Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies dunks during the game against the Brooklyn Nets at FedExForum on October 24, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee. Justin Ford/Getty Images/AFP
Ja Morant scored 38 points and Desmond Bane set career highs with 38 points and eight 3-pointers as the Memphis Grizzlies outlasted the visiting Brooklyn Nets 134-124 on Monday.
Santi Aldama added 17 points and Brandon Clarke had 13 for Memphis, which recorded its seventh straight win against the Nets.
Brooklyn lost despite a stellar performance from Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who had 37 points apiece.
Durant, who shot 14-for-20 from the field, moved past Alex English (25,613 points) into 20th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Durant ended the night with 25,622 points.
Irving had eight rebounds and five assists while Nic Claxton tallied 16 points and seven rebounds for Brooklyn, which trailed 119-109 with seven minutes remaining.
After going scoreless in the third quarter, Irving had 21 in the fourth.
Brooklyn cut the deficit to six before swingman Ben Simmons fouled out with seven points at the 3:52 mark.
Bane, who finished 14 of 21 from the field and 8 of 11 from beyond the arc, scored five quick points to help the Grizzlies build the lead to nine with 2:04 left.
The Nets pulled within 129-122 with 1:52 left before the Grizzlies secured the win on Morant’s fourth 3-pointer.
Durant scored 18 points in the first half for Brooklyn, which took a 69-64 lead into the break after shooting 57.4 percent from the field.
The physical opening half featured four technical fouls and impressive ball movement by the Nets, who had 19 assists on 27 made baskets.
The Grizzlies began the third quarter on a 23-5 run and scored a total of 45 points in the period. Bane led the charge with 19 points in the quarter as Memphis moved in front 109-97.
Memphis small forward Dillon Brooks, who missed the team’s first three games due to left thigh soreness, scored four points on 2-of-13 shooting.
Both teams set the tone early with a high-scoring first quarter. Morant scored 16 points in nine minutes to help the Grizzlies take a 39-34 lead.
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