LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Steven Adams grabbed the first game-winning basket of his career as the Memphis Grizzlies rolled to a franchise record-equaling 11th straight victory on Wednesday with a 115-114 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
New Zealand international Adams was on hand to tip-in at the basket after an attempted layup by Ja Morant with just under 17 seconds remaining of a thrilling battle at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.
Memphis small forward Dillon Brooks then conjured a crucial block to thwart Cavs point guard Darius Garland’s attempt at a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
“We’re always up for the physicality, we’re ready to play,” Brooks said afterwards.
“We’ve got a bunch of dogs over here who are ready to play every single night. We’ve got to keep playing with physicality, keep playing with heart and effort, and keep playing together.”
Memphis’s 11th straight victory equaled the team’s longest win streak set last season and puts them level with the Denver Nuggets at the top of the Western Conference with 31 wins and 13 defeats.
The outcome of a see-saw game was in the balance up until the final seconds of a contest that saw the lead change hands no fewer than 16 times.
Memphis looked to be cruising towards another blowout after opening up a 19-point lead in the second quarter.
Cleveland hit back however to reel in the Memphis lead, and appeared poised for an upset victory after Evan Mobley’s hook shot put the Cavs up 114-111 with just over a minute remaining.
– Adams ‘hyped’ –
Two Morant free throws got the Grizzlies to 114-113 however, and when Cleveland coughed up a costly turnover for a five-second time violation, Morant drove forward to set up the layup for Adams’ winning rebound — the first game-winner of the Kiwi’s nine-season NBA career.
“That was his first game-winner, he’s definitely hyped,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said of Adams.
“There was a lot going on in that game. Two competitive teams playing pretty high-level basketball, definitely ebbs and flows, highs and lows, but in the end we made the plays.”
Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies scoring with 25 points while Morant added 24 with eight assists. Jaren Jackson Jr posted 15 points while Adams finished with a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Elsewhere Wednesday, Dejounte Murray scored 30 points as the Atlanta Hawks swept to an impressive 130-122 win on the road over the Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas star Luka Doncic matched Murray’s 30-point tally but the Mavs were unable to contain a balanced Atlanta offensive display which remarkably saw eight of their nine players finish in double figures.
John Collins had 19 points while Trae Young added 18 points with 12 assists for Atlanta.
“We’re playing for 48 minutes now and not just for 24 or 30 or whatever,” Murray said after Atlanta’s fourth straight win.
“We came here with the mindset that we wanted to keep going and get another win,” Murray added.
In New Orleans, Bam Adebayo’s 26 points helped the Miami Heat to a 124-98 win over the Pelicans.
Jimmy Butler chipped in with 18 points while Tyler Herro added 14 as Miami improved to 25-21 to remain in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.
© Agence France-Presse