Giannis scores 32 as Bucks edge T-Wolves; Knicks beat Blazers to ruin Melo's MSG return; Isaac injured as Magic trounce Wizards
Thursday 2 January 2020 07:39, UK
LeBron James posted a 31-point triple-double to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to their third successive win, a 117-107 success against the Phoenix Suns.
LeBron James had his eighth triple-double of the season and Anthony Davis had 26 points and 11 rebounds as Western Conference leaders the Los Angeles Lakers opened the new year with a 117-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.
James finished with 31 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in the Lakers' third straight victory that appeared well in hand by the end of a dominant first quarter. He had double-figure points and assists by half-time.
The Suns rallied in the fourth, getting within seven points after trailing by 36 earlier in the game. That forced the Lakers' starters back in, and James steadied them with eight points to close out the win.
The Lakers shot 70 per cent in a ferocious opening quarter when they made their first 11 shots. Danny Green had their first miss on a three-point attempt, but the Lakers controlled the offensive rebound and JaVale McGee found Green for a dunk.
It was that kind of sequence for the Lakers, who missed just eight attempts in the first. James airballed a shot, but they snagged the rebound and Avery Bradley scored to salvage the possession.
The Lakers put together a 25-4 run in which the Suns were limited to only free throws. Among the highlights, Davis dunked over Aron Baynes and let out a roar, and later Davis threw down a reverse dunk on James' pass. Not to be outshone, James followed with a two-handed jam that ignited the crowd. Los Angeles led 43-17 at the end of the quarter.
Kyle Kuzma, sporting blond hair, had three three-pointers in the second. Bradley scored on a smooth behind-the-back pass from James. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope beat the shot clock with a casual heave on a 3-pointer. Dwight Howard chipped in eight points and the Lakers shot 61 per cent in taking a 74-41 lead into half-time.
Devin Booker scored 32 points and Kelly Oubre Jr added 26 for the Suns. Phoenix had won two in a row after losing eight straight.
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 32 points and 17 rebounds to lead the host Milwaukee Bucks to a 106-104 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The triumph gives the Bucks (31-5) the best 36-game start in franchise history. The 1971-72 squad led by legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dropped game No 36 for a 30-6 mark.
Khris Middleton added 13 points for Milwaukee, who scored 100 or more points for the 60th straight game. The only team with a longer streak over the past 30 years is the Houston Rockets, who reached the century mark 61 times in a row during the 2016-17 campaign.
Shabazz Napier scored 22 points to lead Minnesota, who lost for the 13th time in the past 15 contests. Gorgui Dieng recorded 15 points, but his 20-foot, potential game-tying attempt bounced off the rim with less than three seconds left.
Jaylen Nowell and Josh Okogie tallied 12 points apiece for the Timberwolves, who were without Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) for the eighth straight game and Andrew Wiggins (illness) for the third consecutive contest.
The Timberwolves were in range for the upset when Robert Covington knocked down a three-pointer with 1:04 left to make it a three-point margin. Dieng split two free throws with 46.2 seconds left to trim the deficit to 106-104 before a defensive stop gave the ball back to Minnesota, but Dieng came up empty on the outside shot.
Brook Lopez added 11 points and six blocked shots and Eric Bledsoe scored 10 points as Milwaukee shot 42.6 per cent from the field, including 9-of-36 from three-point range.
Mitchell Robinson was a perfect 11-of-11 from the field in a historic shooting performance, as he helped ruin the return of Carmelo Anthony to Madison Square Garden and lead the New York Knicks to a 117-93 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Knicks outscored the Trail Blazers 34-16 in the fourth quarter to turn a close game into a rout and win their season-high third straight - their longest winning streak since a three-game streak in November 2018. New York have won six of 10 and are 6-6 under interim head coach Mike Miller. The Trail Blazers, who began a five-game road trip Wednesday, have lost a season-high five straight.
Robinson finished with 22 points while tying the Knicks' record for the most field-goal makes without a miss. Bernard King (January 19, 1984) and Johnny Newman (Janury 6, 1988) were also 11-of-11 from the field.
Several of Robinson's baskets were emphatic dunks, including a spectacular first-quarter alley-oop in which Julius Randle lobbed the ball from well beyond the three-point line. Robinson reached up with one hand, palmed the ball and dunked over Anfernee Simons.
Randle (22 points, 13 rebounds) posted a double-double for the Knicks, while Marcus Morris Sr (18 points), Bobby Portis (17 points) and Reggie Bullock (11 points) also scored in double digits. Frank Ntilikina had nine points and 10 assists.
Anthony, playing at Madison Square Garden for just the second time since he was traded by the Knicks to the Oklahoma City Thunder in September 2017, led the Trail Blazers with 26 points - his most since he scored 28 for the Houston Rockets against the Brooklyn Nets on November 2, 2018.
The New York native, who played in his hometown for six-plus seasons, received a warm ovation when he was introduced prior to the game. Fans chanted his name as well in the latter stages of the fourth quarter.
Hassan Whiteside (17 points, 12 rebounds) and Damian Lillard (11 points, 10 rebounds) each had a double-double for the Trail Blazers. CJ McCollum scored 17 points.
DJ Augustin scored a season-high 25 points off the bench and added nine assists as the visiting Orlando Magic recorded a 122-101 victory over the Washington Wizards.
Augustin's point total eclipsed the 24 he scored in Orlando's 127-120 victory at Washington on December 3.
Nikola Vucevic collected 20 points and 12 rebounds for his 14th double-double of the season for the Magic, who defeated the Wizards for the third time in as many contests in 2019-20. Orlando also recorded a 125-121 home victory over Washington on November 17.
Orlando's Evan Fournier scored 18 points, and Maryland native Markelle Fultz added 16 and eight assists while playing with his mom and sister in attendance.
Washington shooting guard Bradley Beal scored 20 of his 27 points in the first half in his return from a two-game absence caused by soreness in his lower right leg. Jordan McRae added 15 points off the bench for the Wizards, who have lost 13 of their past 17 games.
Orlando forward Jonathan Isaac was removed from the floor on a stretcher after sustaining a hyperextended left knee early in the first quarter. Isaac was holding his left knee after making contact with Beal on a drive to the basket. The Magic announced that Isaac would undergo an MRI on Thursday upon the team's return to Orlando and then be re-evaluated.
The Magic composed themselves after the injury and led 62-58 at half-time before giving themselves some breathing room by scoring 17 of the first 24 points in the third quarter.
Augustin scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and added a three-pointer to push the Magic's lead to 108-88 with 7:52 remaining. The visitors weren't seriously threatened from there.
