George injured as Clippers hammer Pistons; Porter Jr shines again Nuggets top Pacers; Gilgeous-Alexander leads OKC past Spurs
Friday 3 January 2020 07:42, UK
Luka Doncic posted 31 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists as the Dallas Mavericks made a series of big plays down the stretch to beat the visiting Brooklyn Nets 123-111 on Thursday night.
Luka Doncic posted 31 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists as the Dallas Mavericks made a series of big plays down the stretch to beat the visiting Brooklyn Nets 123-111 on Thursday night.
The Mavericks opened their longest homestand of the season by getting another big night from Doncic. He scored 15 in the fourth quarter by hitting three three-pointers, a pair of lay-ups and two free throws. Doncic shot 9-of-18, hit five three-pointers and helped the Mavericks end the game with a 15-7 run over the final 6:45.
The Mavericks avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season on a night when Kristaps Porzingis (right knee soreness) and Tim Hardaway Jr (strained left hamstring) missed their second straight games.
Seth Curry helped compensate for the absences by adding 25 points, including five three-pointers. Maxi Kleber hit his first six shots and added 18 points for Dallas, who shot 50 per cent from the floor in the first half.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 19 points to lead the Nets, who lost a season-high fourth straight game and dropped under .500 (16-17) for the first time since November 22. Reserve Dzanan Musa added 14 points as the Nets lost for the seventh time in their past 10 games.
The Nets were within 108-104 on a lay-up by Joe Harris with 6:45 remaining, but Doncic started the game-ending run with a three-pointer a little over a minute later. He hit another triple with 3:20 left for a 119-106 lead, and made two free throws with 91 seconds to extend the lead to 123-108.
Montrezl Harrell had 23 points and Lou Williams scored 22 as the LA Clippers defeated the visiting Detroit Pistons 126-112 despite playing without Paul George in the second half.
Kawhi Leonard added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Clippers, while Maurice Harkless and JaMychal Green chipped in 12 points apiece. Ivica Zubac had four blocks to go along with eight points. Harrell also had four blocks, among 11 for the team.
George failed to return after experiencing tightness in his left hamstring. He finished with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 16 minutes.
Bruce Brown led the Pistons with 15 points. Derrick Rose, Tony Snell, Christian Wood and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk each scored 14 points for Detroit, who had nine players reach double figures. The Pistons lost for the eighth time in nine games.
After building a 10-point lead early in the third, the Clippers used a 16-3 surge after a bucket inside by Harrell for a 97-74 lead with 2:34 left in the quarter. LA outscored Detroit 37-16 in the third period to take a 106-79 advantage into the fourth quarter. The Pistons never recovered.
The Pistons played without former Clipper Blake Griffin, out with left knee soreness, and Markieff Morris, who is recovering from a sprained left foot.
Michael Porter Jr scored a career-high 25 points while Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray had 22 apiece as the Denver Nuggets beat the Indiana Pacers 124-116 in Indianapolis.
Porter hit 11-of-12 attempts from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range, and committed just one turnover in 23 minutes. Will Barton added 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for Denver.
Jeremy Lamb had a game-high 30 points on 9-of-13 shooting, Myles Turner added 21 points, TJ Warren scored 20 and Domantas Sabonis had 18 points and nine rebounds for Indiana.
The Pacers played without guard Malcolm Brogdon, who was ruled out with a sore lower back. Brogdon missed three games in December with a hamstring injury.
Denver trailed by as many as 14 in the first quarter and by 64-62 at half-time. They didn't take their first lead until Gary Harris hit a three-pointer to make it 73-70 three minutes after intermission.
In the fourth quarter, Porter scored twice to give Denver a 100-91 lead. Indiana cut it to four on a three-point play, but Denver responded by going to Jokic, who scored the next six points for the Nuggets.
Indiana got within six with 50 seconds left and had a chance to get closer, but Aaron Holiday missed a jumper and Denver closed it out at the free throw line.
Rookie Tyler Herro scored 11 straight second-half points as the Miami Heat continued their hot streak at home, defeating the Toronto Raptors 84-76. Miami has the best home record in the NBA at 16-1.
However, the game between two of the top Eastern Conference's teams was marked by intense defense and inaccurate shooting. Toronto shot a season-low 31.5 per cent, including 6-of-42 on three-pointers (14.3 per cent). Miami shot just 40.7 per cent, including 12-of-37 on three-pointers (32.4 per cent).
Bam Adebayo led Miami with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Herro and Goran Dragic had 13 points each. Jimmy Butler, who is Miami's biggest star, missed eight of 10 shots from the field, but he contributed 12 rebounds, eight points and seven assists.
Toronto were led by Serge Ibaka (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Kyle Lowry (15 points, eight assists).
Miami led for all but the final 84 seconds in the first quarter, when Toronto surged for a 20-18 advantage. There were three lead changes in the second quarter before Miami seized control and went into halftime with a 42-39 lead.
The teams played to a standstill in the third quarter as Miami held on to their three-point lead (63-60). Miami went on an 11-4 run between the end of the third and the start of the fourth - and all 11 of those points were scored on Herro jumpers. That ignited Miami to a dominant fourth quarter and the win.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points, including three huge baskets in the final three minutes, as the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder roared from behind to ambush the San Antonio Spurs 109-103 in the Alamo City and claim their fourth straight win.
Oklahoma City outscored the Spurs by seven points in the third quarter and cut their deficit to 76-74 heading to the final period. The Thunder took charge of the game via a 9-2 run beginning with 8:32 to play and assumed a 92-85 lead. San Antonio would not get closer than three points the rest of the game.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Chris Paul (who had 10 points in the fourth quarter) then took charge, boosting the advantage to as many as 10 points down the stretch. The Thunder have won eight of their past nine games.
Dennis Schroder added 19 points for Oklahoma City, with Paul hitting for 16, Steven Adams scoring 14, and Danilo Gallinari contributing 13 points, including a pair of three-pointers in the Thunder's decisive run.
DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 30 points for San Antonio, who had a two-game winning streak snapped. LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Lonnie Walker IV pumped in 16 points off the bench, nine in the fourth quarter.
The Utah Jazz won their fourth-straight game with a hard-fought 102-98 victory over the host Chicago Bulls. Five players - Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson, Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell and Georges Niang - scored in double figures for the Jazz.
Zach LaVine had a game-high 26 points on 9-for-26 shooting for the Bulls. LaVine hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 96 with under two minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Two free throws from Bogdanovic, who scored 10 points in the final frame, and then a dunk from Gobert on the next two possessions regained the Jazz advantage.
After Wendell Carter Jr hit two free throws of his own, LaVine missed a contested lay-up with about 28 seconds remaining that could have tied the game. Mitchell pushed the lead to four points on the other end of the court, and the Bulls were unable to score again.
Utah led 25-22 at the end of the first quarter despite only shooting 39.1 per cent in the quarter and continued to hold the lead for most of the second quarter. But the Bulls entered the half on a seven-point run to take a 51-47 lead into the break, and continued the torrid stretch after the intermission to take an 11-point advantage.
That would be the largest lead Chicago would earn all game, and the game flipped on its head over the next eight minutes. The Jazz went on a 24-4 run as seven different players scored during the scoring spree.
Bogdanovic led the Jazz with 19 points on 5-of-13 shooting, while Gobert finished with a double-double at 17 points and 12 rebounds. Joe Ingles also had eight points and 10 assists for Utah.
Robert Covington and Shabazz Napier scored 20 points each as the Minnesota Timberwolves continued their improved play with a 99-84 victory Thursday over the visiting Golden State Warriors.
Naz Reid added 13 points off the bench as the Timberwolves improved to 2-2 without guard Andrew Wiggins, who missed his fourth consecutive game with an illness, and are now 3-6 without Karl-Anthony Towns (knee). It is a modest development after an 11-game losing streak to open December.
Glenn Robinson III scored 16 points and Eric Paschall added 13 for the Warriors, who lost their third consecutive game after a four-game winning streak.
Towns (25.6 points per game) and Wiggins (24.8) are the Timberwolves' top two scorers and both are due back soon according to head coach Ryan Saunders. In the meantime, Minnesota are getting solid production from its secondary players, aided by high-energy play.
Kelan Martin had 12 points while Jarrett Culver added 10 for Minnesota, who were playing on consecutive nights after a two-point loss to the host Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.
Damion Lee and Omari Spellman had 10 points each for the extremely short-handed Warriors. Klay Thompson (knee) is out for the season and Stephen Curry (hand) is expected back in February. D'Angelo Russell also was out with a right shoulder contusion, while Willie Cauley-Stein (illness) and Kevon Looney (abdominal) did not play.
De'Aaron Fox recorded 27 points, nine assists and a season-best five steals as the Sacramento Kings snapped a season-worst eight-game losing streak by notching a 128-123 victory over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies.
Buddy Hield contributed 26 points and seven rebounds for the Kings, who recovered from a 20-point, second-quarter deficit. It was Sacramento's first victory since beating the Golden State Warriors on December 15.
Richaun Holmes added 18 points and seven rebounds, Harrison Barnes had 17 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 16 for the Kings. The point total was a season's best for Sacramento.
Ja Morant had 23 points and seven assists and Jae Crowder added 19 points and six assists for the Grizzlies, who fell to 6-10 on the road. Jonas Valanciunas registered 18 points and 12 rebounds, Jaren Jackson Jr. also scored 18 points, De'Anthony Melton had 16 points and Dillon Brooks scored 15 for Memphis.
The Grizzlies led by nine early in the fourth quarter before the Kings used a 12-2 run to take a 102-101 lead on two free throws by Harry Giles III with 8:23 left.
Fox scored back-to-back baskets and Hield scored another on a goaltending call on Valanciunas as Sacramento held a 110-106 lead with 4:01 remaining. Hield drained a three-pointer to make it 115-110 with 2:53 left and Barnes followed with a floater 32 seconds later.
Brooks buried a three-pointer to pull the Grizzlies within 120-115 with 32.2 seconds left but Hield made two free throws with 27.9 seconds left and the Kings closed it out.
Devonte' Graham made a deep three-point shot with 23 seconds remaining to break a tie as the Charlotte Hornets rallied in the final minutes for a 109-106 victory against the host Cleveland Cavaliers, ending a six-game losing streak.
Graham's two free throws with 9.7 seconds to go helped seal the outcome.
Cedi Osman's three-pointer gave Cleveland a chance by closing the gap to 108-106 after the Cavaliers managed only three points across a stretch of nearly five-and-a-half minutes.
Charlotte guard Terry Rozier, who supplied a career-high 35 points in his last visit to Cleveland, finished with a game-best 30 points in this match-up. He made six three-pointers. Graham ended up with 16 points and 11 assists, while Dwayne Bacon added 15 points, PJ Washington had 14 points and Cody Zeller chipped in with 11 points.
Collin Sexton poured in 21 points for Cleveland, while Kevin Love had 18 points and Osman finished with 17. Darius Garland's 14 points and John Henson's 10 points also helped the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers built a 92-85 lead early in the fourth quarter, sparked by a couple of baskets from Henson. Then the Hornets wiped out a 100-91 deficit in a matter of two-and-a-half minutes, pulling even on Rozier's basket off a drive through the lane at the 3:16 mark. Sexton and Rozier both hit three-pointers before the offenses went cold. The Cavaliers missed six consecutive shots before Osman's late triple.
