LeBron James outduels Anthony Davis to lead Los Angeles Lakers to victory over New Orleans Pelicans
Wade sinks Warriors with miracle buzzer-beater; Bucks outlast Kings in overtime; Lillard stars as Blazers win fourth straight road game
Thursday 28 February 2019 08:25, UK
LeBron James scored 33 points and handed out 10 assists to outduel Anthony Davis and lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 125-119 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
New Orleans Pelicans 119-125 Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James had 33 points and 10 assists as the host Los Angeles Lakers held off the New Orleans Pelicans 125-119 on Wednesday night.
It was the first time James and Anthony Davis faced each other since Davis demanded a trade from New Orleans late last month with the Lakers reportedly being his top choice for a new team.
Davis, who sat out the Pelicans' 128-115 victory against Los Angeles last Saturday in New Orleans, had 22 points in 21 minutes.
Brandon Ingram scored 23 points, Kyle Kuzma added 22, Reggie Bullock had 14, former Pelican Rajon Rondo had 11 points and 16 rebounds and JaVale McGee scored 10 as Los Angeles won for the second time in six games.
Former Laker Julius Randle led the Pelicans with 35 points, Jrue Holiday added 19 points and 10 assists, Frank Jackson had 15 points and Darius Miller 11.
The Lakers led by six points at halftime, but the Pelicans started the third quarter with a 17-6 run to take a 74-69 lead.
James made two 3-pointers and Lance Stephenson made one as the Lakers built a 90-82 lead. New Orleans regained the lead at 92-91 before Los Angeles scored the final four points of the third quarter.
McGee scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to start a 9-0 run that gave the Lakers a 104-92 lead. New Orleans pulled within three points on three occasions and Los Angeles answered each time before Miller's three-pointer pulled the Pelicans within a point with 1:38 left.
Ingram answered with a jumper and James made a triple to give the Lakers a decisive 123-117 lead with 31 seconds remaining.
Milwaukee Bucks 141-140 Sacramento Kings (OT)
Eric Bledsoe opened overtime with a three-point basket and Nikola Mirotic added another two minutes later, allowing the visiting Milwaukee Bucks to pull away from the Sacramento Kings en route to a 141-140 victory.
The Bucks were able to post their 12th win in 13 games despite limiting star Giannis Antetokounmpo to 24 minutes, during which he scored 17 points. Antetokounmpo sat out the opener of Milwaukee's five-game road trip at Chicago on Monday due to a sore right knee.
Bledsoe paced the Bucks with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists for the fifth triple-double of his career. Sacramento's Buddy Hield led all scorers with 32 points.
The Kings played the fourth quarter and overtime without rookie standout Marvin Bagley III, who injured his left knee in the final minute of the third period.
Bledsoe recorded five points in the extra session, with his lay-up with 2:23 remaining giving the Bucks a 134-128 lead.
The Kings didn't go away quietly, however, with Hield connecting from 18 feet before Bogdan Bogdanovic bombed in a 3-pointer to close the gap to one with 1:12 to play.
The Kings had a chance to take the lead, but Brook Lopez blocked a short shot by Bogdanovic, and Malcolm Brogdon nailed a three-pointer on Milwaukee's next possession, allowing the Bucks to escape with the win.
Brogdon had 25 points while Mirotic and Khris Middleton added 21 apiece for the Bucks. Lopez blocked six shots. Harrison Barnes logged 15 points and 14 rebound for Sacramento, while Bogdanovic had 28 points, Harry Giles III 18, De'Aaron Fox 17 and Willie Cauley-Stein 10.
Houston Rockets 118-113 Charlotte Hornets
James Harden scored 30 points and Clint Capela had 23 points and 17 rebounds as the Houston Rockets won their third straight with a 118-113 victory over the host Charlotte Hornets.
The Rockets let a 15-point first-half lead slip away completely and had to come from 12 down in the second half. They ultimately seized control with a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter and closed out the game with two free throws by Harden with 14.6 seconds remaining.
Harden started a new streak after his near-record run of 32 straight games with 30 points or more came to an end in a win over Atlanta on Monday. He struggled with his shooting, going 10-of-29 from the field and 1-of-11 from three-point range, but he made key plays down the stretch.
Chris Paul added 17 points and 10 assists for the Rockets, and PJ Tucker scored 15.
The Hornets, who lost for the fifth time in their last six games, were led by Kemba Walker with 35. But Walker scored just eight in the second half and missed two big 3-point attempts in the last two minutes, including one with 16 seconds left that could have tied the game before Harden's final two free throws.
Golden State Warriors 125-126 Miami Heat
Dwyane Wade banked in a miracle shot - a three-pointer at the buzzer off of one leg - as the host Miami Heat shocked two-time defending NBA champions the Golden State Warriors 126-125.
For Miami, Goran Dragic had 27 points, Wade finished with 25 points and Josh Richardson scored 21.
Klay Thompson led Golden State with 36 points, Kevin Durant had 29 and Stephen Curry added 24.
The Heat snapped their six-game home losing streak two nights after losing to the team with the worst record in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns.
Thompson's 21 first-half points kept Golden State at least within range for their explosive offense. Sure enough, the Warriors cut their deficit to 100-92 after three quarters. Curry had 10 points in the third quarter, and Durant added eight.
The Warriors finally caught the Heat at 109-all on a Durant fall-away jumper with 5:09 left in the fourth quarter.
Golden State then led 124-120 with 18 seconds left, but Wade made two three-pointers in the final 15 seconds, including the game-winner that Heat fans will remember for a long time.
Portland Trail Blazers 97-92 Boston Celtics
Damian Lillard scored 33 points and Maurice Harkless added 17 as the Portland Trail Blazers continued to cruise through their East Coast road trip with a 97-92 victory against the Boston Celtics.
Jusuf Nurkic added 16 points as the Trail Blazers improved to 4-0 on their seven-game trip. It was their fifth consecutive victory overall and it came one day after eight Portland players were trapped in an elevator for 30 minutes while at practice at nearby Emerson College.
Kyrie Irving scored 31 points for the Celtics, who lost for the fourth consecutive time, all since the All-Star break. Irving's scoring outburst came after he scored just seven points in a loss at Toronto on Tuesday.
After a first half that was short on offense, the Trail Blazers took a 43-42 lead into the break. The Trail Blazers started to distance themselves in the third quarter, outscoring the Celtics 31-22 to take a 74-64
The Celtics cut the deficit to 76-74 on a Jaylen Brown floating jumper just over three minutes into the final quarter. Holding a 87-81 lead with just under four minutes to play, the Trail Blazers scored the next six points and held off the Celtics from there.
Indiana Pacers 101-110 Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks got another impressive outing from their fearless rookie guard - not Luka Doncic, but second-round pick Jalen Brunson.
Brunson, one of the quiet surprises in the league this season, drilled a clinching three-pointer with 1:03 to play as the Mavericks beat the visiting Indiana Pacers 110-101.
Brunson finished with a career-best 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting and he added five assists and three steals.
That other Dallas rookie, Doncic, also delivered another special performance with 26 points, including a deep three-pointer with 2:02 to go for a 103-96 lead. He followed it up with four more points down the stretch to help Dallas snap a five-game losing streak.
Bojan Bogdanovic led Indiana with 22 points but managed just four points in the fourth quarter. Wesley Matthews, in his return to Dallas since being traded prior to the deadline, contributed 20 points, including two late three-pointers to give the Pacers a shot to pull it out.
Dallas-area native Myles Turner, who has averaged 19.2 points against the Mavs, his highest average against any opponent in his career, was limited to 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting. He was a non-factor on the boards with five rebounds.
Los Angeles Clippers 105-111 Utah Jazz
Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points while Rudy Gobert added 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz to a 111-105 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Salt Lake City.
Derrick Favors and Ricky Rubio added 13 points apiece for the Jazz, and Favors grabbed 11 rebounds. Utah won their fourth straight home game after overcoming early shooting struggles.
Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari scored 18 points apiece to lead the Clippers. Montrezl Harrell added 16 for Los Angeles, and Patrick Beverley had 12 points and 10 boards.
Utah won the season series, taking a 2-0 lead with one meeting left, to earn a potential playoff tie-breaker over the Clippers.
After trading leads with the Clippers late into the fourth quarter, Utah used a 10-2 run to pull ahead for good. Joe Ingles bookended the run with a pair of baskets and put the Jazz up 103-96 with 2:53 left.
Los Angeles trimmed it to 109-105 on a pair of free throws from Gallinari with 39.4 seconds left. Williams missed a three-pointer that would have cut the deficit to one, and Mitchell hit a pair of free throws to secure the win.
Minnesota Timberwolves 123-131 Atlanta Hawks (OT)
Rookie Trae Young matched a career high by scoring 36 points for the second straight game as the host Atlanta Hawks rallied to a 131-123 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
John Collins had 34 points on 13-for-21 shooting from the floor for the Hawks, who avenged squandering a 22-point lead in a 123-120 overtime loss to Minnesota on December 28. Young also scored 36 in Monday's 119-111 loss at Houston on Monday.
Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 37 points on 12-for-19 shooting from the field and added 17 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who fell to 9-22 on the road this season after dropping the opener of the three-game trek.
Andrew Wiggins had 21 points, Derrick Rose had 18 and former Georgia Tech star Josh Okogie chipped in with 15 while playing in front of family and friends in attendance.
Atlanta erased a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter and nearly won the game on a last-second shot from Young, but officials deemed the ball was released prior to the clock expiring.
The Hawks continued their momentum as Vince Carter drained an open three-point shot and DeAndre' Bembry added a jumper and lay-up to take a 125-118 lead in overtime.
Towns answered with a dunk and three-pointer, but Bembry countered with a jumper before Atlanta made its free throws to seal the win.
Detroit Pistons 93-105 San Antonio Spurs
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 points to lead six team-mates in double-figure scoring as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the visiting Detroit Pistons 105-93 to snap a three-game losing streak.
San Antonio led by just 88-86 with less than five minutes to play but reasserted themselves with an 11-2 run that was capped by a bucket by Aldridge with 3:09 remaining.
Detroit answered with a 5-0 run that cut the Spurs' advantage to 99-93 before jumpers from Derrick White and Aldridge stretched the lead back to double digits with 1:24 to go and made the game safe.
DeMar DeRozan and Marco Belinelli added 17 points each for the Spurs, who won for just the second time in their past nine games. White hit for 15 points, and Jakob Poeltl and Patty Mills scored 11 points for San Antonio.
Reggie Jackson led the Pistons with 22 points, while Blake Griffin added 17 points, Wayne Ellington and Langston Galloway scored 11 points each, and Andre Drummond hit for 10 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for Detroit.
Washington Wizards 125-116 Brooklyn Nets
Bradley Beal scored 31 points as the Washington Wizards overcame a sluggish start in the opening minutes and rolled to a 125-116 victory over the host Brooklyn Nets.
The Wizards snapped a four-game losing streak and won for the fourth time in their last 13 games. They allowed the game's first 10 points but wound up leading for the final 38:20.
Trevor Ariza added 14 of his 23 in the third quarter when Washington outscored the Nets by a 33-19 margin. Ariza scored nine straight points for Washington, including eight points in the decisive 14-0 run that blew the game open.
Thomas Bryant added 18 for Washington, Jabari Parker hauled in 14 rebounds, Bobby Portis collected 12 boards and Ariza contributed 10 rebounds as the Wizards finished with a commanding 57-41 rebounding advantage.
Green contributed 15 points while Tomas Satoransky handed out 10 of Washington's 34 assists.
D'Angelo Russell scored 28 points and seven assists for the Nets. Reserve Shabazz Napier added 22 points while Jarrett Allen (12 points) was the only other Brooklyn starter in double figures.
Chicago Bulls 109-107 Memphis Grizzlies
Zach LaVine scored 30 points on 12-for-19 shooting to help the Chicago Bulls post a 109-107 victory over the host Memphis Grizzlies.
Lauri Markkanen contributed 22 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth straight double-double and 10th consecutive 20-point outing as the Bulls won for the fourth time in five games.
Otto Porter Jr scored 20 points, Ryan Arcidiacono added 12 and Shaquille Harrison had 10 for Chicago. Robin Lopez blocked five shots and Wayne Selden had a career-best four steals for the Bulls, who shot 47.6 per cent from the field and made 8-of-24 three-point attempts.
Avery Bradley recorded 23 points and seven assists and Mike Conley scored 21 despite a 7-for-21 shooting effort for the Grizzlies. Justin Holiday and Jonas Valanciunas scored 13 points apiece and Joakim Noah added 12 points and nine rebounds.
Markkanen split two free throws with 17.4 seconds to play to give Chicago a 106-102 edge. After a Memphis turnover, Porter split two free throws to make it a five-point lead with 13.4 seconds left as the Bulls closed it out.
