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Rookie Cameron Boozer recorded 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his first career triple-double, while reserve Isaiah Stewart added 18 points as the Memphis Grizzlies kept their unbeaten record intact with a 124-103 road victory against the Portland Trail Blazers. Cedric Coward contributed 17 points, seven rebounds and three steals, and Zach Edey chipped in 13 points to push Memphis to a 5-0 record.
Grizzlies Take Control in the Second Half
Backup player GG Jackson finished with 12 points, while Ty Jerome, Jaylen Wells and reserve Quinten Post each scored 10 points for the Grizzlies, who outscored Portland 66-45 over the final two quarters. Deni Avdija led the Trail Blazers with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Portland’s Ja Morant tallied 14 points and three assists over 23 minutes before leaving the game in the fourth quarter due to a left hamstring injury. Toumani Camara scored 13 points, Donovan Clingan added 11, and Damian Lillard managed just nine points on 3-of-13 shooting.
The game was tied at 58 at halftime, with Avdija scoring 13 for Portland and Boozer notching 13 for Memphis. The Grizzlies created separation in the third quarter, going on a 12-2 run capped by a Wells 3-pointer to take a 72-66 lead. Portland narrowed the deficit to two before Memphis rattled off 10 unanswered points, culminating in a hoop by Coward to make it 87-75. Lillard drove past former teammate Jerami Grant for a layup with 0.6 seconds left in the third, leaving Portland trailing 91-83.
Memphis pulled away in the final period when a Jerome 3-pointer gave the visitors a 101-89 advantage, sparking a 13-0 burst that Coward finished with another 3-pointer to make it 111-89 with 5:31 remaining. Wells later scored on a layup to extend the margin to 117-93 as the Grizzlies cruised to the finish.
Pelicans Secure First Win Against Winless Kings
Jeremiah Fears nearly secured his first career triple-double and the New Orleans Pelicans earned their first victory of the season by defeating the visiting Sacramento Kings 132-120. Fears and Zion Williamson each scored 22 points for New Orleans, while rookie Darius Acuff Jr. poured in a season-best 34 points for Sacramento.
Derik Queen bookended a 12-0 run early in the second quarter with a 3-pointer and a short jumper to give New Orleans a 36-32 lead. The Kings pulled within 67-65 following an Acuff drive in the opening minutes of the third period, but the Pelicans took permanent control with a 21-4 flurry featuring consecutive 3-pointers from Fears and Trey Murphy III alongside six points from Williamson. Sacramento closed the gap to 113-106 after a Zach LaVine 3-pointer with 7:11 to play, but New Orleans scored the next 10 points to seal the outcome.
Fears completed his fourth career double-double by combining his point total with a career-best 13 assists. Murphy contributed 19 points, Herbert Jones 16, Karlo Matkovic 12, and Saddiq Bey and Ben Mathurin added 10 points apiece for the Pelicans, with Williamson also collecting five steals. De’Andre Hunter and Precious Achiuwa scored 24 points each for the Kings, and LaVine finished with 21.
Hawks Hold Off Cavaliers to End Losing Streak
Onyeka Okongwu scored a season-high 29 points and Nickeil Alexander-Walker sank two clutch free throws with 15.3 seconds remaining as the host Atlanta Hawks ended a three-quarter slide with a 114-111 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Hawks held a 10-point lead with 4:34 left, but Cleveland twice reduced the deficit to a single point, the second time on a basket by Donovan Mitchell with 21 seconds left on the clock.
Okongwu shot 11-for-17 from the field, including four 3-pointers, and grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds. Alexander-Walker shot 8-for-17 with four 3-pointers, Aaron Wiggins contributed 20 points and seven rebounds off the bench, and Jalen Johnson added 17 points. For Cleveland, James Harden recorded a season-high 24 points, Mitchell scored 22, and Sam Merrill hit four 3-pointers to finish with 16 points.
Cleveland restricted Atlanta to 23.8 percent shooting in the opening quarter and used an early 10-3 run to build a 28-16 lead. The Cavaliers maintained a 35-24 advantage midway through the second quarter before an Atlanta 13-2 response tied the game on an Okongwu runner, sending the Hawks into halftime ahead 46-44. Atlanta extended its advantage to 61-50 early in the third quarter on an Alexander-Walker 3-pointer, and despite Cleveland trimming the margin behind nine points in the quarter from Harden, the Hawks posted 43 points in the period to take an 89-82 lead into the final stanza.
