THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NBA GAMES PLAYED ON FRIDAY AEDT
GRIZZLIES 114 beat THUNDER 80 - Marc Gasol scored 25 points and Memphis took advantage of Russell Westbrook's ejection, dominating Oklahoma City.
Westbrook, the NBA's leading scorer at 31.7 points per game, scored 21 before he was tossed midway through the third quarter when he was whistled for two quick technical fouls. At that point, Memphis already held a double-digit lead that reached 37 points in the fourth quarter.
CAVALIERS 124 bt CELTICS 118 - Kyrie Irving scored 32 points and made two critical layups before leaving with a leg injury and Kevin Love scored 30, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers hold off a late rally for a 124-118 victory over the Boston Celtics.
The Cavs led by 20 points in the third and 17 early in the fourth but couldn't close out the Celtics, who pulled within one point three times in the final two minutes.
LeBron James had 23 points and 11 assists for the Cavs, who won for the 11th time in 13 games. The only two losses during that stretch came at Memphis and Detroit - games James sat out.
MAVERICKS 101 bt LAKERS 89 - Andrew Bogut continued his return from injury to play 21 minutes for two points and seven rebounds in Dallas's 101-89 win against the Lakers.
The Mavericks outscored Los Angeles 31-13 in the third quarter to take command of the contest and beat the Lakers for the 12th successive time.
JAZZ 100 bt 76ERS 83 - George Hill had 21 points in his return to the lineup after missing 13 games with a sprained toe, and Utah blitzed Philadelphia in the fourth quarter.
Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood each added 20 points for the Jazz (20-13), who outscored Philadelphia 30-9 in the final period. They shot 58 per cent from three-point range overall to win their second consecutive game after dropping three in a row.
Joe Ingles was one-from-two from three-point range for the Jazz as he scored three points from 15 minutes of court time.
SUNS 99 bt RAPTORS 91 - Eric Bledsoe scored 22 points and Devin Booker had nine of his 19 in the fourth quarter, helping Phoenix beat Toronto.
The Raptors, in second place in the Eastern Conference, lost consecutive games for the first time since November 20 and 21. Both teams played the second of back-to-back games, with the first being on the road.
HORNETS 91 bt HEAT 82 - Nicolas Batum had 16 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, providing a spark during a big third quarter that carried Charlotte over Miami.
The Hornets outscored the Heat 31-17 in the quarter to take command, with Batum contributing nine points, five rebounds and four assists in the period.
Kemba Walker led Charlotte with 22 points. The Hornets improved to 19-14, and have won five of their last six games.
