Lakers beat Wizards without LeBron and AD; Jazz beat Nets; Magic resist Nuggets rally
Tuesday 28 July 2020 07:02, UK
The Milwaukee Bucks and LA Clippers were both beaten in their final scrimmage games before the restart of the NBA regular season.
The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 124-103, on Monday in the final restart scrimmage for both teams at Orlando.
Trailing 53-50 at half-time, the Pelicans dominated the second half, outscoring the Bucks 40-28 in the third quarter and 34-22 in the fourth quarter to run away with it.
JJ Redick came up big for the Pelicans with 20 points, shooting 4-of-7 from three-point range in 15 minutes off the bench. Jaxson Hayes added 17 points and Frank Jackson supplied 16 points. The Pelicans shot 45 per cent from the field, including 36 per cent from deep.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 30 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Khris Middleton added 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Ersan Ilyasova added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bucks will restart the regular season with a match-up against the Boston Celtics on Friday, while the Pelicans tip-off against the Utah Jazz on Thursday night, live on Sky Sports.
The Sacramento Kings rallied for a 106-102 comeback victory against the LA Clippers in both teams' final restart scrimmage.
The Kings overcame a 21-point third-quarter deficit by outscoring the Clippers, 33-19, in the fourth quarter. The Kings didn't take the lead for good until Nemanja Bjelica hit his only shot of the day - a three-pointer with 27 seconds remaining to go ahead 102-100.
Bogdan Bogdanovic led the Kings with 21 points, four rebounds and three assists. De'Aaron Fox made his return from an ankle injury with 12 points, four rebounds and six assists, while Buddy Hield led the bench with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Paul George, who posted 19 points, four rebounds and three assists led the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard scored 17 points, and Marcus Morris finished with 18 points and five rebounds.
The Clippers open their restart regular season in the early hours on Friday morning, live on Sky Sports, against the Los Angeles Lakers, while the Kings play the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Washington Wizards, 123-116, in the final restart scrimmage for both teams.
Los Angeles held the lead for the final three quarters of action. However, the game stayed within a seven-point margin for all but a handful of minutes, with the Lakers riding a 37-30 third quarter to the victory. Los Angeles shot 49 percent from the field and 46 percent from three-point range. The Lakers also out-rebounded the Wizards, 48-42, while recording 12 steals.
Rui Hachimura led the Wizards with 19 points, three rebounds and three assists. Jerome Robinson paced the bench with 18 points, four rebounds and three assists. Ish Smith also provided 12 points, five rebounds and six assists off the bench.
With LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma, Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard resting, Alex Caruso led the Lakers' starters with 17 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals. JR Smith led the team in scoring, dropping 20 points off the bench and knocking down six of his seven attempts from three. Dion Waiters also came off the bench to tally 18 points, three rebounds and six assists.
Both teams now turn their attention toward the seeding games which begin on Thursday night. The Lakers face the Clippers on re-opening night, while Washington square off against the Suns on Friday.
The Utah Jazz held off the Brooklyn Nets, 112-107, as both teams completed their schedule of restart scrimmages at Orlando.
The Jazz led almost the whole way, going ahead at the 7:27 mark of the first quarter, but the Nets made it a game in the fourth quarter. Trailing 84-72 entering the final period, the Nets cut the lead to two, 105-103, with 1:55 to play but could get no closer.
Rudy Gobert led the way for the Jazz with 20 points, adding seven rebounds and a block. Mike Conley scored 18 points and Donovan Mitchell finished with 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal. Jordan Clarkson led the bench with 12 points, five rebounds and a steal.
Caris LeVert paced the Nets with 23 points and six assists. Jarrett Allen finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Rodions Kurucs produced a bench-leading 13 points and six rebounds, while Tyler Johnson scored 11 points in 17 minutes.
The Jazz open the restart regular season on Thursday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, while the Nets play on Friday against Orlando Magic.
The Orlando Magic defeated the Denver Nuggets, 114-110, on Monday in the final restart scrimmage for both teams.
The score might have been extremely close, but it's fair to say the Magic were in control of the game from start to finish. The Nuggets' biggest edge was by just one point during the first quarter. Orlando built a big lead in the first half and didn't take its foot off the gas after a 29-19 first quarter, outpacing Denver by as much as 21 points early in the second quarter.
The first half ended with an 11-point lead for the Magic, but Denver didn't give up. They only reduced Orlando's advantage late in the fourth quarter but by that time, it was too late to turn things around. The Nuggets got as close as four points with a few seconds left in the fourth, but that's the closest they'd get as the Magic closed out the win.
Six Orlando players scored in double digits, led by Gary Clark, who ended with 17 points. Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with a 23-point, four-rebound, four-assist performance, while Nikola Jokic went scoreless in his return to center. Paul Millsap notched 13 points with six boards.
The Magic will resume their regular-season campaign Friday against the Brooklyn Nets, while Denver will play Saturday against the Miami Heat.
