Kawhi Leonard leads Los Angeles Clippers rout of Golden State Warriors with 28; Chris Finch wins first game with Minnesota Timberwolves against New Orleans Pelicans; De'Aaron Fox drops 30 for Sacramento Kings on Houston Rockets who lose 14th straight
Friday 12 March 2021 08:26, UK
Devin Booker had 35 points and Chris Paul added 19 as the Phoenix Suns rallied for a 127-121 victory over the host Portland Trail Blazers, opening the season's second half by extending their winning streak to five games.
Mikal Bridges had 18 points while Jae Crowder and Cameron Payne added 13 points each as the Suns first erased a 13-point deficit in the second quarter, then overcame multiple 11-point deficits in the third.
Forced to miss Sunday's All-Star Game at Atlanta because of a left knee sprain, Booker looked fit Thursday, going 12 of 21 from the field and 3 of 5 from three-point range.
All-Star Damian Lillard had 30 points for the Trail Blazers while Enes Kanter had 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The Suns improved to 13-5 away from home, matching the Los Angeles Lakers for best road record in the NBA.
Paul, who also was an All-Star, added seven assists for the Suns while Booker had eight. Deandre Ayton and Dario Saric had 11 points each for Phoenix.
Gary Trent Jr. had 17 points for Portland while Robert Covington and Carmelo Anthony each added 13. Lillard had eight assists for the Trail Blazers.
Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points on 10-for-17 shooting, and the Los Angeles Clippers cruised to a 130-104 win over the visiting Golden State Warriors.
Paul George finished with 17 points for Los Angeles, which snapped a three-game losing streak in its return from the NBA All-Star break. Serge Ibaka added 16 points and 14 boards.
Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 15 points apiece for Golden State, which looked rusty following a weeklong layoff. Stephen Curry had 14 points on 6-for-16 shooting, including 1-for-8 from three-point range, as the Warriors dropped their season-high fourth game in a row.
The Clippers carried a whopping 104-68 lead into the start of the fourth quarter.
About the only thing that went wrong for the Clippers was the early exit of veteran guard Patrick Beverley, who left in the first half because of knee soreness and did not return.
De'Aaron Fox scored a game-high 30 points and played a critical role in a decisive second-quarter run that spurred the Sacramento Kings to a 125-105 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets.
The Rockets dropped their 14th consecutive game while the Kings improved to 3-2 in their past five immediately following a nine-game losing streak.
All five starters scored in double figures for the Kings, with Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes chipping in 20 points and 11 rebounds apiece. Buddy Hield scored 20 points while draining five three-pointers, Bagley scored 11 and Cory Joseph contributed 13 off the bench while adding five steals.
The Rockets were again forced to play with a makeshift line-up. Victor Oladipo led Houston with 23 points and added nine assists, but he shot just 7 of 21 from the floor. Eric Gordon added 17 points - all in the first half - before departing in the third quarter with a groin injury.
Houston opened the game without Christian Wood (ankle), John Wall (knee), Danuel House Jr. (knee) and David Nwaba (wrist) prior to losing Gordon. Forward P.J. Tucker was a healthy scratch after head coach Stephen Silas confirmed the player would be leaving the team with the trading deadline just two weeks away.
Kevin Porter Jr. made his Rockets debut and finished with 13 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and three steals. However, with their depth compromised, the Rockets had Porter, Kenyon Martin Jr. and Anthony Lamb, all recent recalls from their G League affiliate, on the court simultaneously.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points on 11-for-22 shooting and added six assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 116-108 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks.
Gilgeous-Alexander registered his second consecutive 30-point game and his eighth of the season.
Al Horford scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds to help the Thunder begin their second-half schedule with a second consecutive victory.
Dallas had its four-game winning streak snapped, but played without Luka Doncic (right ankle) and Kristaps Porzingis (right knee) as both rested on the second night of back-to-back games.
Josh Richardson led the Mavericks with 27 points and six assists while Jalen Brunson, who made his eighth start of the season, finished with 26 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had 24 points and six rebounds off Dallas' bench, and Maxi Kleber added 14 points.
George Hill (right thumb), Hamidou Diallo (right groin), Darius Bazley (left shoulder) and Josh Hall (left knee) were out for the Thunder.
Jaylen Nowell scored 28 points and Anthony Edwards added 27 points as the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves ended a nine-game losing streak by routing the New Orleans Pelicans 135-105.
The Timberwolves won their first game in six tries under new coach Chris Finch, a one-time New Orleans assistant who was hired from Toronto's staff when Ryan Saunders was fired last month. Minnesota, which has the worst record in the NBA, won for just the eighth time and improved to 2-0 against the Pelicans.
Jaden McDaniels scored 20, Karl-Anthony Towns had 16, Naz Reid had 15 and Jake Layman 12.
Zion Williamson scored 24 points, Steven Adams had 13 points and 12 rebounds, Brandon Ingram scored 13, Jaxson Hayes and Kira Lewis Jr. added 11 each and Lonzo Ball and Nickeil Alexander-Walker 10 each to lead New Orleans.
