Desmond Bane scored 24 points to extend his streak of 20-point games to six, leading the Memphis Grizzlies to a 132-120 wire-to-wire win over the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.
Reserve Luke Kennard contributed a season-high 23 points — including 18 in the first half — and Jaren Jackson Jr. had 22 points to help the Grizzlies win their fourth game in a row. Memphis’ Ja Morant finished with 16 points and 13 assists.
Charlotte, which saw its three-game win streak end, got a career-high 38 points from Mark Williams. The center made 14 of 18 field-goal attempts and 10 of 13 free throws in addition to grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out five assists. LaMelo Ball had 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Miles Bridges had 17 points and six assists.
The Hornets trailed by 35 in the third quarter, but rallied to cut the deficit to 14 late in the fourth before losing by 12.
Kennard made six of his eight first-half 3-point attempts as the Grizzlies built a 78-48 advantage. The 78 points matched the most in a half by the Grizzlies this season.
Memphis extended its lead to 101-66 midway through the third quarter following behind reserve center Jay Huff, who hit back-to-back 3-pointers and added a reverse slam during a 10-2 run. The Grizzlies sank five 3-pointers during a three-plus-minute stretch in the third quarter to create the huge cushion.
Charlotte recovered, slightly, by closing the quarter on a 12-0 run to trim the Grizzlies’ advantage to 106-84. Isaiah Wong scored four points and contributed an assist in the surge.
Williams’ 15-point fourth quarter wasn’t nearly enough for the Hornets.
The Grizzlies built a 13-point lead in the first quarter as they shot 59 percent and scored 20 paint points. Their advantage swelled to 32 points late in the second quarter (73-41) after a mid-range jumper by Brandon Clarke. Kennard’s corner 3-pointer with 5.4 seconds remaining gave the Grizzlies their 30-point halftime lead.
For the game, Memphis hit 21 of 47 3-point attempts (44.7 percent) to Charlotte’s 11 of 33 (35.5 percent) from long range.