By Emre Asikci
ISTANBUL (AA) - The Memphis Grizzlies broke the NBA record for margin of a win with a 152-79 score against Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.
The 73-point win surpassed a 68-point win by the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Miami Heat on Dec. 17, 1991.
Playing without star guard Ja Morant, the Grizzlies had a strong start from the beginning, building a 31-16 lead at the end of the first quarter at FedExForum.
Memphis outscored Oklahoma 41-20 after the second quarter, making the score 72-36 at the end of the first half.
Brandon Clarke's 3-pointer in the third quarter gave his team a 52-point lead, their first time leading by that many in franchise history.
Jaren Jackson Jr. was the highest scorer of the game with 27 points.
Santi Aldama made a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. De'Anthony Melton came off the bench to add 19 points.
For the losing side, Luguentz Dort produced 15 points while Ty Jerome finished with 12 points.
With this result, Memphis made history in their win by scoring the most points in a match in franchise history.
Meanwhile, Ja Morant has been sidelined due to a knee injury.
- Suns set franchise record with 18th straight win
The Phoenix Suns set a franchise record on Thursday night by winning their 18th consecutive game with a 114-103 against the Detroit Pistons.
The 18th victory hammered the previous franchise mark of 17 set by the 2006-07 Suns, who went on to finish the regular season with 61 wins and 21 losses.
Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul posted a double-double for the winning side.
Ayton scored 17 points and 12 rebounds while Paul produced 12 points and 12 assists.
For the Pistons, Jerami Grant was the highest scorer of his team with 34 points.
- LeBron James free of COVID-19, cleared to play
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has cleared the NBA's COVID-19 safety protocols with two negative tests, NBA said on Friday.
“Following two negative PCR tests conducted more than 24 hours apart, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has cleared the NBA’s Health & Safety Protocols,” NBA said in a statement.
On Wednesday, LeBron has entered NBA health and safety protocols after testing positive for coronavirus.
- Results:
New York Knicks - Chicago Bulls: 115 - 119
Toronto Raptors - Milwaukee Bucks: 97 - 93
Memphis Grizzlies - Oklahoma City Thunder: 152 - 79
Phoenix Suns - Detroit Pistons: 114 - 103
Portland Trail Blazers - San Antonio Spurs: 83 - 114