LaMarcus Aldridge makes debut in Brooklyn Nets win over Hornets; unstoppable Trae Young leads Atlanta Hawks past Spurs in double-overtime; Denver Nuggets starters outlast Los Angeles Clippers
Friday 2 April 2021 07:35, UK
The Warriors lost for the fifth time in their past six games despite 36 points and 11 rebounds from Steph Curry, who also hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the final two minutes.
Jimmy Butler scored 22 points and helped the Miami Heat pull away for a 116-109 home victory against the Golden State Warriors.
Butler, who scored 12 of his points in the third quarter, finished with eight assists and six rebounds. His efforts sparked the Heat to their third consecutive win.
Steph Curry scored the Warriors' final nine points and cut Golden State's fourth-quarter deficit from 13 to seven with back-to-back 3-pointers in the final two minutes.
The star point guard sank three free throws to get Golden State within 115-109, but after Miami's Bam Adebayo missed a shot, airballed a 3-point attempt with 12.2 seconds left. Butler subsequently hit one of two free throws to help put the game away.
Curry shot 9-for-19 from the field, including 5-for-11 from 3-point range in his second game since returning from a bruised tailbone.
Duncan Robinson scored 21 points for Miami, and Herro had 20 points. Adebayo finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Trevor Ariza and Andre Iguodala scored 10 points apiece.
All of Iguodala's scoring came in the fourth quarter. Oladipo started with Goran Dragic resting as part of his recovery from a lower back injury. Oladipo scored six points and finished with five assists, although he shot 2-for-8 in his 23-minute outing.
Andrew Wiggins posted 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists for Golden State but was held to five points in the second half. Draymond Green also contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
In a game featuring two teams jockeying for position in the Western Conference standings, the Denver Nuggets played with a bit more urgency in outlasting the host Los Angeles Clippers 101-94.
All five Nuggets starters scored in double figures, led by Jamal Murray's 23 points, Michael Porter Jr.'s 20 and Will Barton's 19.
New addition Aaron Gordon added 14 points and six rebounds, while MVP candidate Nikola Jokic had a quiet night, finishing with 14 points - 13 below his average - and seven rebounds and seven assists.
The Nuggets shot 13 of 25 from the 3-point arc. Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Paul George followed with 17 points and eight rebounds, and Terance Mann chipped in 18 points off the bench.
George returned to the line-up for the Clippers after missing two games due to foot soreness. Marcus Morris Sr. also returned to the line-up after missing Thursday's game against Orlando with a calf injury.
Jeff Green scored 21 points and the Brooklyn Nets didn't miss a beat despite playing without James Harden, ripping the visiting Charlotte Hornets 111-89 in New York.
Landry Shamet and Tyler Johnson came off the bench for Brooklyn to score 17 and 15 points, respectively. Kyrie Irving racked up 15 points and 11 rebounds and Bruce Brown had 14 points for the Nets, who were 20-for-45 on 3-point attempts. Green, Shamet and Johnson all made five 3-point baskets.
Gordon Hayward and Devonte' Graham each scored 13 points and Terry Rozier had 12 points as the top scorers among Charlotte's starters. Off the bench, Malik Monk had 11 points and Miles Bridges provided 10 points for the Hornets, who are 1-1 on a six-game road swing.
Forward LaMarcus Aldridge made his Brooklyn debut, starting at center and posting 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Aldridge signed with the Nets after reaching a buyout with the San Antonio Spurs and clearing waivers.
Trae Young was nearly unstoppable at the end of the night, scoring 15 of his 28 points in the two overtime periods, and Danilo Gallinari canned a clutch late 3-pointer as the Atlanta Hawks outlasted the host San Antonio Spurs 134-129 in a double-overtime thriller.
Young also had seven points in the fourth quarter and racked up 12 assists overall.
Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 28 points each for the Hawks, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Capela also took 17 rebounds, and Gallinari finished with 16 points and 12 boards.
The Hawks built a six-point lead in the second overtime before DeRozan and Gay shot San Antonio back to within 130-129 with 33.8 seconds remaining. Young then found Gallinari in the corner, and he buried a 3-pointer with 11.8 seconds left to secure the win.
DeRozan led the Spurs with 36 points, two off his season high. Derrick White added 29 points to set a regular-season career-high, with Gay scoring 18, Murray scoring 16, and Jakob Poeltl adding 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Shake Milton scored 27 points off the bench to help Philadelphia conclude a six-game road trip with a rout of Cleveland.
Milton made 10 of 14 shots from the floor and joined Seth Curry by draining five 3-pointers. Curry had 19 points and Dwight Howard collected 18 points and 15 rebounds for the 76ers, who snapped a two-game skid to finish the trek with a 4-2 mark.
Collin Sexton had 24 points and Dean Wade chipped in with 16 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, who have dropped four in a row. Kevin Love scored all 13 of his points in the first quarter in his return from an eight-game absence caused by a severe calf strain.
Terrence Ross scored 19 points and made a tiebreaking jumper late in overtime as the visiting Orlando Magic held off the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 115-110.
Wendell Carter Jr. added 21 points and 12 rebounds, Chasson Randle scored 15 points, Dwayne Bacon had 14, James Ennis III had 13 and Mo Bamba 11 as the Magic won their second straight after losing 13 of 15 before that.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 31 points to lead New Orleans. James Johnson, who started in his Pelicans debut after being acquired in a trade with Dallas last week, scored 17 points, and Josh Hart had 14 points and matched a career-high with 17 rebounds.
Eric Bledsoe scored 14 points and Jaxson Hayes 10 for New Orleans, which lost for just the second time in six games.
The Pelicans played without three injured starters. Zion Williamson (thumb) and Brandon Ingram (toe) had new injuries, and Lonzo Ball missed his sixth straight game because of a strained hip flexor.
Josh Jackson led seven Detroit scorers in double figures with 31 points, and the Pistons cruised past the Washington Wizards, 120-91, Thursday in Detroit.
A 9-2 run in the first quarter powered Detroit to a 10-point advantage through the opening period, and the Pistons only grew their lead the rest of the way. Detroit outscored Washington in every quarter but the third, which was a 24-24 tie.
The Pistons' balanced scoring, coupled with a stout defensive effort, helped push the gap to as many as 31 points.
Four of Detroit's five starters scored at least 11 points, with Saddiq Bey finishing with 11, Jerami Grant posting 12 points and Mason Plumlee recording a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, along with seven assists.
Russell Westbrook recorded his fourth straight triple-double and 18th of the season, matching a team high of 16 points, and adding a team-best 11 rebounds and 12 assists. Westbrook also committed nine turnovers, a majority of Washington's 14 giveaways as a team.
