Gallo and Capela combine for 49 points and 28 rebounds in Hawks win; Lonzo Ball's three-point barrage leads Pelicans past Rockets. Coverage of the NBA continues on Monday as the red-hot Utah Jazz visit Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, live on Sky Sports Main Event at midnight.
Monday 5 April 2021 07:49, UK
The battle of Los Angeles turned into a lopsided affair as the Clippers cruised past the Lakers 104-86 on Sunday afternoon.
The Clippers never trailed, starting the game on a 13-2 run and leading by as many as 24 points. Marcus Morris Sr. led the charge, with 17 of his game-high 22 points in the first half.
Kawhi Leonard totalled 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Paul George contributed 16 points and seven rebounds, while Luke Kennard chipped in 15 for the Clippers.
Montrezl Harrell paced the Lakers with 19 points and six rebounds. Talen Horton-Tucker added 16 points and Marc Gasol contributed 11.
The Clippers played suffocating defense against the shorthanded Lakers, holding them to 40.0 per cent shooting from the field. The Lakers finished just 7 for 23 (30.4 per cent) from beyond the arc.
The Clippers took a 53-38 lead into the locker room at the half. The Lakers' point total was their lowest in the first half this season.
Point guard Rajon Rando took the floor for the first time since joining the Clippers in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks last week. Rondo has been working his way back from right abductor soreness and finished with two points, three assists, two steals, one rebound and four turnovers in 13 minutes of action.
The Chicago Bulls halted a six-game losing streak and breathed life into their playoff hopes Sunday afternoon with a 115-107 victory against the visiting Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets, who had a four-game winning streak snapped, looked lethargic and out of sync playing without stars James Harden and Kevin Durant due to hamstring injuries.
With the loss, the Nets are now 34-16. The Bulls improved to 20-28.
The Bulls got a game-high 25 points from Zach LaVine and a strong effort from Tomas Satoransky, who added 19 points and 11 assists. Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls' multi-dimensional center, contributed 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Thaddeus Young had 12 points, Patrick Williams scored 11 and Daniel Theis chipped in 10.
Kyrie Irving led six Nets in double figures with 24 points and a season-high 15 assists. Jeff Green added 21 points off the Brooklyn bench. LaMarcus Aldridge and Joe Harris scored 11 points apiece and Blake Griffin and Bruce Brown each had 10.
Danilo Gallinari and Clint Capela combined for 49 points and 28 rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks defeated the visiting Golden State Warriors 117-111 for their third straight win.
Gallinari, playing with an ailing left Achilles, had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Capela had 24 points, 18 rebounds and two blocked shots to help the Hawks sweep the two-game season series against Golden State for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
Golden State lost despite a 37-point effort from Steph Curry, who returned after missing the last game with a tailbone contusion. Curry went to the locker room at the third-quarter break and did not re-enter the game until 6:15 remaining. He was only 3-for-12 on 3-point attempts.
Golden State has lost three in a row and dropped seven of its past eight games.
Atlanta's Trae Young, playing with a sore left knee that caused him to miss Friday's game, scored 13 points. Lou Williams filled in while Young was out and scored 15.
Golden State also got 20 points and 11 rebounds from Kelly Oubre Jr. and 16 points from Andrew Wiggins. The Warriors were just 10 of 40 from 3-point range while shooting 46.7 per cent overall.
Aaron Gordon scored 24 points against his former team, Jamal Murray had 22, and the host Denver Nuggets rallied from 18 down to beat the Orlando Magic 119-109.
Nikola Jokic had 17 points, 16 assists and nine rebounds, Michael Porter Jr. finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, Will Barton scored 15 points and Monte Morris had 10 points off the bench for Denver.
Terrence Ross and Chuma Okeke scored 19 points apiece, James Ennis III had 17 points, Wendell Carter Jr. and R.J. Hampton finished with 16 each and Mo Bamba scored 11 for Orlando.
Jayson Tatum scored 22 points with eight rebounds, and the Boston Celtics rode dominant middle quarters to a 116-86 rout of the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday at TD Garden.
Marcus Smart scored all 12 of his points from 3-point range, going 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Evan Fournier, playing his fourth game since his trade to Boston last month, made 4-of-5 3-pointers en route to 17 points.
Fournier also matched teammate Kemba Walker and Charlotte's Devonte' Graham with a game-high six assists. Walker, the former Hornet, also added 12 points.
Robert Williams III continued his strong play since moving into the starting line-up with the trade of Daniel Theis to Chicago, posting 16 points with eight rebounds.
Terry Rozier led Charlotte with 22 points, but was one of only three Hornets to score in double-figures. Graham scored 11 points, and Miles Bridges finished with 10 points.
Dillon Brooks recorded 17 points to lead seven players in double-digit scoring as the visiting Memphis Grizzlies breezed to a 116-100 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jonas Valanciunas collected 16 points and 12 rebounds to notch his career-high-tying 10th consecutive double-double for the Grizzlies, who erupted for 45 points in the third quarter. Memphis, which has won three of its past four games overall, completed a season sweep of Philadelphia after posting a 106-104 win over the 76ers on January 16.
Tobias Harris scored 21 points, 13 in the first half, and Shake Milton added 14 off the bench for Philadelphia, which played without Joel Embiid. The four-time All-Star center was given the night off after he returned from a 10-game absence due to a bone bruise in his left knee during the 76ers' 122-113 victory over Minnesota on Saturday.
Lonzo Ball made a career-high eight 3-pointers to pace a balanced scoring attack as the New Orleans Pelicans fended off the host Houston Rockets 122-115.
Ball, who missed the previous seven games with a hip injury, paired 27 points with nine assists to lead the Pelicans - who were without forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Five of his teammates also scored in double figures.
Willy Hernangomez had 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. Eric Bledsoe scored 19 points, James Johnson 18, and Stephen Adams and Marshall scored 12 apiece for the Pelicans.
Kelly Olynyk led the Rockets with 26 points. Jae'Sean Tate added 19 points and Christian Wood finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
