Wizards stun Sixers, Bucks resist late Rockets rally, Doncic stars as Mavericks beat Suns
Thursday 10 January 2019 08:22, UK
Kyrie Irving and six other Celtics recorded double-digit points as Boston hammered Eastern Conference rivals the Indiana Pacers 135-108 on Wednesday night.
Marcus Morris and Jaylen Brown scored 22 points apiece on Wednesday night as the host Boston Celtics gradually pulled away from the Indiana Pacers for a 135-108 victory in a battle of two of the Eastern Conference's top teams.
The Celtics' point total was their largest against the Pacers since a 152-132 win in December 1990, and the 27-point margin of victory was their largest against Indiana a 130-100 win in January 1987.
Jayson Tatum was among five other Celtics scoring in double figures with 20 points as Boston completed a four-game sweep at home and extended their home winning streak to six.
Playing on the second night in a row and in the fourth game of a five-game trip, the Pacers got a team-high 20 points from Domantas Sabonis, who also grabbed seven rebounds and handed out five assists.
The Celtics led throughout, leading by six after one quarter, 15 by half-time and 25 after three periods.
Gordon Hayward (14 points), Kyrie Irving (12), Daniel Theis (12) and Terry Rozier (12) also scored in double figures for the Celtics.
Rookie of the Year favourite Luka Doncic scored a game-high 30 points and got the best of No 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton in leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 104-94 win over the visiting Phoenix Suns.
Doncic, who on Tuesday was listed as probable with a back issue, didn't show any signs of injury. It was the fourth time he has hit the 30-point mark, and he added six rebounds, five assists, three steals and 10 made free throws, just five fewer than the Suns made as a team.
Ayton missed his first six shots and didn't get his lone field goal to fall until he slammed through an alley-oop pass to start the fourth quarter. But by then, Dallas had used a 16-2 run in third quarter to flip a seven-point deficit into a seven-point lead that they would only build upon.
Ayton finished the game with six points, five rebounds and five fouls.
Doncic got plenty of scoring help with the entire Dallas starting lineup notching double-digit points. Harrison Barnes, who dropped his only three-pointer with 6:13 to go for a 90-81 lead, had 17 points, Wesley Matthews scored 14, Maxi Kleiber had 13 and DeAndre Jordan scored 11.
Second-year forward Kyle Kuzma poured in a career-high 41 points in just 29 minutes as the Los Angeles Lakers rolled to a 113-100 victory over the visiting Detroit Pistons.
He made 16-of-24 field-goal attempts, including 5-of-10 from three-point range, and added four free throws.
The Lakers improved to 3-5 without LeBron James, who hasn't played since Christmas Day due to a groin injury.
Michael Beasley had 19 points and four assists off the Los Angeles bench while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contributed 15 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Blake Griffin had 16 points and six assists for the Pistons, who have lost 15 of their past 19 games. Langston Galloway and Reggie Jackson tossed in 15 points apiece. Reggie Bullock chipped in 13 points and Andre Drummond grabbed 17 rebounds.
Bradley Beal scored 34 points and Otto Porter Jr added 23 off the bench as the Washington Wizards defeated the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 123-106.
The Wizards earned a split of the home-and-home set after the 76ers routed visiting Washington 132-115 one day earlier. Washington have won four of their last six games.
Beal, who shot 13-of-21 from the field, scored 14 straight Wizards points in the fourth quarter.
Joel Embiid had 35 points and 14 rebounds for the 76ers, who had won four straight. Ben Simmons added 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Jimmy Butler scored 23 points.
The Wizards hit 13 of their 27 three-point attempts (including 6-of-11 by Beal), while the 76ers hit eight of 27.
D'Angelo Russell scored 23 points as the Brooklyn Nets staged their largest comeback of the season and pulled away for a 116-100 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks.
The Nets won for the 13th time in 17 games by rallying from a 19-point deficit in the second quarter. It is their best 17-game stretch since also going 13-4 in March-April 2014.
Russell recorded his 19th 20-point game of the season by shooting 11-of-20 from the floor. DeMarre Carroll added 17 while Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris contributed 16 apiece as the Nets outscored the Hawks 89-54 over the final 33 minutes.
John Collins posted his 15th double-double by matching a career-high with 30 points and getting 14 rebounds, but the Hawks shot 36.4 per cent overall and 31.8 per cent after taking their 19-point lead.
Rookie Trae Young added 17 and former Net Jeremy Lin finished with 16 as Atlanta lost for the fifth time in six games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo's tip-in with 39.1 seconds remaining allowed the visiting Milwaukee Bucks to fend off a furious Houston Rockets rally and squeeze out a 116-109 victory on Wednesday at Toyota Center.
The Bucks, winners of 11 of their last 13 games, relinquished most of their 15-point fourth-quarter lead before Antetokounmpo parlayed his 20th rebound into a six-point lead. Antetokounmpo finished with team highs in points (27) and rebounds (21), including four rebounds on the offensive end.
James Harden paced the Houston rally with 42 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. The Rockets had their 10-game home winning streak snapped despite shooting 18 of 48 (37.5 per cent) on three-pointers.
The Bucks dominated the interior on both ends, outscoring Houston 70-24 in the paint while receiving superior rim protection from center Brook Lopez (four blocks) and helped limit Rockets center Clint Capela to 4-of-16 shooting. Capela totalled 18 points and 13 boards.
Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon added 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting while Khris Middleton scored 15 points. Gerald Green scored 16 off the Houston bench.
Marc Gasol scored 26 points and pulled down 14 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies took charge during a dreary first half then held on late to beat the visiting San Antonio Spurs 96-86 to snap a six-game losing streak.
Memphis led by eight heading into the fourth quarter before the Spurs drew to within 76-72 on a three-pointer by Marco Belinelli with 9:11 to play. The Grizzlies then scored 18 of the next 24 points to push the lead a game-high 16 points and cruised down the stretch to the win.
The Spurs entered the game on a season-high five-game winning streak but never found their stride, losing for just the fourth time in their past 17 contests.
JaMychal Green also had a double-double for the Grizzlies with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Mike Conley scored 15 points, Jaren Jackson Jr hit for 12 and Shelvin Mack added 10 points for Memphis.
Belinelli and Bryn Forbes led the Spurs with 14 points each, LaMarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills scored 13 each and Derrick White hit for 12 for San Antonio. The Spurs' 30 field goals and 14 assists were both season lows.
Anthony Davis scored 38 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the host New Orleans Pelicans defeated the reeling Cleveland Cavaliers 140-124.
The Pelicans overcame a slow start for their second victory in five days against the Cavaliers, who lost their 11th straight game.
New Orleans' victory was their third in a row, the team's longest winning streak since a three-game run in mid-November.
Frank Jackson added 19 points for the Pelicans. Jrue Holiday scored 18 and Julius Randle had 17 as did Nikola Mirotic, who was returning from a 12-game absence caused by an ankle injury.
Jordan Clarkson came off the bench to lead the Cavaliers with 21 points. Matthew Dellavedova added 17 and Cameron Payne had 16 off the bench as the Cleveland reserves totalled 75 points.
Donovan Mitchell recorded 33 points and seven assists as the Utah Jazz rallied from a 21-point first-half deficit en route to a 106-93 victory over the Orlando Magic in Salt Lake City.
Joe Ingles had 16 points and seven assists for Utah, who dominated the final 20-plus minutes. Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 14 rebounds, Kyle Korver scored 11 points and Raul Neto had 10.
DJ Augustin scored 23 points for Orlando and Nikola Vucevic added 20 points and eight rebounds.
Orlando pulled within 90-88 after Augustin's basket with 4:26 left before the Jazz went on a 12-1 run.
Mitchell sank with a three-pointer and Crowder and Mitchell scored lay-ups as Utah took a nine-point lead with 3:13 to play.
Ingles drained a corner three with 2:38 left and added a lay-up 36 seconds later to give the Jazz a 102-89 lead and they cruised down the stretch.
CJ McCollum scored 24 points as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the visiting Chicago Bulls 124-112.
Jusuf Nurkic collected 18 points and eight rebounds, Seth Curry chipped in 17 points, and Damian Lillard contributed 16 points and 10 assists for the Trail Blazers, who won their third straight game.
Wendell Carter Jr scored 22 points for the Bulls, who lost for the fifth straight game. Zach LaVine added 18 points, and Kris Dunn and Bobby Portis had 15 apiece for Chicago on the first stop on a five-game road trip.
McCollum had 12 points and Nurkic 11 to take Portland to a 56-51 half-time lead. The Bulls crept back to within 70-68, but the Blazers took a 95-85 lead into the final period.
Chicago was still within 106-96 with 7:37 left after Carter sank two free throws. However, McCollum and Curry drilled consecutive three-pointers to give the Blazers a 112-106 lead. The Bulls never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
