Dillon Brooks collected 30 points and seven assists to fuel the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies to a 122-114 victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
Ziaire Williams scored 19 points as the Grizzlies (55-23) received double-digit scoring performances from seven players to win their seventh in a row overall and ninth straight at home. De’Anthony Melton finished with 17 points, while John Konchar (14), Xavier Tillman (13), Santi Aldama (12) and Brandon Clarke (11) also contributed in the win.
Memphis opted to rest several players after clinching the Western Conference’s second seed following its 112-111 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. In addition to Ja Morant (knee), the Grizzlies played without Desmond Bane (ankle), Tyus Jones (hand), Jaren Jackson Jr. (thigh) and Steven Adams (calf).
Memphis held a decisive 16-2 edge in offensive rebounds and took advantage of 20 turnovers by Phoenix.
Devin Booker scored 41 points on 17-of-28 shooting for the Suns (62-15), who saw their nine-game winning streak come to a halt despite shooting 54.7 percent from the floor. Phoenix also was denied in its bid to eclipse the team record in victories set in 1992-93 and matched in 2004-05.
Mikal Bridges added 18 points in a losing effort for the Suns.
Despite being short-handed, the Grizzlies jumped out to a 30-14 lead before the Suns slowly chipped away and got within 84-83 at the end of the third quarter.
Undaunted, Memphis scored 13 straight points in one sequence to secure a 101-87 lead with 6:32 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Booker drained a 3-pointer to trim the Grizzlies’ lead to 111-106 with 56 seconds to play. However, Brooks countered with a three-point play on the ensuing possession.
The teams traded baskets before Melton effectively sealed the win by making all six of his free throws down the stretch.
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins was ejected after yelling in the direction of official Natalie Sago with 4:12 to play in the second quarter. Memphis, however, managed to hold a 54-50 lead at halftime.
–Field Level Media