By ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant had 27 points and seven assists as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the injury-riddled New Orleans Pelicans, 120-109, on Friday evening, Nov. 29, for their first NBA Cup win in franchise history.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had 23 points and eight rebounds for Memphis, while Santi Aldama added 20 points and went 8 of 9 from the field.
CJ McCollum led the Pelicans with 30 points, and Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy added 21 points apiece.
The win was Memphis’ fifth straight, while the Pelicans have lost seven straight and 13 of 14.
New Orleans was playing without key players such as Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, the Pelicans’ top-two scorers, along with Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado.
Meanwhile in Los Angeles, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, and the Oklahoma City Thunder held on for a 101-93 victory over the Lakers in an NBA Cup game.
It is the fifth time in the past six games Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 30 points. Jalen Williams added 19 points as the Thunder won their fourth straight.
Dalton Knecht scored 20 points, including five 3-pointers for the Lakers, who have dropped four of their last five. D’Angelo Russell had 17 points off the bench.
With the loss, Los Angeles can not advance to the quarterfinals after winning the inaugural NBA Cup tournament last year.
Phoenix, San Antonio and Oklahoma City are all 2-1 in West Group B while the Lakers are 2-2.
The Lakers drew within one point before Gilgeous-Alexander hit a 3-pointer with 1:35 remaining to put the Thunder up 95-91.
In Chicago, Jayson Tatum scored 35 points and had 14 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics past the Bulls 138-129 in Friday night’s NBA Cup pool game.
Reserve Payton Pritchard added a season-best 29 points, including 11 straight during a fourth-quarter run that gave the Celtics the lead for good.
Nikola Vucevic scored a season-high 32 points and had 11 rebounds for Chicago, which could have secured a spot in the Cup quarterfinals with a victory. Atlanta, which defeated Cleveland earlier in the day, secured the Group C berth and will advance to the knockout round.
Boston still as a shot at the wild-card berth but it depends on the outcome of Tuesday’s games.
In Indianapolis, Cade Cunningham had 24 points and 11 rebounds in his return from a three-game absence, Jaden Ivey added 23 points and the Detroit Pistons beat the Indiana Pacers, 130-106.
Cunningham hit four of Detroit’s 18 3-pointers as the Pistons improved to 3-0 in NBA Cup play. Malik Beasley added 22 points for Detroit, which moved into a first-place tie with Milwaukee in East Group B.
In New York, Franz Wagner scored 29 points, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 19 and the Orlando Magic eased to a 123-100 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in an NBA Cup game.
Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter Jr. each had 12 points for the Magic, who improved to 3-0 in Group A play and moved into a tie with New York. Orlando plays the Knicks, who are also 3-0 in the East’s Group A, in an NBA Cup game on Tuesday with the winner advancing as group champion.
