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Grizzlies Hold Off Bulls in Chippy Showdown

Desmond Bane and Ja Morant scored 25 points each, and the Memphis Grizzlies dominated the short-handed Chicago Bulls 119-106 on Monday afternoon for their 12th win in 13 games.

 

Brandon Clarke added 15 points and seven rebounds, missing only one of his eight shots.

 

DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 24 points and five assists, Ayo Dosunmu had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Coby White finished with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists for Chicago, which lost its fourth straight.

 

It was the Grizzlies' main event of their 20th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, only a short distance from the Grizzlies' home floor at FedExForum.

 

Memphis built a double-digit lead in the second quarter, outscoring the Bulls 38-25 for a 58-45 lead at half, then stretched the advantage to 23 in the third - and didn't stop there.

 

Chicago also was stymied early by a dozen turnovers, allowing Memphis to benefit from its transition game. The Bulls would end up with 18 turnovers, leading to 21 Grizzlies points.

 

The Bulls entered the day as the top team in the Eastern Conference, but were without key rotation players like Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. However, Chicago kept its top spot because Brooklyn lost to Cleveland on Monday.

 

The Bulls host Cleveland on Wednesday, Chicago's only home game over a six-game stretch.

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