NBA Roundup: Aldama scores 22, Grizzlies build big lead in win vs. Trail Blazers

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Santi Aldama scored 22 points, Jaylen Wells and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 17 each and the Memphis Grizzlies built a big first-half lead in a victory over Portland.

Jock Landale finished with 15 points to help Memphis win for the seventh time in nine games.

Jerami Grant led Portland with 21 points. Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe had 17 points each. Avdija added seven rebounds and seven assists, but his streak of at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists ended at five games.

Portland was without either of its top two centers. Donovan Clingan missed his second consecutive game with a left lower calf contusion, while Robert Williams III was a late scratch with an illness. That left 7-foot-2 rookie Yang Hansen, the 16th overall pick last summer, to start his first game of the season. The Chinese player had four points and five rebounds.

Poor shooting and a load of Portland turnovers helped Memphis build the lead to 25 in the first half.

NUGGETS 115, HORNETS 106

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jamal Murray scored 34 points, Nikola Jokic finished with 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds and the Denver Nuggets held on to defeat the Charlotte Hornets 115-106 on Sunday night to extend their franchise record to road winning streak to 10 games.

Tim Hardaway Jr. had 14 points off the bench for the Nuggets (17-6), who are off to their best start in franchise history.

Miles Bridges finished with 24 points while Brandon Miller added 16 for the Hornets, who played without six players due to injuries, including their top two point guards, LaMelo Ball and Collin Sexton. Rookie Liam McNeeley added a boost off the bench with a career-high 13 points for the Hornets, making 4 of 5 shots from 3-point range.

Murray, who had 52 points on 10 3-pointers last week’s 135-120 win over Indiana, erupted for 23 points in the first quarter Sunday, but the Nuggets still trailed 58-57 at halftime.

That all changed in the second half, Jokic began to take over, using his versatility to score and create for his teammates.

The Nuggets built a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Hornets (7-17) clawed back to within seven after Miller knocked down a 3 from the wing plus the and-1 free throw to cut the lead to seven. But the Hornets weren’t able to build on that momentum.

KNICKS 106, MAGIC 100

NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson had 30 points and nine assists, Josh Hart added 17 points and 12 rebounds, and New York beat Orlando.

OG Anunoby had 21 points and seven rebounds, and Mikal Bridges finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists. The Knicks (16-7) improved to 13-1 at home, and defeated the Magic for the first time in three meetings, despite playing without center Karl-Anthony Towns (left calf tightness).

Desmond Bane had 16 points and six rebounds, and Anthony Black had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic (14-10), who lost star forward Franz Wagner in the first quarter due to a lower left leg injury.

Wagner, who leads Orlando with 23.4 points per game, had seven points in seven minutes but landed awkwardly after going up for a dunk after being fouled by Knicks center Ariel Hukporti.

Wagner immediately grabbed at the area below his knee and needed help getting to the locker room. The Magic announced he would be re-evaluated when they returned to Orlando ahead of their NBA Cup quarterfinal against Miami on Tuesday.

CELTICS 121, RAPTORS 113

TORONTO — Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, Derrick White scored 14 of his 27 in the first quarter and Boston beat Toronto, holding on late after blowing a 23-point lead in the second half.

Payton Pritchard scored 15 points and Anfernee Simons had 12 as the Celtics won their fifth straight and seventh of eight. Neemias Queta added 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Brandon Ingram scored 30 points and Scottie Barnes had 18 points and 11 rebounds but Toronto lost its third straight, all at home. The Raptors hadn’t lost back-to-back home games this season before Friday’s loss to Charlotte.

Boston led 87-64 after Pritchard’s 3-pointer about 3 1/2 minutes into the third quarter. Toronto answered by outscoring the Celtics 34-10 over the next 10 minutes, taking its first lead of the game on Jamal Shead’s layup with 10:39 remaining in the game.

The Celtics hadn’t trailed since the first half of Tuesday’s home win over the Knicks. Boston posted wire-to-wire wins at Washington on Thursday and at home to the Lakers on Friday.

Against Toronto, back-to-back 3s by White and Pritchard turned a three-point deficit into a three-point Boston lead with 7:15 left, and the Celtics didn’t trail again.