Kevin Durant and James Harden lead Nets past Bucks; Warriors overcome 19-point deficit against Lakers; Grizzlies beat Suns for fifth straight win; Victor Oladipo shines on debut in Rockets loss as NBA celebrates Martin Luther King Jr Day.
Tuesday 19 January 2021 08:18, UK
Kevin Durant's late three-pointer let the Brooklyn Nets past the Milwaukee Bucks, the Golden State Warriors came from 19 points down to beat the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies toppled the Phoenix Suns for their fifth straight win as the NBA celebrated Martin Luther King Jr Day.
Victor Oladipo flourished on his debut for the Houston Rockets in their loss to the Chicago Bulls and the Toronto Raptors extended their winning streak to three with victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Elsewhere, LaMarcus Aldridge top-scored for the San Antonio Spurs as they beat the Portland Trail Blazers, De'Andre Hunter led the Atlanta Hawks past the Minnesota Timberwolves, Bam Adebayo starred for the Miami Heat against the Detroit Pistons and Julius Randle helped the New York Knicks overcome the Orlando Magic.
Stephen Curry bombed in Golden State's final points on a three-pointer with 1:07 remaining and the Warriors forced LeBron James into an errant three-pointer at the horn to complete a shock 115-113 victory over the Lakers on Monday night.
Curry finished with 26 points, the last three giving Golden State a 115-110 lead. James countered with two free throws with 51.2 seconds left and Los Angeles' Dennis Schroder made one 21 seconds later to slice the deficit to two.
The Lakers had one final possession with 11.3 seconds left following Curry's missed jumper, but James could do no better than get an off-balance 28-footer that missed the mark, ending the Lakers' five-game winning streak.
After trailing by as many as 19 points in the first quarter, the Warriors clawed back into contention, but the Lakers retained a 106-97 advantage with 5:52 to go. Brad Wanamaker then ignited what turned into a 15-2 run with consecutive hoops to get the visitors within 106-101.
Schroder hit two free throws to open the gap to seven before Curry took over, scoring five consecutive points to get Golden State within 108-106 with 3:13 to play.
Kelly Oubre Jr got the Warriors even for the first time since the first quarter at the 3:10 mark, after which Draymond Green, who had totaled just three points to that point, hit consecutive interior shots for a 112-108 advantage with 1:39 to go.
Oubre had 23 points, Eric Paschall 19 and Andrew Wiggins 18 to back Curry for the Warriors. Green complemented seven points with team-highs in rebounds (eight) and assists (nine) for the Warriors, who snapped a two-game losing streak.
Schroder had 25 points to pace the Lakers, who are 7-0 on the road this season but just 4-4 at home. James finished with 19 points, Anthony Davis and Montrezl Harris 17 apiece and Kyle Kuzma 15 for the Lakers, who shot just nine-for-29 on three-point attempts and were outscored 36-27 from beyond the arc.
James Harden collected 34 points and 12 assists and Durant added 30, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 36.8 seconds left as the Nets outlasted the Bucks for a 125-123 victory.
Harden, who also had four rebounds, became the first Net to get a 30-point game in his first two games with the team, shooting 13-of-25 from the floor and scoring 13 points in the final 12 minutes when the lead changed hands 10 times.
His biggest rebound occurred with 38 seconds left when he missed a three-pointer before pouncing on the offensive board. He quickly found Durant, who calmly knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key to give Brooklyn the lead for good at 125-123, securing the Nets' fourth straight win.
Milwaukee had a chance to regain the lead but Khris Middleton missed a three-pointer with 29.2 seconds remaining. After a turnover by Durant with 5.5 seconds left, Milwaukee called a timeout but the game ended when Middleton missed a left corner three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left while being closely guarded by Bruce Brown.
Durant surpassed 30 points for the fourth time in five games since returning from missing three games due to health and safety protocols. Joe Harris added 20 and hit five three-pointers as Brooklyn shot 54.8 per cent and hit 15-of-31 from deep while playing without Kyrie Irving (personal reasons, health and safety protocols) for the seventh straight game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points and 12 rebounds for Milwaukee, who saw their four-game winning streak end, while Middleton had 25 points and Jrue Holiday 22.
Grayson Allen hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:06 remaining and added four clinching free throws in the final seconds as the Grizzlies edged past the Phoenix Suns 108-104 in a nationally televised Martin Luther King Jr Day showcase game.
Allen finished with 16 points, while Ja Morant recorded a 17-point, 10-assist double-double for the Grizzlies, who won their fifth straight. Brandon Clarke tied Morant on 17 points, rookie Xavier Tillman had 12, Jones 11, Desmond Bane 10 and Kyle Anderson 10 points.
Deandre Ayton had a game-high 18 points and 16 rebounds alongside 17 from Mikal Bridges and 16 from Chris Paul, to go with seven assists, for the Suns, who were playing for the first time in a week after having a three-game homestand postponed because of COVID-19 issues.
After a hoop by Devin Booker gave Phoenix a one-point lead with 5:02 remaining, a three-pointer by Cameron Payne and a two-pointer by Mikal Bridges extended the margin to 96-90 with 4:14 left.
But the Grizzlies rallied, eventually drawing even at 98 apiece on a floater by Tyus Jones with 1:42 to go. After Booker misfired on a three-pointer, Allen connected on his 24-footer to give Memphis the lead for good.
Zach LaVine scored a game-high 33 points, Lauri Markkanen added 18 points and five different players drained at least three three-pointers to boost the host Chicago Bulls to a 125-120 win over the Rockets.
Making his team debut after being acquired from Indiana as part of last week's blockbuster trade that sent Harden to Brooklyn, Oladipo paced the Rockets with 32 points.
Houston trailed by as many as 17 in the second quarter before cutting the deficit to three several times down the stretch, the last on a pair of Christian Wood free throws with 1:03 left. The Rockets would come no closer while losing their second straight.
After losing four games in a row by four points or less, the Bulls won for the second time in as many days. Chicago overcame 17 turnovers by shooting 46.7 per cent, including 44.4 per cent (20-for-45) from long range.
Seven players scored in double figures for the Bulls, as Denzel Valentine (13 points, eight rebounds), Thaddeus Young (12 points, nine rebounds) and Wendell Carter Jr (10 points, eight rebounds) each flirted with double-doubles. Garrett Temple scored 13 points and Coby White chipped in 10 for Chicago, while LaVine had seven assists.
Wood had 30 points and nine rebounds for the Rockets, Eric Gordon scored 21 points, and Jae'Sean Tate (11 points) and Mason Jones (10) also finished in double figures. Oladipo added nine assists.
Kyle Lowry scored 23 points, grabbed nine rebounds and handed out seven assists as the Raptors, playing at their temporary home in Tampa, defeated the Mavericks 116-93.
It was the first time this season that the Raptors have won three in a row and it was the third straight loss for the Mavericks, whose coach Rick Carlisle was ejected after picking up two technical fouls with 58 seconds left in the first quarter.
Pascal Siakam added 19 points for the Raptors, playing the third game in a stretch of five in a row at home, Chris Boucher added 21 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, Norman Powell scored 17 points and OG Anunoby had 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 23 points and pulled down nine rebounds for the Mavericks in the opener of a three-game trip. Luka Doncic added 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, Trey Burke had 17 points, James Johnson had 15 points and Jalen Brunson scored 13 points.
Toronto took a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter and used a 9-0 run to lead by 16 points with 9:13 to play. Fred VanVleet's three-pointer with 5:27 remaining stretched the lead to 21 points.
Patty Mills and Rudy Gay combined for 42 points as San Antonio's bench dominated in the late third and early fourth quarters to lead the Spurs to a 125-104 win over the Blazers.
The Spurs led by five points heading to the final period but ran off to a 108-91 lead with 6:33 to play on the strength of 11 points by Gay and six by Mills. Portland never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way despite nine fourth-quarter points by Damian Lillard.
LaMarcus Aldridge led San Antonio with 22 points but never saw the court in the final period as Mills and Gay, who scored 21 points each, keyed the rout.
DeMar DeRozan added 20 points and 11 assists, Jakob Poeltl scored 11 points, Keldon Johnson hit for 10 points, and Dejounte Murray had 11 assists for the Spurs, who won their second straight game and third of their past four outings.
San Antonio's bench outscored the Trail Blazers' reserves 59-25. Lillard led all scorers with 35 points, while Rodney Hood, who entered the game averaging 1.6 points per game, added 21, and Carmelo Anthony chipped in 14 for Portland, who have lost two of their past three games after a four-game win streak.
CJ McCollum missed the game with a sprained left foot suffered in the Trail Blazers' win over Atlanta on Saturday; there is no timetable for his return to action.
San Antonio led 59-54 at the break after shooting 58.1 per cent over the first 24 minutes and dishing out 19 assists, before entering the final quarter up 87-82.
Bam Adebayo produced his fifth double-double of the season with 28 points and 11 rebounds, helping the short-handed Heat rally to a 113-107 win over the Pistons.
Adebayo, who also had five assists, scored 13 of his points in the fourth quarter and made 10-of-11 from the foul line for the game.
Miami, who trailed by as many as 19 points in the first quarter, were without four key players in Jimmy Butler and Avery Bradley (both due to COVID protocol) as well as Tyler Herro (neck) and Meyers Leonard (shoulder).
Jerami Grant led Detroit with 27 points, marking the 12th consecutive game in which he has scored at least 20 points, Wayne Ellington, a former Heat player, added 24 points after making 7-of-11 three-pointers and Derrick Rose had 21 points.
Back-up point guard Goran Dragic, who made his first start of the season, scored 22 points, including a key bank shot with 46 seconds left, Duncan Robinson added 18 points and Kendrick Nunn had 18 points for the Heat, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
After trailing 61-55 at the half, Miami entered the fourth with a 88-80 advantage before Dragic's bank shot gave Miami a 110-105 lead. Adebayo then blocked Grant's shot on a drive with 31 seconds left as the Heat held on.
De'Andre Hunter scored a season-high 25 points and Clint Capela recorded his fourth straight double-double to help the Atlanta Hawks to a 108-97 win over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves.
Hunter had to leave the game momentarily in the first quarter when he cut his right hand, but he returned to go 8-for-15 from the field, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. Capela scored 23 points, two shy of his season-high, and grabbed 15 rebounds, his second straight game with that many boards.
The Hawks, debuting their unique black uniforms with 'MLK' on the front of the jerseys, ended a two-game losing streak having entered the game after losing six of the past seven. Minnesota has lost two in a row and nine of their last 10.
Atlanta's Trae Young, who missed most of the third quarter with foul trouble, added 20 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds. Kevin Huerter added 17 points, eight assists and four steals, and John Collins scored 15 points and blocked a career-high-tying four shots.
Minnesota got 31 points, seven assists and four steals from D'Angelo Russell, who sank six three-pointers, and 15 points from Malik Beasley. The Timberwolves were without Karl-Anthony Towns, Juancho Hernangomez and Ricky Rubio due to COVID-19 issues.
The Timberwolves scored the first seven points of the third quarter and tied the game at 58 on a basket by Naz Reid with 10:35 left, but Collins responded with a three-pointer to spark a 17-3 Atlanta run that gave the Hawks a 75-61 lead with 4:30 remaining. Atlanta took a 78-71 advantage into the fourth quarter, and led 83-78 with 5.59 to play on a Hunter three-pointer before holding on as Minnesota cut the deficit to six points on three occasions only to come up short.
Randle hit the tie-breaking lay-up with 56.8 seconds left as the host Knicks posted a rare back-to-back sweep by beating the Magic 91-84.
The Knicks, who beat the Boston Celtics on Sunday, won on successive days for the first time since October 29-30, 2017, when they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Denver Nuggets. New York played 40 back-to-back sets in between sweeps.
Randle (21 points, 17 rebounds) and RJ Barrett (22 points, 10 rebounds) each had double-doubles for the second straight game. Reggie Bullock scored 13 points, Elfrid Payton added 12 points and Immanuel Quickley added 11 points off the bench.
Nikola Vucevic had 24 points and 14 rebounds and Aaron Gordon (18 points, 17 rebounds, nine assists) just missed a triple-double, while Terrence Ross has 19 points off the bench for the Magic, who have lost six straight since Markelle Fultz suffered a season-ending knee injury.
The Knicks led for almost 40 consecutive minutes but squandered a 14-point fourth-quarter advantage before mounting their late run.
Ross and Vucevic had seven points apiece and Gordon scored five in a 19-5 run by the Magic that ended with Gordon sinking the three-pointer that evened the score at 73-73 with 5:50 left. Ross' three-pointer tied the game again at 78-78 with 3:39 remaining before the Magic squandered two chances to take the lead.
Khem Birch then won a jump ball to set up a frantic sequence in which Ross drained an off-balance three-pointer as the shot clock expired to give Orlando an 81-80 lead, their first since 9-6 - with 1:41 left. But a Randle free throw and a go-ahead lay-up either side of Ross' missed three-pointer helped the Knicks regain control, until they iced the game by going 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 27.1 seconds.
