Davis, Howard and James star as Lakers beat Hornets; Lillard's late heroics help Blazers down Mavs; Crowder hits overtime game-winner for Grizzlies
Monday 28 October 2019 09:39, UK
Oklahoma City routed the Golden State Warriors 120-92 on Sunday for their first victory of the season in a win which matched the Thunder's largest winning margin over them since the franchise moved from Seattle over a decade ago.
Dennis Schroder scored 22 points to help Oklahoma City rout the Golden State Warriors 120-92 on Sunday for their first victory of the season in a blowout which matched the Thunder's largest winning margin over them since the franchise moved from Seattle before the 2008-09 season.
It was a long-awaited ray of hope for fans who have been looking for something to cling to after the Thunder traded away longtime star Russell Westbrook for Chris Paul in the offseason.
The Warriors, who had 12 turnovers in the first half alone, still have a lot to figure out. Stephen Curry scored 23 points on Sunday, making 7 of 18 shots while his teammates made just 23 of 74. Golden State was coming off a season-opening home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Kevin Durant left the Warriors for Brooklyn in the offseason and Klay Thompson is likely out for the season with a torn left ACL. Still, Golden State expected to be more competitive early in the season.
Oklahoma City roared out to a 70-37 halftime lead, the visitors' worst half time deficit since March 1997.
The Thunder shot 56.5 per cent before the break while holding the Warriors to 27.5 per cent. Schroder had 16 points and six rebounds in the first half.
Curry was called for a technical foul in the third quarter after hitting Thunder guard Terrance Ferguson in the crotch area.
A three-pointer by Danilo Gallinari put the Thunder ahead 95-56 with just over four minutes left in the third quarter and forced a Warriors timeout. Oklahoma City led 105-68 heading into the final period.
Gallinari scored 21 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder.
The Warriors allowed the Thunder to shoot 56 per cent from the field after allowing the Clippers to shoot 63 per cent.
Next up, they face New Orleans on Monday night, while the Thunder will lock horns with Westbrook for the first time against Houston.
Anthony Davis had 29 points and 14 rebounds, and Dwight Howard added 16 points, 10 boards and four blocked shots in the Los Angeles Lakers' 120-101 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night.
LeBron James had 20 points, 12 assists and six rebounds for the Lakers, who took control of their second straight victory with an 18-2 rally starting late in the third quarter.
Davis showed off his world-class skill to his new home fans in the first half, scoring 25 points. James and Howard took charge after the break, with James orchestrating the offense and Howard putting in an impressive all-around performance that drew multiple ovations.
Howard got wild cheers from the same fan base that booed him relentlessly for the past six years after he left the Lakers in free agency. Now back with LA as a reserve center, Howard has already slid back into fans' good graces with his energy, defense and overall effort in the team's first two home games.
James was mostly a facilitator until the fourth quarter, when he scored his 10th point on a layup with 9:57 left. James hasn't been held under 10 points in a regular-season game since Jan. 5, 2007, although it also happened twice in the playoffs in the nearly 13 years since.
Miles Bridges scored 23 points, while Cody Zeller and Terry Rozier added 19 apiece for the Hornets in the opener of a four-game road trip.
Davis was dominant from the start, racking up 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the first quarter while getting around anyone who tried to guard him. But James had a rare scoreless first quarter, and Danny Green went 0 for 7 in the first half.
Davis hit three three-pointers and grabbed six rebounds in his huge first half.
He even persevered after Zeller and Davis accidentally elbowed each other in the face while fighting for a rebound with 2:10 to play. Zeller got a loose ball foul after a long video review, but he was in the Hornets' locker room getting help for a cut.
James didn't score his first points until he hit two free throws 1:40 before halftime, and he got his first field goal with a layup on LA's next possession.
Next up, the Hornets stay in town to face the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night, while the Lakers host the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
Damian Lillard helped the Portland Trail Blazers a few ways on Sunday night - he scored the eventual winning basket and talked his coach into making a replay challenge, all in the closing seconds.
Lillard's twisting layup with 26 seconds remaining proved to be the winner as the Trail Blazers beat the Dallas Mavericks 121-119.
Fellow Blazers guard CJ McCollum had a game-high 35 points while Kristaps Porzingis led Dallas with 32 points.
Lillard scored 26 of his 28 points in the second half, including a basket that gave the Blazers a 120-119 lead. Fellow Blazers guard CJ McCollum had a game-high 35 points while Kristaps Porzingis led Dallas with 32 points.
After Lillard's score, the Mavericks' Luka Doncic missed a three-point attempt and Portland won a challenge off a call that would have sent the Mavericks' Dorian Finney-Smith to the foul line after he'd grabbed a rebound and attempted a shot with eight seconds left.
The foul was called on Lillard. Instead, there was a jump ball.
Lillard had insisted to coach Terry Stotts that he should challenge the call, even though losing it would have cost the Blazers' last timeout.
Dallas still seemed likely to win the jump with 7-foot-3 center Kristaps Porzingis. Portland center Hassan Whiteside had fouled out and 7-footer Zach Collins left the game with an injury.
But Blazers' Kent Bazemore got the ball and was fouled. He made the first of two free throws. Doncic rebounded and passed to Tim Hardaway, whose shot from about midcourt rattled off the front of the rim as time expired.
Portland travel to San Antonio on Monday for the third match of a four-game road trip while the Mavericks have an additional day's rest before heading to Colorado to face Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.
Rookie Ja Morant had the best game of his young career and veteran Jae Crowder hit a game-winning basket to make the Memphis Grizzlies' first victory of the season a memorable one.
Crowder's three-pointer from the top of the key as time expired in overtime lifted the Grizzlies to a 134-133 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night.
The winning shot was possible after Spencer Dinwiddie split a pair of free throws with 7.4 seconds left, Grizzlies reserve Solomon Hill grabbing the rebound when the second shot was missed.
After a Nets foul in the backcourt, Memphis inbounded the ball with 3.7 seconds left. Morant, who led the Grizzlies with 30 points, dribbled behind his back as he crossed half court, then handed out his ninth assist, shuffling a pass to the trailing Crowder for the 28-foot game-winner.
Dillon Brooks scored 21 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Grizzlies. Morant also blocked Kyrie Irving's 17-footer at the end of regulation to keep the score tied at 120-all.
Crowder's winning three-pointer was his second basket of the game, as he finished with six points. His previous three-pointer came with 1:09 left as Memphis took its first lead of overtime at 131-128.
Irving finished with 37 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Nets. Caris LeVert added 27 points, while Dinwiddie had 16 points on 3-for-13 shooting from the field.
Now sitting 1-2, they host the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. The Grizzlies are on the road next, heading to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Tuesday.
Andrew Wiggins has been the face of unfulfilled potential for the Minnesota Timberwolves, beginning his sixth NBA season and starting the second year of his $147m maximum contract.
The Timberwolves haven't come close to giving up on him, though, and Wiggins put on a late-game show in their home opener that provided another reminder of why they're counting on more progress.
Wiggins made four three-pointers and scored 16 of his 25 points in the final six minutes, propelling the undefeated Timberwolves to a 116-109 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday night.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolves (3-0), who matched the second-best start in this long-languishing franchise's history. They were 6-0 in 2001-02 and 3-0 in 2013-14. The Wolves have trailed in all three games, and Wiggins produced clutch contributions in two of them.
For the Heat, Kendrick Nunn had 25 points on 5-for-9 shooting from three-point range, Duncan Robinson pitched in with 21 points, and Justise Winslow scored 20 for the Heat, who played again without new star Jimmy Butler and took their first loss after playing in Milwaukee the day before.
After erasing a 21-point deficit in the third quarter to beat NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in overtime pm Saturday, the Heat didn't flinch after trailing by 13 at the end of the first quarter and facing a double-digit margin for most of the second period. Goran Dragic swished a three-pointer for a 57-53 lead, capping an 18-2 run just before the break.
The Heat had a lead as big as 84-74 on Robinson's three-pointer late in the third quarter, but Towns answered from behind the arc in the final minute of that period to give the Wolves momentum. Adapting to a faster-paced, three-point-friendly style under Saunders, they climbed back into striking range with stiffer defense before Wiggins delivered the decisive blows.
That should give Minnesota confidence before they head to Philadelphia on Wednesday. The Heat host Atlanta on Tuesday.
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