JA MORANT delivered timely baskets in the endgame as Memphis Grizzlies pulled off a 127-125 victory over Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season on Saturday night (Sunday in the Philippines) at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Down 121-125 with over a minute left, Jaren Jackson Jr. connected two free throws, while Morant converted a layup to tie the score at 125-all with 54 seconds left.
Jackson then took the ball away from Timberwolves’ Julius Randle, which led to the go-ahead basket by Morant with 18 seconds remaining in the game.
Morant finished the game with 12 points, on 5-of-19 shooting, to go with five rebounds, four assists, and one steal as the Grizzlies improved to a 25-14 win-loss slate.
Jackson top-scored for Memphis with 33 points, Desmond Bane and Jaylen Wells added 21 and 13 points, respectively, while Luke Kennard and Santi Aldama had 11 each.
Donte DiVincenzo tallied 27 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists to lead the Timberwolves, Jaden McDaniels added 21 markers, while Naz Reid and Randle had 19 and 18, respectively, as they dropped to 20-18.
Meanwhile, Detroit Pistons returned to their winning ways with a 123-114 victory over Toronto Raptors at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way with 27 points, including seven three-point conversions, to go with three rebounds, two steals, and one assist as the Pistons improved to a 20-19 record.
Cade Cunningham had a triple-double of 22 points, 17 assists, and 10 rebounds, Malik Beasley had 18 markers, while Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren had 17 and 10, respectively, for Detroit.
Immanuel Quickley finished with 25 points to lead the Raptors (8-31), Scottie Barnes had a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Chris Boucher and Bruce Brown had 14 apiece./PN
BOX SCORE:
MEMPHIS 127 — Jackson 33, Bane 21, Wells 13, Morant 12, Kennard 11, Aldama 11, Clarke 10, Edey 8, Pippen 5, LaRavia 3, Huff 0.
MINNESOTA 125 — DiVincenzo 27, McDaniels 21, Reid 19, Randle 18, Edwards 15, Gobert 12, Alexander-Walker 8, Conley 3, Minott 2.
Quarterscores: 35-33, 64-65, 99-103, 127-125.
