Lebron James' triple-double leads LA Lakers to fifth consecutive win
Kawhi hits 30 as Clippers beat Jazz; Short-handed Pacers overcome Bulls; Heat rout Rockets; Doncic hits another triple-double as Mavs defeat Cavs
Monday 4 November 2019 10:35, UK
LeBron James produced his second straight triple-double as the visiting Los Angeles Lakers defeated the San Antonio Spurs 103-96 to win their fifth straight game.
LA Lakers 103-96 San Antonio Spurs
LeBron James produced his second straight triple-double, and Anthony Davis scored 25 points and took 11 rebounds as the visiting Los Angeles Lakers defeated the San Antonio Spurs 103-96 on Sunday to win their fifth straight game.
James finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. The Lakers went the entire 2018-19 season, James' first with the team, without winning five straight games, but after losing to the Clippers on opening night they have been in imperious form.
Dejounte Murray single-handedly kept the Spurs in the game, scoring 16 straight San Antonio points over a seven-and-a-half minute stretch of the fourth quarter. His layup with 4:10 to play - the 13th and 14th of those 16 points - tied the game at 90. But the Lakers responded with a 9-2 run over the following two minutes to hold off the Spurs and emerge with the victory.
Avery Bradley added 16 points for Los Angeles (5-1), while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dwight Howard had 14 points each. Howard, enjoying somewhat of a career renaissance right now, also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
Murray led the Spurs with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Rudy Gay and Derrick White added 16 and 12 points, respectively, off the bench, with DeMar DeRozan scoring 14 points and Bryn Forbes hitting for 12 for San Antonio. The Spurs lost at home for the first time in four games this season.
They drop to 4-2 ahead of a trip to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night, the same night as the Lakers travel to the Bulls.
Utah Jazz 94-105 LA Clippers
Kawhi Leonard shook off a slow start and scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half to spark the host Los Angeles Clippers to a 105-94 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday night.
Leonard made just 9 of 26 shots from the floor and only 2-of-8 from beyond the arc, but scored 18 points in the fourth quarter and his solid performance in the second half lifted Los Angeles.
Backup big man Montrezl Harrell scored 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds, including six offensive boards, for the Clippers (5-2) and bench partner Lou Williams added 17 points, while Ivica Zubac chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds.
Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz (4-3) with 36 points. Bojan Bogdanovic finished with 19 points. Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Two free throws by Mitchell cut the Clippers' lead to 91-90 with 2:58 remaining. But a three-pointer by JaMychal Green, who had 12 points, four free throws by Leonard and two more by Harrell allowed the Clippers to clinch the win.
The Clippers outrebounded the Jazz 54-37, including 18-6 on the offensive end, and that proved key to the victory as neither team shot well, with the Jazz connecting on 39.7 per cent of their shots compared to 39.1 for the Clippers.
The Jazz played without reserve guard Emmanuel Mudiay, who had tightness in his left hamstring. Center-forward Ed Davis also missed the game after sustaining a fractured left fibula in the team's loss to the Sacramento Kings on Friday. Davis is expected to miss at least a month.
Next up, the Clippers play Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks at Staples Center on Wednesday night, while the Jazz also have a tough assignment on their home floor at home to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Chicago Bulls 95-108 Indiana Pacers
TJ Warren scored a game-high 26 points and TJ Leaf posted a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Chicago Bulls 108-95 on Sunday night in Indianapolis.
Malcolm Brogdon added 22 points and Jeremy Lamb chipped in 11 to help Indiana to its third straight victory. Playing with a lineup missing numerous leaders due to injury - including Victor Oladipo, Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis - the Pacers shot 40-for-85 (47.1 per cent) and maintained control for much of the night.
Despite enjoying a size advantage, Chicago struggled to capitalise inside, only attempting six free throws in the first half. While the Bulls made an adjustment after the break, a poor showing from the line kept them from challenging Indiana down the stretch. Chicago made just 14 of 25 free throws (56.0 per cent) while the Pacers won the rebounding battle 49-43.
Wendell Carter Jr. netted a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago, while Zach LaVine (21 points), Thaddeus Young (12) and Lauri Markkanen (11) also scored in double figures.
The Bulls, who committed 18 turnovers, have allowed 100 points or more in each of their seven games this season, while Indiana has reached triple digits in four of six contests.
After playing five of their first seven games on the road, the Bulls are set to play three of their next four at home, beginning with Tuesday's visit from the Los Angeles Lakers, while Indiana is slated to visit the Charlotte Hornets, also on Tuesday.
Houston Rockets 100-129 Miami Heat
The Miami Heat scored a franchise-record 46 first-quarter points and routed the Houston Rockets 129-100 on Sunday night in Miami.
The Heat led by as many as 41 points in the first half. Miami's 5-1 start is its best since it last won an NBA title in the 2012-2013 season.
Jimmy Butler, Miami's biggest offseason acquisition, had one of the game's best stat lines with 18 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals.
The Heat, who never trailed in the game, also got a team-high 23 points from Duncan Robinson and 21 points from Meyers Leonard.
Rockets shooting guard James Harden, who led the NBA in scoring in each of the past two years, had a game-high 29 points in just 26 minutes. He made 6-of-14 shots, including 3-of-9 from long range.
Houston point guard Russell Westbrook, an eight-time All-Star and the NBA's MVP in 2017, was held to 10 points on 3-for-11 shooting. Westbrook played 26 minutes and made just 1-for-6 three-point shots. In fact, his only successful three-pointer was a half-court shot just before the third-quarter buzzer.
Harden scored 16 second-quarter points as Houston cut its deficit to 71-46 at halftime. But Miami built its lead back up to 99-71 after three quarters and coasted from there.
The Heat will next visit the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, while Houston are at the Memphis Grizzlies on the end of a back-to-back on Monday night before facing the Golden State Warriors later in the week.
Live NBA: Golden State @ Houston
Dallas Mavericks 131-111 Cleveland Cavaliers
Luka Doncic recorded his second consecutive triple-double and contributed seven points to a key run late in the third quarter as the Dallas Mavericks broke free from the host Cleveland Cavaliers for a 131-111 victory on Sunday night.
Doncic finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 15 assists for the Mavericks, who trailed 73-69 with 4:52 remaining in the third period before dominating the rest of the game.
The 15 assists equalled a career-best, set Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers when he went for 31 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists.
Dallas took charge with a 17-3 burst that turned the four-point deficit into an 86-76 lead. Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr and Dorian Finney-Smith bombed in three-pointers to pull away.
Seeking to avoid their first losing streak of the season, the Cavaliers clung within 90-86 entering the fourth quarter. But Hardaway hit a two-pointer and Kristaps Porzingis a three to open the final period and immediately extend the margin to nine, after which Cleveland got no closer than seven.
Porzingis chipped in with 18 points, Jalen Brunson 14, Seth Curry 13, Boban Marjanovic and Hardaway 12 apiece, and Finney-Smith 10 for the Mavericks, who have alternated wins and losses in their last five games.
Kevin Love had a team-high 29 points, while Tristan Thompson added an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double for Cleveland, which led by as many as eight in the first quarter.
Jordan Clarkson totalled 17 points, and Cedi Osman, Collin Sexton and Brandon Knight had 10 apiece for the Cavaliers.
Next up, the Cavs (2-4) are at home to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night, while the Mavericks host the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Sacramento Kings 113-92 New York Knicks
De'Aaron Fox scored 24 points and the visiting Sacramento Kings cruised to a 113-92 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday night.
Fox made 8-of-18 shots and posted his fourth 20-point game of the season while also adding six assists. He capped his big night with a breakaway windmill dunk with 3:22 remaining and a deflected no-look pass for a three-pointer by Harrison Barnes a little over a minute later.
Buddy Hield added 22, hitting five three-pointers as the Kings shot 48.2 per cent and made 15 threes. Barnes, who hit the game-winning shot Friday against Utah, contributed 19 while Richaun Holmes and Nemanja Bjelica chipped in 14 and 10 respectively.
New York's Marcus Morris led all scorers for the Knickers with 28 points and rookie RJ Barrett put in another good offensive display and added 22. New York's other three starters (Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, and Frank Ntilikina) combined for just 12 points as the Knicks shot 40 per cent and were a dreadful 20-of-31 from the foul line.
The Kings improved to 2-5 and won their second straight game after starting off with five straight losses. They beat the Knicks for the fourth straight time and led from early in the first quarter.
New York dropped to 1-6 and lost its third straight since Monday's comeback win over Chicago. This was the Knicks' most lopsided loss of the season and by early in the third quarter fans could be heard chanting for coach David Fizdale to be fired.
Sacramento held a 90-64 lead going into the fourth after Cory Joseph hit a short jumper right before the buzzer and the visitors never let the lead slip below 16 the rest of the way.
The Knicks will now travel to Detroit on Wednesday, while the Kings head north to face the Toronto Raptors.
