Luka tears jersey; Spurs fall in Memphis; Clippers battle Warriors and Nets break skid
Saturday 11 January 2020 11:52, UK
A supreme first quarter from the LA Lakers, during which the visiting team scored 45 points in the Dallas Mavericks arena, boiled over in frustration for the home favourite Luka Doncic.
After the Mavericks ended the opening half down 79-58, and the Luka Doncic tore his jersey after missing two free throws to close the second quarter.
Doncic still scored 25 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out seven assists for the game, but struggled to shoot from everywhere, including the free-throw line, where he missed five, adding insult to his one of five performance from three-point land.
He was outplayed by LeBron James, who managed 35, 16 and seven and passed Michael Jordan for total number of field goals made.
The Lakers were playing without Anthony Davis after the big man landed awkwardly against the New York Knicks on Tuesday. In his absence, Kyle Kuzma scored 26 points, while James got help by committee in the rebounding category, including six each from Kuzma and Dwight Howard, five from Rajon Rondo and four from Jared Dudley.
With a fresh jersey on, Doncic was better in the second half. With some help from Tim Hardaway Jr, who managed 22 points in total, the Mavericks, who were playing without Kristaps Porzingis, attempted a comeback.
Boban Marjanovic contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds, while good three-point shooting from Seth Curry saw him at 16 points, but it would not be enough, and the Lakers' good defence helped the visiting team pull away in the final quarter.
It marked the sixth consecutive win for the Lakers, and puts LA at 3-1 on the season against the Dallas Mavericks, who are just about holding on to the sixth seed in the Western Conference with a record of 23-15.
The surging San Antonio Spurs couldn't make the most of a 36-point outing from DeMar DeRozan, as the upstart Memphis Grizzlies snapped the visitors' two-game winning streak.
With four players scoring 20 points or more, the Grizzlies were firing on all cylinders, being led by the Rookie Of The Year frontrunner Ja Morant. His 22 points came with 14 assists and seven rebounds, which helped push Memphis to a 134-121 victory over the team from Texas.
It was his second-year team-mate, however, that led the team. Jaren Jackson Jr scored 24, while Dillon Brooks had 22 and Jonas Valanciunas managed 21 with nine rebounds.
The win dislodged the Spurs from the eighth seed in the Western Conference, as the Grizzlies now sit at 17-22 on the season. If San Antonio misses the postseason, it would be the first time since 1996.
The Brooklyn Nets broke a seven-game skid when the Miami Heat visited, despite a 33-point outing from Jimmy Butler.
The home side relied on a well-rounded offering that saw six players finish the game in double figures. Spencer Dinwiddle led the way with 26 points and 14 assists, while Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan combined for 21 rebounds.
Miami have been surging lately, and have made their way to the second seed in the Eastern Conference behind the MVP-calibre play of Jimmy Butler and the excellent growth of the third-year center Bam Adebayo.
The team led most of the game, but Brooklyn took the lead with just over a min.ute left in the game, and Taurean Prince made a tough, contested floater to push the lead to three.
The Nets have struggled without Kyrie Irving, but with this win, the team is clinging on to playoff contention with a record of 17-20.
An easy night at home saw Jordan Clarkson lead the team in scoring while the Utah Jazz played without guard Mike Conley and the team's leading man Donovan Mitchell struggled in his 22 minutes, hitting just two of nine from the field.
Mitchell wasn't needed, however, as the visiting Charlotte Hornets only received production from Terry Rozier. The guard managed 23 points with five rebounds and four assists, while his only team-mates to finish in double figures were Willy Hernangomez and Miles Bridges, with 15 and 11 points, respectively.
The Jazz are built on strong defensive principles, allowing just 105 points per game this season, and with two-time Defensive Player Of The Year Rudy Gobert roaming the paint.
However, Gobert showed his dunking ability on the night and managed 15 points to go along with his 13 rebounds, and while Mitchell might have been struggling to score, his driving and playmaking was a focus for the Hornets all night.
Without Bradley Beal and Thomas Bryant, the Washington Wizards might have been concerned going into their match-up with the Atlanta Hawks, but thanks to Jordan McRae's 29 points and eight rebounds, and a further 18 and 10 from Troy Brown Jr, the home team weren't fazed by the upstart team from Georgia.
Trae Young was limited to 19 points and seven assists, but received help from John Collins, who managed 15 points and 15 rebounds, and Kevin Huerter, who scored 16. But Atlanta didn't have enough to stop McRae, Brown and the Davis Bertans, who returned from a quad injury to score 14, including a rare, but thunderous dunk to start his scoring for the night.
Brandon Ingram continued his ascendancy up the NBA, with another strong performance in the New Orleans Pelicans win over the New York Knicks.
His 28 points, with nine assists and six rebounds, set the pace for a team that has turned a corner and is climbing up the Western Conference standings.
The win was comfortable for New Orleans, but New York closed the gap towards the end of the third quarter on a steal and dunk by RJ Barratt. However, that was the closest the Knicks came as solid contributions from Jaxson Hayes and Lonzo Ball helped make up for the lack of Jrue Holiday.
Rookie Zion Williamson is also set to make his debut for the Pelicans this season, but his between-the-legs windmill dunk while warming up with the team before the game excited fans in New York.
A 43-point outburst from Zach Lavine wasn't enough to help the Chicago Bulls pull out of their six-game skid, as the Indiana Pacers continue to show their promise.
The visiting Pacers are still without Victor Oladipo, who is yet to play this season, but the next-man-up mentality has helped Indian compile a 24-15 record.
Against the Bulls, Myles Turner set the tone with 27 points and 14 rebounds, as well as two blocks, while Aaron Holiday burst off the bench for 19 points, and TJ Warren added 17 of his own.
The defensively-minded Pacers struggled to slow down the Chicago guards, as Coby White went for 23 points to add to Lavine's 43, but the rest of the Bulls struggled.
A quiet night from MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't stop the Milwaukee Bucks making light work of the Sacramento Kings.
Instead, the Bucks were led by Khris Middleton, who shot 9 of 12 for 27 points and 11 rebounds. Antetokounmpo added 13 and 10, but the main offensive support came from Eric Bledsoe, who managed 24 points, and Donte DiVincenzo. The hot shot hit 4 of 6 from three-point land to push the game out of reach when the Kings mounted a comeback in the third quarter.
After that, the league's best defensive team put the clamps on and shut down the Kings and build a 21-point lead by the end of the game.
Having led for most of the game, the Phoenix Suns made it interesting in the fourth quarter by allowing Orlando Magic big man Nikola Vucevic to hit back-to-back three-point shots out of a pick-and-pop play, which gave the visitors the lead.
However, some clutch buckets from Devin Booker and a good defensive stop on Evan Fournier meant the win was secured for the Suns, who have struggled to string together win streaks latest.
A good second quarter from the visiting Golden State Warriors gave the LA Clippers some concerns coming out of the break.
But with Kawhi Leonard on the roster, the Clippers will stand a chance in any game. A good defensive effort, including an insulting steal by the forward, as well as a second, thunderous dunk on Omari Spellman, finished the game with a win for the home side.
