.3 seconds left but a frantic 15-foot jumper by Cedric Coward in the closing seconds was blocked by the Thunder’s Alex Caruso.
Oklahoma City, the reigning NBA champion, played without starters Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle), Chet Holmgren (shin) and Isaiah Hartenstein (calf). Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 23 points and GG Jackson tied a season high with 18 off the bench. Santi Aldama contributed 15 points and Landale had 13 points and 10 boards for Memphis, which was without Ja Morant (calf) for the fourth straight game.
Trail Blazers 111, Rockets 105
Toumani Camara scored a career-high 25 points and Portland spoiled Kevin Durant’s milestone night with a home victory over Houston.
Durant recorded 30 points and 12 rebounds and swished a 3-pointer with 7:57 left in the third quarter to move into seventh on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Durant passed legendary Wilt Chamberlain (31,419). His career point total sits at 31,435 after Houston’s second consecutive loss in Portland.
Shaedon Sharpe had 20 points and eight rebounds while Deni Avdija also scored 20 points for the Trail Blazers, who have won five straight and seven of their past eight. Amen Thompson recorded 24 points and nine rebounds and Reed Sheppard added 20 points off the bench for Houston.
Warriors 137, Kings 103
De’Anthony Melton ignited a 15-0 burst bridging the third and fourth quarters with six straight points, Stephen Curry went for a game-high 27 and Golden State won a second in a row to start a lengthy homestand, thumping Sacramento in San Francisco.
Melton finished with 19 points off the bench and Curry completed his second double-double of the season with a game-high 10 assists for the Warriors, who ran up a season-best 39 assists on their 52 baskets.
DeMar DeRozan had a team-high 24 points for the Kings, who played Golden State evenly for the first 33 minutes, gaining an 84-all tie on a Dennis Schroder 17-footer with 3:13 left in the third quarter. (Reuters)
