Grizzlies eliminated from NBA Cup despite riding strong second half to 112-107 win over Clippers

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied for a 112-107 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in the last game of NBA Cup play for both teams on Friday night.

The Grizzlies, who outscored the Clippers by eight in the fourth quarter to get their fourth win in five games, went 3-1 in West Group B but failed to secure a wild card into the knockout round because the Phoenix Suns had a better point differential.

Vincent Williams Jr. scored 16 points and Santi Aldama added 13 off the bench for the Grizzlies, who have a three-game road winning streak after dropping their previous five away from home. Zach Edey had 21 rebounds and five points.

Kawhi Leonard scored 39 points in 29 minutes for the Clippers, who have lost six straight at home, with their last victory at Intuit Dome coming on Oct. 31. James Harden had 23 points.

Memphis struggled to get its offense going in the first half, relying on long-distance shooting from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to provide some pop. They found a groove in the third quarter, rallying from a 16-point deficit to get within 81-78 to close the period, and it carried through as Cedric Coward gave the Grizzlies their first lead early in the fourth.

The Clippers started off strong by making hit three 3-pointers to open the game and going 6 of 9 from long range in the first quarter, but they finished 12 of 38 (31.6%).

Clippers point guard Chris Paul received a video tribute in his first home game since announcing he would retire at the end of the season. Paul finished with five points and two rebounds in 15 minutes.

Grizzlies: At Sacramento on Sunday.

Clippers: Host Dallas on Saturday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) reacts after making a 3-point basket as Memphis Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward, back left, runs during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden gestures after making a 3-point basket against the Memphis Grizzlies during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, right, possesses the ball against Memphis Grizzlies guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, left, during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Memphis Grizzlies guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (3) shoots against Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (8) drives against Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden, left, during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Federal officials on Thursday gave final approval for the Dakota Access oil pipeline to continue operating its contentious Missouri River crossing, an outcome that comes nearly a decade after boisterous protests against the project on the North Dakota prairie.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to grant the key easement means the pipeline will keep operating but with added conditions for detecting leaks and monitoring groundwater, among others. The announcement brings an end to a drawn-out legal and regulatory saga stemming from the protests in 2016 and 2017, though further litigation over the pipeline is likely.

The $3.8 billion, multistate pipeline has been transporting oil since June 2017 from North Dakota’s Bakken oil field to a terminal in Illinois. The line carries about 4% of U.S. daily oil production, or roughly 540,000 barrels per day,

The Corps is “decisively putting years of delays to rest and moving out to safely execute this crossing beneath Lake Oahe," Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle said in a statement.

The pipeline crosses the river upstream from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation, which straddles the Dakotas. The tribe has long opposed the pipeline, fearing a spill and contamination of its water supply. In 2016 and 2017, thousands of people camped and protested for months near the river crossing.

The protests resulted in hundreds of arrests and related criminal cases and lawsuits, some of them still ongoing, including litigation that threatens the future of the environmental group Greenpeace.

In December, the Corps released its final environmental impact statement nearly six years after a federal judge ordered a more rigorous review of the pipeline's crossing. In that document, the Corps endorsed the option to grant the easement for the crossing and keep the pipeline operating with modifications.

Those measures include enhanced leak detection and monitoring systems, expanded groundwater and surface water monitoring and third-party expert evaluation of the leak and detection systems, among others, the Corps said. The conditions also include water supply contingency planning and other studies coordinated with affected tribes.

The Corps had weighed several options, including removing or abandoning the pipeline's river crossing or even rerouting it north. The agency said its decision “best balances public safety, protection of environmental resources, and leak detection and response considerations while meeting the project’s purpose and need.”

Pipeline developer Energy Transfer hailed the decision, saying the pipeline has been safely operating for nearly 10 years and is critical to the country’s energy infrastructure.

“We want to thank the Corps for the tremendous amount of time and effort put in by so many to bring this matter to a thoughtful close,” said Vicki Granado, a company spokesperson.

The Associated Press sent text messages and emails to media representatives for the tribe and left a voicemail at the tribe's headquarters. They didn't immediately respond Thursday.

North Dakota Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong, Interior Secretary and former North Dakota governor Doug Burgum and U.S. Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer each welcomed the decision to ensure the pipeline continues operating.

The Corps' announcement came as officials and oil industry leaders were gathered for a trade conference in Bismarck.

Energy Transfer and Enbridge are in early stages of a project to move about 250,000 daily barrels of light Canadian crude oil through the Dakota Access Pipeline by using another pipeline and building a 56-mile connecting line, spokespersons for the companies said. Enbridge will decide sometime in mid-2026 whether to move ahead.

FILE - A sign for the Dakota Access Pipeline is seen north of Cannonball, N.D. and the Standing Rock Reservation on May 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)