The Golden State Warriors leaned on their numbers in a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, while the Los Angeles Lakers failed to capitalize on a 41-point explosion from Austin Reaves.
The Golden State Warriors notched their third win of the season, thanks to multiple players’ scoring efforts in a comfortable 131-118 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at the Chase Center on Monday night (Tuesday, Manila time).
After falling behind some at the end of the first quarter, Golden State recovered and re-established dominance after starting out the game at 10-0.
By the halftime break, Golden State was ahead, 65-61.
In the second half, the Warriors continued to pour on with Brandin Podziemski leading the push with his scoring. He finished with 23 points — one of five Warriors who finished in double digit scoring, and one of four that breached the 20-point mark.
In the latter part of the match, the home team led by as much as 22 points.
Jonathan Kuminga topped the scoring column with 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds, four assists, and one block.
Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler added 20 markers each while Steph Curry finished with 16 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t make the most of Austin Reaves’ 41-point outburst in a 122-108 loss to the Portland Trailblazers.
Portland’s bench mob spelled the difference with their bench points (37) significantly higher than their foes.
The Trailblazers led by as many as 18 points in the victory that sent Lakers to 2-2.
Jrue Holiday paced Portland in the win with his 24 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
Seven players were out against Portland due to multiple health issues: Luka Doncic, Jaxson Hayes, LeBron James, Maxi Kleber, Marcus Smart, Adou Thiero, and Gabe Vincent.
Jokic triple-double powers Nuggets
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets rode a triple-double performance from Nikola Jokic of 25 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists in a 127-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves to improve to 2-1.
A pivotal third quarter pushed Denver past their foes with a 45-point outing.
Lauri Markkanen, for his part, dropped 51 points — becoming the first Jazz player since Karl Malone to do so in a regular season game — in Utah’s overtime win over the Phoenix Suns, 138-134. He also tallied 14 rebounds for a double-double.
The Philadelphia 76ers also nabbed the win thanks to a 43-point performance from Tyrese Maxey over the Orlando Magic, 136-124.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.