Brooklyn Nets @ Memphis Grizzlies
Cedric Coward has 23 points and 12 rebounds as Grizzlies beat Nets 129-110
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- — Cedric Coward had 23 points and 12 rebounds and Taylor Hendricks scored a career-high 22 as Memphis built an early lead and defeated the Brooklyn Nets 129-110 on Saturday night.
A night after a 142-111 victory over New Orleans featured 10 Memphis players reaching double figures, tying an NBA record, seven Grizzlies reached double figures against the Nets. Javon Small scored 19 and Cam Spencer finished with 17 and eight assists as Memphis won its third in the last four.
Julius Randle lead Brooklyn with 22 points and Day’Ron Sharpe added 16 points and 11 rebounds as Brooklyn lost its third in the last four. Noah Clowney scored 15.
Memphis built a 20-point first-half lead behind 3-point success and weathered a third quarter Brooklyn burst that cut the advantage to single digits. By early in the fourth quarter, Memphis had taken the lead back to 24.
Both teams had to overcome travel issues out of New Orleans that plagued the country during Friday's grounding of planes. The Nets stayed over after playing New Orleans on Wednesday; the Grizzlies beat the Pelicans on Friday night.
The teams arrived midday Saturday only hours before tipoff. That led to compressed game preparation.
Then Brooklyn's leading scorer and rebounder Michael Porter Jr. was a late scratch for personal reasons, eliminating 21.5 points and 7.5 rebounds from the Nets arsenal. The Grizzlies were without starters Ty Jerome, the team's leading scorer, and center Zach Edey.
Memphis built an early double-digit lead behind starting 9 of 11 from 3-point range. The Nets shooting would improve in the second quarter, but Spencer's 3-pointer as time expired in the second — their 13th of the half — gave Memphis a 71-54 lead at the break.
Nets: Host Philadelphia on Monday.
Grizzlies: At Wahington on Monday.
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