Isaiah Stewart and Ty Jerome converted three-point plays to bookend a late 11-0 flurry and the Memphis Grizzlies remained undefeated with a 123-112 road victory over the winless Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.
Jerome finished with 31 points while Cameron Boozer (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Cedric Coward (15 points, 11 rebounds) each recorded a double-double for the Grizzlies, who elected to rest star center Zach Edey on the first night of a road back-to-back set.
Memphis (3-0) plays at Utah on Monday night.
After blowing a 14-point lead and finding themselves in a 106-all tie with 5:41 remaining, the Grizzlies seized control again by scoring the game’s next 11 points.
Stewart got the spurt rolling by turning a 5-footer into three points with a foul shot.
Coward made it a five-point game when he tipped in a Boozer miss on Memphis’ next possession. Jerome then scored six straight points, three on a 27-footer and three on an 8-footer on which he was fouled and sank the resulting free throw.
Down 117-106 with 3:57 to play, the Kings got no closer than seven the rest of the way.
Jerome, who made all 14 of his free-throw attempts, also found time for a team-high six assists. Jaylen Wells chipped in with 16 points, while Stewart and Cam Spencer added 13 apiece.
Sacramento’s Zach LaVine was the game’s leading scorer with 37 points. Rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. had 22 to go with a game-high seven assists, while center Domantas Sabonis, fighting foul trouble much of the night, put up a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double.
Precious Achiuwa (12 points, 10 rebounds) also had a double-double for the Kings, who have lost all three of their games on the young season.
Seeking to open 3-0 for the first time since 2017, the Grizzlies used an 11-0 run early in the second quarter to take a lead that eventually grew to double digits before halftime and 83-69 in the fifth minute of the third quarter.
But the Kings eventually drew even at 106-all on a three-point play by Sabonis with 5:41 remaining, setting the stage for the Grizzlies’ late surge.
