In the NBA regular season on December 20, Beijing time, the Memphis Grizzlies, who were playing away, defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 115-113. Full time score (Pelicans at the back -26.)
Grizzlies: Morant 34 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists, Jackson 24 points and 6 rebounds, Bane 21 points, 1 rebound and 5 assists, Williams 9 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, Biyombo 8 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, Aldama 8 points and 3 rebounds, Tillman 7 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist, Williams 4 points and 2 rebounds, Konchar 8 rebounds, Roddy 1 rebound and 2 assists.
Pelicans: Ingram 34 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, Valanciunas 22 points, 14 rebounds and 1 assist, McCollum 18 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists, Williamson 13 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists, Jones 7 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists, Murphy III 7 points and 3 rebounds, Zeller 4 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist, Marshall 3 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, Daniels 3 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists, Alvarado 2 points and 2 rebounds.
The Pelicans-Grizzlies game started the first quarter with a wave of offense that led 7-3, but then the Grizzlies fought back to not only erase the score, but also take a six-point lead. However, as the game ended in the second quarter, the Pelicans began to gradually close the gap and eventually fell behind 21-25.
At the start of the second quarter, the Pelicans didn't play well, trailing by six points. But as the game progressed, the Pelicans gradually regained their form, not only tying the score, but also surpassing by 24 points. In the latter part of the game, the Grizzlies began to stop the bleeding and close the gap. The Pelicans' McCollum had a great performance in the quarter, scoring 12 points, including four three-pointers. In the end, the Pelicans led the second half with a 60-41 lead.
In the third quarter, the Grizzlies fought back to narrow their deficit to seven points. But as the game progressed, the Pelicans maintained the rhythm of the offense and gradually extended their advantage to pull the score away again. In this quarter, the Pelicans' Ingram had a great performance, scoring 15 points, including one three-pointer. And the Grizzlies' Morant also scored 13 points. In the end, the Pelicans led 87-77.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Pelicans unleashed a wave of offense to take a 96-82 lead. However, the Grizzlies then began to fight back, not only erasing the score, but also leading by 2 points. But in the latter part of the quarter, the Pelicans gradually narrowed the gap. In the end, the Grizzlies won the game 115-113. In this quarter, Grizzlies' Jackson had a great performance, scoring 14 points, including one three-pointer.
Grizzlies starters: Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, Vince Williams, Bismarck Biyombo.
Pelicans starters: Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas, CJ McCollum, Zayn Williamson, Herbert Jones.