Jaren Jackson leads Memphis with 20 points in 134-89 rout of the Blazers

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Jaren Jackson Jr. had 20 points and seven rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies routed the Portland Trail Blazers 134-89 on Sunday night.

Jake LaRavia added 18 points off the bench for the Grizzlies, who led by as many as 45 points and has won five of their last six games.

Jerami Grant scored 20 points for Portland, which has lost three straight.

Memphis was missing Ja Morant, who is day-to-day with an injured right hip, and Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane.

The Grizzlies jumped out to a 31-17 lead after the first quarter and led by as many as 25 in the first half.

It was the first meeting between Memphis' rookie Zach Edey and Portland's Donovan Clingan since the 2024 NCAA championship game when Clingan and UConn defeated Edey's Purdue.

Clingan finished with 13 points and Edey had 12.

Grizzlies: The Grizzlies went into the game leading the league in points in the paint with 60.8. They had 58 against the Blazers. ... Memphis' 5-foot-8 Rookie Yuki Kawamura came into the game in the fourth quarter to applause from the Blazers fans.

Trail Blazers: The Blazers held a moment of silence before the game for former broadcaster Brian Wheeler, who passed away on Friday at age 62.He was the voice of the Trail Blazers from 1998-2019.

In the opening quarter Edey boxed out Clingan and popped out the rebound to Scotty Pippen Jr., who made the 3-pointer to put the Grizzlies up 29-11 and the rout was on.

The Blazers dug a deep hole in the first half, shooting just 17 of 49 from the floor. They were just 1 of 18 from 3-point range. The Blazers finished just 4 of 42 from 3-point range.

The Grizzlies visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. The Trail Blazers host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

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

Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey, left, dribbles the ball against Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)

Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr., right, dribbles the ball against Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells, left, dribbles the ball against Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr., middle, reacts to the foul call against Portland Trail Blazers during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)

Memphis Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama, left, shoots the ball against Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)

Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe, center, drives to the hoop against Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)

Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr., middle, grabs a loose ball against Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)

Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, right, drives to the hoop against Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The person who died in the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck packed with explosives outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel was an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Two law enforcement officials identified the man inside the futuristic-looking pickup truck as Matthew Livelsberger. The officials spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Three U.S. officials said Livelsberger was an active-duty Army member who spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to Army special forces command. The officials also spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details of his service.

The FBI said Thursday in a post on X that it was “conducting law enforcement activity” at a home in Colorado Springs related to Wednesday's explosion but provided no other details.

The explosion of the truck, packed with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters, came hours after 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people before being shot to death by police. That crash was being investigated as a terrorist attack and police believe the driver was not acting alone.

Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran, also spent time at Fort Bragg but one official said so far there is no overlap in their assignments there.

Seven people nearby suffered minor injuries when the Tesla truck exploded.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday afternoon on X that “we have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself."

"All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” Musk wrote.

Authorities know who rented the truck with the Turo app in Colorado, Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Wednesday.

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)