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The NBA delivered a busy Monday night as the Charlotte Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers and Memphis Grizzlies all claimed important wins. Charlotte erased a 22-point deficit against the New Orleans Pelicans, Philadelphia cooled a hot Los Angeles Clippers team, and Memphis stopped a losing run by outlasting the Minnesota Timberwolves in a high-scoring game.
The Hornets stretched their win streak to seven with a 102-95 comeback victory over the Pelicans. Charlotte trailed by 22 late in the second quarter and by 15 at half-time, yet still improved to 23-28. That run has moved Charlotte to within one game of the Atlanta Hawks, who sit 10th in the Eastern Conference at 24-27.
LaMelo Ball played through an early injury scare to drive the Hornets recovery.
Ball suffered a cut above the right eye after a head clash near the bench with coach Charles Lee during the first quarter. Ball stayed in the contest and ended with 24 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in an all-round display.
New Orleans seemed in full control after a huge surge before the break. The Pelicans used a 56-27 burst to build that 22-point cushion with 3:21 left in the second quarter. Charlotte dominated after half-time, outscoring New Orleans 53-31 across the final two quarters. The Pelicans dropped to 13-39 and have now lost 17 of their last 22 games.
Trey Murphy III provided the main scoring for New Orleans in the defeat. Murphy finished with 27 points, but the Pelicans could not match the Hornets defensive energy after the interval. Charlotte has now gone 19-14 since opening the season at 4-14, with the current seven-game winning streak matching a similar run from March 2016.
The 76ers extended their own momentum with a 128-113 home win over the Clippers, their fourth straight victory. Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 29 points and seven made three-pointers, while Dominick Barlow added a strong double-double of 26 points and 16 rebounds. The Sixers never trailed and built a lead of 23 points in the first half.
There was extra focus on this matchup because Joel Embiid and Kawhi Leonard both missed out on All-Star selection. Embiid responded with 24 points in 32 minutes and has now played in 20 of Philadelphia’s last 26 games, scoring at least 20 each time. Leonard produced 29 points for the Clippers, with Jordan Miller contributing 21 off the bench.
Los Angeles played without James Harden, who missed a second straight game for personal reasons. Philadelphia also remained without Paul George, who is serving a 25-game suspension after a substance violation. The Clippers had entered the contest in strong form at 17-4 over their previous 21 games, recovering from a 6-21 start while pushing for a postseason spot.
NBA results: Grizzlies snap skid against Timberwolves
Memphis ended a six-game losing streak by defeating Minnesota 137-128 in a fast-paced encounter. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 30 points, while Ty Jerome supplied 19 as the Grizzlies controlled much of the night. Memphis led by as many as 20 during the second half and carried a double-digit advantage into the fourth quarter.
The Timberwolves mounted a strong late charge, scoring 42 points in the final period, but could not close the gap. Jaylen Wells made four of five three-point attempts and finished with 18 points for Memphis, while Cam Spencer and Vince Williams Jr. each added 16 off the bench. The game followed Saturday’s meeting, where Minnesota had won 131-114.
Minnesota, which came in riding a four-game winning streak, leaned heavily on Anthony Edwards again. Edwards produced 39 points and seven rebounds, while Jaden McDaniels scored 29 points. Done DiVincenzo added 21 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. Despite that late push, Memphis’ balanced scoring and earlier control ensured the Grizzlies secured a needed morale boost.
