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Morant leads Memphis to win over Warriors

AAPAP
Memphis' Ziaire Williams (L) and Ja Morant celebrate beating the Warriors for a 10th straight win.
Camera IconMemphis' Ziaire Williams (L) and Ja Morant celebrate beating the Warriors for a 10th straight win. Credit: AP

Ja Morant has scored 29 points, including five in the final minute, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Golden State Warriors 116-108 on Tuesday night for their 10th straight win.

Ziaire Williams and Tyus Jones had 17 points each for Memphis, who consolidated fourth spot in the West and improved to 29-14.

The Grizzlies led 59-51 at halftime and the contest enjoyed a playoff-type atmosphere after the main break with the intensity on the court and the loud Memphis crowd on their feet and deeply involved.

"I just like having that pressure," Morant said of his scoring down the stretch.

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"I feel like that's when I shine the most. I like to be the one taking that shot, hit or miss."

Stephen Curry led Golden State (30-10) with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists while Klay Thompson finished with 14 points in his second game back from a long injury layoff.

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"It was a great game. Two of the best teams in the league," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

"They're the hottest team in the league, and we gave ourselves a chance, but we didn't play well enough to win."

In Toronto, Devin Booker scored 16 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:02 remaining, and Chris Paul had 15 points and 12 assists as the Phoenix Suns beat the Raptors 99-95 to improve to a NBA-leading 31-9, one game ahead of the Warriors.

and committed three turnovers.

"It was a fight all night," Booker, who shot just 4 for 13, said.

"They beat us up a little bit, but down the stretch we picked it up a little bit and did what we had to do."

Jae Crowder scored 19 points and Deandre Ayton had 16 as the Suns matched the franchise's best record through 40 games while also snapping Toronto's (20-18) longest winning streak of the season at six games.

Australia's Josh Giddey had an impressive 18 points, six rebounds, eight assists and two steals in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 122-118 loss at the Washington Wizards.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 30.8 seconds remaining, condemning the Thunder to their fifth straight defeat.

"That's deflating when you play good 'D' ... and someone banks a 3 like that," Giddey said.

Elsewhere, the Chicago Bulls (27-11) routed the Detroit Pistons 133-87 to extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference standings while the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from a 25-point deficit in the second half for a stunning 87-85 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

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