Rookie Cameron Boozer delivered his first career triple-double, finishing with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, as the Memphis Grizzlies stayed unbeaten with a comfortable 124-103 road win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.
Isaiah Stewart came off the bench to match Boozer with 18 points, while Cedric Coward contributed 17 points, seven rebounds and three steals and Zach Edey added 13 points. The victory pushed Memphis to 5-0 on the season.
The Grizzlies, who also got 12 points from reserve GG Jackson and 10 apiece from Ty Jerome, Jaylen Wells and backup Quinten Post, dominated after the break, outscoring Portland 66-45 in the second half. The teams were level at 58 at halftime, with Avdija scoring 13 first-half points for the Trail Blazers and Boozer matching that total for Memphis.
Deni Avdija led Portland with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Ja Morant recorded 14 points and three assists in 23 minutes before exiting in the fourth quarter with a left hamstring injury. Toumani Camara scored 13 and Donovan Clingan added 11, while Damian Lillard managed only nine points on 3-of-13 shooting.
A Jerome 3-pointer with 8:43 remaining put Memphis ahead 101-89 and opened a 13-0 run that Coward closed with a triple for a 111-89 cushion with 5:31 left. Wells then scored on a layup to make it 117-93 with 3:52 to go as the Grizzlies cruised home.
In New Orleans, the Pelicans earned their first victory of the season, defeating the visiting Sacramento Kings 132-120. Jeremiah Fears flirted with his first career triple-double, posting a season-best 22 points and a career-high 13 assists for his fourth career double-double, while Zion Williamson also scored 22 and added five steals. Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr poured in a season-best 34 points.
The Kings stayed within 67-65 early in the third quarter on an Acuff drive, but New Orleans took control for good with a 21-4 burst in which Fears and Trey Murphy III hit consecutive 3-pointers and Williamson chipped in six points. Sacramento cut the gap to 113-106 on a Zach LaVine 3-pointer with 7:11 left, only to watch the Pelicans score the next 10 points and coast to the finish. Murphy finished with 19 points, Herbert Jones had 16, Karlo Matkovic 12, and Saddiq Bey and Ben Mathurin 10 each, while De'Andre Hunter and Precious Achiuwa scored 24 apiece and LaVine added 21 for the winless Kings.
In Atlanta, Onyeka Okongwu scored a season-high 29 points and Nickeil Alexander-Walker hit two crucial free throws with 15.3 seconds remaining as the Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 114-111 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Okongwu went 11-for-17 from the field with four 3-pointers and pulled down a season-best 12 rebounds.
The Hawks led by 10 with 4:34 remaining, but Cleveland twice closed within one point, the second time on a Donovan Mitchell basket with 21 seconds left. Aaron Wiggins added a season-high 20 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Atlanta and Jalen Johnson scored 17, while James Harden's season-high 24 points and Mitchell's 22 paced the Cavaliers. Atlanta scored 43 third-quarter points to take an 89-82 lead into the final period.
