CHICAGO (AP) — Scotty Pippen Jr. already had plenty of fond memories of watching his Hall of Fame father at the United Center.
He added one of his own Saturday night, Nov. 23.
Pippen, son of former Bulls great Scottie, scored a career-best 30 points, added 10 assists and shot 13 of 16 to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Bulls, 142-131.
“It’s a dream come true. It’s crazy to say I put up 30 and 10 in the gym where my dad had played,” he said after scoring 26 points in the first three quarters to help Memphis win its second straight. “It means everything to me and my family. I talked to my dad tonight about coming in here and playing. He just told me to go out there and kill it, so that’s what I tried to do.”
The elder Pippen wasn’t in the building Saturday night but was in Memphis on Nov. 8 when his son finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
Two-time All-Star Ja Morant’s absence with a hip injury – he missed his eighth straight game – has certainly helped Pippen find his niche during his second season in the NBA. On Saturday, he was effective from the perimeter, in transition and finding space in the paint.
“Scotty Pippen was phenomenal tonight,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said.
The younger Pippen started the night averaging 11.6 points and 5.7 assists in the team’s first 17 games.
In other games, Victor Wembanyama scored 25 points, Harrison Barnes had 22 and the San Antonio Spurs overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors 104-94.
Trailing 81-64 with 1:55 left in the third quarter, San Antonio closed the game on a 40-13 run to win three straight for the first time since January 2021.
Wembanyama added nine assists, seven rebounds and three blocks in his return from a three-game absence with a bruised right knee.
San Antonio rookie Stephon Castle added 19 points and stole the dribble from Golden State’s Stephen Curry behind the 3-point line with 1:46 remaining to preserve an eight-point lead.
Andrew Wiggins had 20 points and Curry had 14 points for the Warriors, who had won two straight. Trayce Jackson-Davis added 12 points and eight rebounds.
San Antonio went on an 11-0 run for a 97-90 lead with Castle and Wembanyama accounting for all but two points. Golden State was held scoreless for 4 1/2 minutes and did not make a field goal for 5:19.
Lauri Markkanen had 34 points, Collin Sexton had four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and the Utah Jazz ran past the New York Knicks 121-106 on Saturday to snap a four-game skid.
Sexton finished 25 points and John Collins had 20 points and 13 rebounds forthe Jazz.
OG Anunoby scored a season-high 27 points, Jalen Brunson scored 23 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Knicks, who shot 39% from the field and lost for the first time in five games.
New York cut the lead to eight in the fourth quarter, but the Jazz responded with 10 consecutive points, capped by Johnny Juzang’s 3-pointer to make it 104-86 with 6:16 remaining.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 11 rebounds and Damian Lillard added 31 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks past the Charlotte Hornets 125-119 for their fourth consecutive victory.
Milwaukee opened the fourth quarter with a 14-5 spurt for a 110-90 lead, but the Hornets got it to 121-119 on Brandon Miller’s 3-pointer with 15 seconds left.
Taurean Prince answered with a pair of free throws for the Bucks to make it a two-possession game, and Charlotte missed a pair of 3-pointers on the ensuing possession. Antetokounmpo hit two free throws with 4.5 seconds left to make it 125-119.
LaMelo Ball had a career-high 50 points for the Hornets, and Brandon Miller added 32. Ball hit 17 of 38 shots, including 6 of 17 beyond the arc, and 10 of 13 free throws.
Milwaukee, which completed a 4-0 homestand, has won six of its last seven. The only loss in that span was a 115-114 loss to the Hornets on Nov. 16 following a controversial foul call.
Charlotte’s Grant Williams went to the locker room late in the fourth quarter with an apparent leg injury and did not return.
