Ja Morant scores 32 as Grizzlies beat Celtics


At a glance

  • Ja Morant had 32 points, nine assists and nine rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies snapped a 10-game losing streak in Boston with a 127-121 win over the Celtics on Saturday night, Dec. 7.


BOSTON (AP) — Ja Morant had 32 points, nine assists and nine rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies snapped a 10-game losing streak in Boston with a 127-121 win over the Celtics on Saturday night, Dec. 7.

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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, right, fouls Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, in Boston. (AP)

Jaren Jackson Jr. added 27 points and nine rebounds for Memphis, which won in TD Garden for the first time since Nov. 27, 2013. The Grizzlies have won eight of their last nine.

Jrue Holiday had 23 points for the Celtics, who went 18 for 60 from the 3-point line. Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard each finished with 22 points.

The Celtics erased a 14-point, third-quarter deficit, taking a 97-94 lead early in the fourth. Memphis rallied and led 117-115 with less than four minutes to play. The Grizzlies then scored seven straight to get it back up to 124-115 and were able to close it out.

Marcus Smart played in TD Garden for the first time since being dealt to Memphis as part of the three-team trade that brought Kristaps Porzingis to Boston in 2023. He played 19 minutes but was only 1 of 11 from the floor, finishing with three points.

Meanwhile, Luka Doncic's 79th career triple-double moved the Dallas Mavericks star past some impressive NBA talent.

Doncic had 30 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for his second straight triple-double as the Mavericks extended their winning streak to seven games with a 125-118 win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.

This triple-double moved Doncic past Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden on the NBA’s all-time list and into sole possession of seventh place.

Next in Doncic’s sights? Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, who had 107 triple-doubles in his 19-year NBA career.

“I guess I’ve got to sit him,” Kidd joked of Doncic.

Don’t count on that. Doncic will go for his third straight triple-double when the Mavs face Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City in an NBA Cup game on Tuesday night.

Doncic had 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds by halftime against the Raptors. He banked home a 35-foot 3-pointer at the second-quarter buzzer that gave Dallas a 70-54 lead at the break, and earlier threw a no-look, over-the-head assist to Irving for a 3-pointer in the first.

Doncic reached his triple-double on a defensive rebound with 1:58 left in the third. He had 21 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds in Thursday’s win at Washington.

“That’s an incredible feat for Luka,” Kidd said of Doncic's move past Chamberlain and Harden. “When you talk about his skill set, filling up the stat sheet, he’s had two here, he can run them off. We always expect him to have a triple-double or we sometimes take him for granted for triple-doubles. I think right now you can see that he’s starting to get into a groove.”

Doncic further impressed his coach by throwing several long assists against Toronto, including some from under his own basket.

“It’s just incredible, the ability, the strength to be able to throw it that far,” Kidd said. “He probably could have been a quarterback for the Cowboys.”