Grizzlies Beat Thunder for Sixth Straight Win
Rudy Gay scored a season-high 28 points and Zach Randolph added 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies extended their best start in team history by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 107-97 on Wednesday.
Marc Gasol chipped in 14 points as the Grizzlies won their sixth straight game.
The Grizzlies outscored Oklahoma City by 21 in the second quarter to take control of a contentious game, which ended with Randolph and the Thunder's Kendrick Perkins being ejected following an altercation.
Kevin Durant scored a season-high 34 points and Russell Westbrook had 17 points and 13 assists as both Oklahoma City All-Stars logged more than 42 minutes for the second straight game while trying to lead a fourth-quarter comeback.
This time it fell short as the Thunder had their five-game winning streak broken.
In Los Angeles, the Clippers won their fourth straight game, beating the defending NBA champions, the Miami Heat, 107-100.
Blake Griffin had 20 points and 14 rebounds and Chris Paul had 16 points and 10 assists to lead five Clippers players in double figures. Jamal Crawford added 22 points off the bench.
LeBron James scored 30 points for the Heat, who lost their fifth in a row against the Clippers in Los Angeles and dropped to 2-2 on their current six-game road trip. Dwyane Wade was held to six points — well below his 18.4 average — playing with a sprained left foot that kept him out of the morning shootaround.
Carlos Boozer had 28 points and 14 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls dominated the Phoenix Suns in the paint and won in overtime, 112-106.
Luol Deng added 21 points and center Joakim Noah had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Bulls.
Luis Scola had 24 points and 14 rebounds and Sebastian Telfair scored 17 off the bench for the Suns, who fought back in the fourth after trailing by 18 points.
At Boston, Paul Pierce hit two free throws with 19.5 seconds left to lift the Celtics past the Utah Jazz 98-93 for their fifth win in six games.
Jeff Green and Leandro Barbosa each scored 16 points for the Celtics, while Kevin Garnett added 11 points and eight rebounds. Boston guard Rajon Rondo had 10 assists before leaving the game for good in the third quarter with a right ankle injury. It was his 32nd straight game with 10 or more assists.
In Philadelphia, Greg Monroe had 19 points, 18 rebounds and six assists to help the Detroit Pistons beat the 76ers 94-76 for their first win of the season.
Kyle Singler scored 16 points and Tayshaun Prince and Brandon Knight each had 15 for a Detroit team that is off to its worst start in franchise history with a 1-8 record.
The Charlotte Bobcats continued their surprising season with an 89-87 road win over the injury-plagued Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kemba Walker hit a 19-foot jumper over Alexey Shved in the final moments to give the Bobcats their first three-game winning streak since March 2011. Walker finished with 22 points.
Andrei Kirilenko had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the depleted Timberwolves, who were without six of their top seven players: Kevin Love (broken right hand), Ricky Rubio (left knee), Chase Budinger (left knee), Nikola Pekovic (left ankle), JJ Barea (left foot) and Brandon Roy (right knee).
In Houston, the Rockets built a 21-point lead in the first half and held on to beat the New Orleans Hornets 100-96. James Harden scored 30 points and Omer Asik added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
In other games, Chris Kaman had 23 points and eight rebounds to lead the Dallas Mavericks past the winless Washington Wizards 107-101, and Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis scored 16 points apiece to help the Milwaukee Bucks cruise past the struggling Indiana Pacers 99-85.
Golden State's Harrison Barnes scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Warriors beat the Atlanta Hawks 92-88.
Source: Associated Press
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