The NBA had 11 games on tap on Thursday, and all but two ended up as routs. With that in mind, we chose three games notable for different reasons. Check them out:
Grizzlies Survive Rockets in Controversial Fashion
The Memphis Grizzlies (32-16) bucked a controversial whistle in the final seconds to pull off a 120-119 triumph over the Houston Rockets (32-15) at FedEx Forum.
With less than 20 ticks remaining and Houston ahead, 119-118, the Grizzlies rebounded a Rockets miss and looked on their way to a transition dunk for the lead. But the refs blew the whistle for a timeout after it was supposedly called by Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins. After some deliberation, the officials determined there was no such request, leading to them overturning the initial call to an inadvertent whistle.
With an easy two wiped out, the Grizz ultimately got the ball to Jaren Jackson Jr., who drew a fall and hit the go-ahead freebies. Memphis got one final stop to preserve the win.
Jackson finished with 21 points, while Desmond Bane had 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists. Luke Kennard added 21 for the Grizzlies, who played minus Ja Morant. Jalen Green fired 25 points on top of 6 rebounds and 5 assists, who were without Alperen Sengun.
Up next:
Grizzlies vs. Milwaukee Bucks on February 3
Rockets vs. Brooklyn Nets on February 2
Blazers Blow Out Magic Thanks to Second-Quarter Storm
The Portland Trail Blazers (19-29) cooked up a second-quarter storm to build a big lead en route to a 119-90 blowout of the Orlando Magic (24-25) at Moda Center.
Portland, winners of seven of eight, drew big games all around, starting with Scoot Henderson, who put up 23 points 5 rebounds, and 7 assists. Shaedon Sharpe added 23 himself off the bench, while DeAndre Ayton finished with 22 points, 8 boards, and 3 steals.
Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero had 24 and 21, respectively, for the Magic, who have gone 3-9 in their last 12 games and are now under .500 for the season.
Up next:
Blazers vs. Phoenix Suns on February 2
Magic vs. Utah Jazz on February 2
Cavs Rout Hawks, Stay Solid at Home
Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, and Ty Jerome each scored at least 20 to propel the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers (39-9) past the Atlanta Hawks (22-26) at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Garland paced the Cavs with 26 points and 7 dimes, followed by the 24 points and 6 assists of Donovan Mitchell. Ty Jerome added 20 off the bench on 9-for-11 shooting. Evan Mobley chipped in with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. Both Garland and Mobley were named as NBA All-Star Game reserves—their first ever.
Rookie Zaccharie Risacher fired 30 big points for the Hawks, who had already beaten the Cavs twice this season. Trae Young added 15 points and 10 assists as he was again snubbed as an All-Star.
Up next:
Cavs vs. Dallas Mavericks on February 3
Hawks vs. Indiana Pacers on February 2
