Devin Booker's 48 points inspires the Phoenix Suns to another win; Miles Bridges stars to lift Charlotte Hornets past New York Knicks; Joel Embiid's 32 points in vain against Washington Wizards; Nicolas Batum leads Los Angeles Clippers to win over Indiana Pacers
Tuesday 18 January 2022 10:10, UK
The Los Angeles Lakers ended a three-game losing streak against the Utah Jazz, the Cleveland Cavaliers saw off the Brooklyn Nets to clinch a thriller, the Memphis Grizzlies continued their stunning form against the Chicago Bulls as the NBA celebrated Martin Luther King Day.
LeBron James scored 25 points and Stanley Johnson added a season-high 15 as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied for a 101-95 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz on Monday to end a three-game losing streak.
Russell Westbrook also had 15 points and Malik Monk added 14 points for the Lakers, who won for the first time since Jan. 7 despite facing a 10-point deficit late in the third quarter. James contributed seven rebounds and seven assists.
Utah's Rudy Gobert scored 19 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in his second game back from a five-game COVID-19 absence, and Mike Conley added 20 points. The Jazz lost on the second night of a back-to-back and fell for the fifth time in their past six games, with four of those defeats coming without Gobert.
Devin Booker poured in a season-high 48 points and the Phoenix Suns were at their best in the final nine minutes while pulling away for a 121-107 win over the host San Antonio Spurs on Monday.
Phoenix has won four straight games, all on the road, to improve on the league's best record away from home (17-4). The Suns (34-9) own the NBA's best record and have won seven of their past eight games overall after defeating San Antonio for the third time in three meetings this year.
Booker hit 18 of 33 shots, including 5 of 13 from three-point range. His point total is tied for the fifth most in a game in the NBA this season (Trae Young 56, Kevin Durant 51, Jaylen Brown and Stephen Curry 50, Anthony Edwards 48).
Darius Garland collected 22 points and 12 assists as the Cavaliers held the Nets to two points over the final 3:43 and extended their winning streak to five games with a 114-107 victory on Monday afternoon.
Isaac Okoro added 15 points while Lauri Markkanen, Kevin Love and former Nets' big Jarrett Allen contributed 14 apiece as the Cavaliers shot 51.9 per cent and hit 11 three-pointers. Rookie Evan Mobley chipped in 12 points after sitting out the first two meetings with Brooklyn due to an elbow injury.
Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 27 points, but was two of seven in the fourth after scoring 14 points in the third. James Harden added 22 points and 10 assists as the Nets dropped to 15-5 on the road in their first game since announcing Kevin Durant was sidelined with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in 13, but the veteran forward also missed a pair of easy lay-ups down the stretch.
It was 105-all when Harden hit three free throws with 3:43 left but the Cavaliers never trailed after Markkanen hit an uncontested three-pointer from the left wing with 3:21 remaining.
Desmond Bane and Ja Morant scored 25 points apiece as the Grizzlies routed the visiting Bulls 119-106.
Brandon Clarke had 15 points and Jaren Jackson Jr tallied 14 points and five blocks for the Grizzlies, who led by as many as 28 and never trailed in the final three quarters. Tyus Jones also posted 11 points and eight assists, while De'Anthony Melton scored 10 points and Steven Adams grabbed 10 rebounds and six assists for Memphis, who outscored the Bulls 64-38 in the paint.
The Bulls lost their fourth straight and played without several key players, including Lonzo Ball (left knee), Zach LaVine (left knee) and Alex Caruso (health and safety protocol).
DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points to lead Chicago. Coby White recorded 16 points and Ayo Dosunmu recorded his second straight double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Memphis bounced back with a dominant effort after having their franchise record 11-game win streak come to an end with a loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.
Luka Doncic had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists as the Dallas Mavericks held on for a 104-102 win over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
Doncic struggled from the field, making just 4 of 17 shots, his worst shooting night of the season in both percentage and made shots. However, he still managed to record his fifth triple-double of the season.
Doncic now has 41 career triple-doubles, more than half of the 81 triple-doubles in franchise history.
The Thunder, who trailed by 22 points in the third quarter, had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final seconds after the Mavericks' Josh Green missed two free throws with 2.6 seconds left.
However, Dallas' Tim Hardaway Jr. wrestled the inbounds pass away from Mike Muscala, giving the Mavericks the win.
Nicolas Batum scored 32 points after shooting seven of 10 from three-point range as the Los Angeles Clippers held off the Indiana Pacers 139-133.
All five Clippers starters scored in double-figures, led by Batum's season-high. Marcus Morris scored 21 points on eight of 13 shooting from the floor and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Reggie Jackson added 26 points with five rebounds, three assists and three steals, and Amir Coffey finished with 16 points and seven assists.
Ivica Zubac rounded out Los Angeles' starting five with 10 points on a perfect three-of-three shooting from the field.
LeVert led the Pacers with 26 points, while Chris Duarte and Goga Bitadze added 24 and 17 points from the bench, respectively. Fellow reserve Oshae Brissett scored 13 points.
Domantas Sabonis recorded a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds along with seven assists, and Justin Holiday scored 18 points.
Jayson Tatum scored 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Boston Celtics rallied from 18 points down to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 104-92.
Dennis Schroder scored 23 points with nine assists and five boards, and Jaylen Brown had 23 points and eight boards. Al Horford contributed 12 points and seven rebounds for Boston, who earned a second straight win and their fifth victory in six games overall.
Jonas Valanciunas posted a double-double with 22 points and 14 boards to pace the Pelicans. Herbert Jones scored 16 and Brandon Ingram totalled 15 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
New Orleans remained without star forward Zion Williamson as he rehabs a foot injury away from the team. Kira Lewis Jr also remains out after suffering a season-ending ACL tear and MCL sprain in his right knee.
Jimmy Butler had a triple-double and Bam Adebayo returned after missing 22 games, leading the host Miami Heat to a 104-99 win over the Toronto Raptors on Monday night.
Butler had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Adebayo, who had surgery on his right thumb, posted 14 points and nine rebounds in 32 minutes, his first action since November 29. He made 4 of 12 shots.
Tyler Herro added a team-high 23 points as Miami improved to 19-8 against Eastern Conference teams. The Heat are 14-5 at home.
Jusuf Nurkic had 21 points and a season-high 22 rebounds, CJ McCollum scored 16 points in a successful return to the lineup, and the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the host Orlando Magic 98-88 on Monday night.
The Magic announced prior to tipoff that head coach Jamahl Mosley and assistant coach Nate Tibbetts had entered the league's health and safety protocols. Assistant coach Jesse Mermuys ran the team as Orlando lost its eighth straight home game and 12th in its last 13 overall.
Orlando's Wendell Carter Jr., who has a team-high 19 double-doubles this season, also missed his sixth consecutive game due to a sore left hamstring.
Miles Bridges scored early and often on the way to a career-high 38 points as the Charlotte Hornets drubbed the New York Knicks 97-87.
Bridges shot 14-for-20 from the field, making five three-pointers, and was five-for-five on free throws. He had 28 of Charlotte's first 45 points.
Terry Rozier provided 22 points and Gordon Hayward had 16 points as the Hornets won for the fifth time in their last six games - the exception coming on Friday with a loss to struggling Orlando. LaMelo Ball was absent with a non-Covid illness.
Julius Randle and RJ Barrett both notched 18 points for the Knicks, who shot 40 per cent from the field. Immanuel Quickley had 12 points and Obi Toppin supplied 11 points for New York, who had a three-game winning streak snapped.
Trae Young scored 15 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to spark the Atlanta Hawks to a 121-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, snapping a five-game overall losing streak and a 10-game home losing streak.
De'Andre Hunter added 20 points and nine rebounds and John Collins had 16 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks for the Hawks, who trailed by 11 points early in the fourth quarter.
Khris Middleton scored a season-high 34 points while added seven rebounds and four assists for the Bucks, who have dropped six of their past eight games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Montrezl Harrell scored 18 points, Kyle Kuzma added 15 points and 16 rebounds as the Washington Wizards defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 117-98.
Thomas Bryant contributed 15 points, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 14 and Bradley Beal had 13 for the Wizards. Rui Hachimura and Corey Kispert had 11 apiece. The short-handed Sixers played without several key injured players including Matisse Thybulle, Danny Green and Shake Milton.
Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 32 points and eight rebounds, marking the 11th consecutive road game that he has produced at least 30 points.
Tyrese Maxey added 18 points for the Sixers, who had their two-game winning streak snapped.
