Short-handed Grizzlies cruise to 140-112 win over Wizards

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 21 points, Scotty Pippen Jr. had 14 points and 12 assists and the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies romped to a 140-112 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday night.

Santi Aldama added 19 for Memphis, which played without two-time All-Star Ja Morant (back soreness) and swing man Brandon Clarke (toe soreness) after both started in Saturday night’s win at Boston.

The Grizzlies shot 52.1% from the floor and 39.5% from 3-point range to win their third straight and ninth out of 10.

Jonas Valanciunas scored 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in 23 minutes, and Marvin Bagley III also had 20 points for Washington.

One night after scoring 39 points against Denver to help Washington snap a 16-game skid, Jordan Poole had just nine on 2-of-6 shooting.

Takeaway

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Grizzlies: This was more evidence of Memphis’ depth as the Grizzlies improved to 7-4 without Morant this season and 3-1 without both Morant and Clarke.

Wizards: Despite Saturday’s win, Washington has lost games by 31, 36 and 28 points to begin what could be a very long December if results don’t improve.

Key moment

After the Wizards closed a 17-point halftime deficit to nine early in the third quarter, the Grizzlies came out of a timeout and responded with their own 16-0 run to make it 91-66 and prevent any late drama. Jackson hit a 3-pointer and a running jumper, Brandon Clarke dunked in transition following Pippen’s steal and assist, and Aldama hit a 3-pointer from the left corner while being fouled (though he missed the free throw).

Key stat

The Wizards missed their first 11 3-point attempts. By the time Bilal Coulibaly hit Washington’s first basket from beyond the arc, it was only good enough to cut its deficit to 57-40.

Up next

Memphis hosts Brooklyn and Washington visits Cleveland on Friday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba