CALIFORNIA – Golden State Warriors survived the absence of Stephen Curry and ejection of Jordan Poole to beat Memphis Grizzlies, 123-109, in the 2022-2023 NBA Season on Christmas Day (Monday in the Philippines) at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
Poole drained 32 points before being ejected in the fourth quarter due to two technical fouls, while Klay Thompson added 24 markers and nine rebounds as the Warriors snapped its two-game slide for 16-18 slate.
Draymond Green made his presence felt with 13 rebounds, 13 assists, three points, two blocks and a steal, while Donte DiVincenzo (19), Ty Jerome (14), Anthony Lamb (11) and Moses Moody (10) also had double-digits offense of Golden State.
Holding to a slim 59-54 halftime lead, the Warriors broke away in the third quarter with spurt of points from Thompson, Poole and Jerome to increase the lead to 99-84.
The Grizzlies attempted to come close in the final quarter but five straight points by Moody followed by outside shots from Thompson and DiVincenzo gave the Warriors a 120-102 advantage.
Ja Morant tallied 36 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, Dillon Brooks and Tyus Jones had 13 markers each, while Jaren Jackson Jr. added 11 points as the Grizzlies dropped to 20-12.
Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum waxes hot in the third quarter as the Boston Celtics scored a 139-118 victory over Milwaukee Bucks over at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Tatum dropped 20 of his 41 points total in the third quarter as the Celtics created separation from the Bucks and took the top-seed in the Eastern Conference with 24-10 win-loss slate.
Jaylen Brown added 29 markers, including a 10-point stretch in the fourth quarter, Derrick White chipped in 12 points, while Al Horford and Grant Williams ended with 11 each for the Celtics.
Also, Philadelphia 76ers ended New York Knicks’ seven-game winning run with a 119-112 victory. Joel Embiid led the way with 35 points, while James Harden had double-double 29 points and 13 rebounds.
Dallas Mavericks, meanwhile, used a huge third quarter turnaround to defeat Los Angeles Lakers, 124-115. Luka Doncic led the Mavs with a near triple-double 32 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
BOX SCORE:
GOLDEN STATE 123 — Poole 32, Thompson 24, DiVincenzo 19, Jerome 14, Lamb 11, Moody 10, Kuminga 7, D. Green 3, Looney 3, Wiseman 0.
MEMPHIS 109 — Morant 36, Jones 13, Brooks 13, Jackson 11, Aldama 9, Bane 9, Clarke 9, Adams 6, Williams 3, Konchar 0.
Quarterscores: 33-29; 59-54; 99-82; 123-109./PN
