Sixers hang 149 on Timberwolves as Butler faces former team; Hawks stun Thunder; Bucks hand Heat heaviest season loss
Wednesday 16 January 2019 09:19, UK
The Golden State Warriors posted an NBA record 51 first-quarter points as they thrashed the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson scored 31 points apiece and Kevin Durant added 27 as the hot-shooting Golden State Warriors routed the host Denver Nuggets 142-111.
The Warriors set an NBA record for a first quarter by scoring 51 points. The previous record of 50 points was held by five teams, with the Phoenix Suns the last club to accomplish the feat on November 10, 1990.
Overall, Golden State shot a scorching 60 per cent from the floor, including 53.8 per cent from three-point range, in a battle of the top two teams in the Western Conference.
The Warriors hit 10 three-pointers in the first period to set a franchise record and finished 21-of-39 from long distance. Curry ended the game 8-of-13 and Thompson 5-of-8 from three-point range.
Malik Beasley scored 22 points, Jamal Murray had 21 and Nikola Jokic added 17 points and eight assists for Denver, which had its 12-game home winning streak snapped.
The Warriors obliterated the Nuggets' second-ranked three-point defense by hitting 71.4 per cent from long range in the first quarter. Durant had 17 in the first quarter and capped the period with a three-pointer and a dunk in the closing seconds.
Denver kept it respectable because of Murray, who hit a half-court buzzer-beater to cut the deficit to 13.
Golden State pushed the lead to 23 in the second quarter and scored the last seven points of the first half to lead 79-60 at half-time.
The Warriors didn't let up in the third quarter. Thompson opened with a three-pointer and Curry scored five points to give the Warriors an 89-66 lead.
Curry hit a trio of threes and Durant scored five in a 16-5 run that made it 112-83 heading into the fourth quarter.
Joel Embiid scored 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers to an easy 149-107 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Embiid recorded his league-leading 37th double-double. In addition, the Sixers center posted his league-best 30th game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Ben Simmons had 20 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, while Jimmy Butler added 19 points in his first game against his former team. JJ Redick also had 15 for the Sixers, who won their second in a row with a season-high in points scored. The Sixers also made a franchise-record 21 three-pointers.
Derrick Rose led the Timberwolves with 15 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 13.
Embiid had a terrific first quarter with 13 points as the Sixers bolted to a 40-27 lead. The Sixers' offense continued to sizzle, and they tied a season high for points in any half with an 83-58 lead by half-time.
With 3:22 left in the third, Minnesota guard Tyus Jones injured his ankle on a drive to the basket and was helped to the locker room to be further evaluated. Rose surpassed 10,000 career points with a lay-up, but the Timberwolves trailed 112-83.
The Sixers poured it on, as reserve Jonah Bolden drained consecutive three-pointers for a commanding 132-92 lead with 7:23 left in regulation.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 10 of his 20 points in the first 4:14 of the game as the Indiana Pacers ran up a 19-point lead in the first quarter en route to a 131-97 romp over the visiting Phoenix Suns.
Myles Turner, returning from a four-game absence due to a sore right shoulder, scored 18 points and was among seven Pacers in double figures as Indiana won their second straight in the opener of a five-game homestand.
TJ Warren had a team-high 18 points and Kelly Oubre Jr 16 for the Suns, who were tipping off a four-game trip.
Bogdanovic had a three-pointer and a three-point play among his 10-point flurry that produced Indiana's first 10 points of the game and helped the Pacers build a lead they never relinquished.
The Suns rallied within seven in the second quarter, but Indiana pulled away to as much as a 26-point advantage in the third period before coasting home to their second-largest margin of victory this season.
Tyreke Evans added 20 points, Darren Collison 15 and a team-high seven assists, Domantas Sabonis 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds, Thaddeus Young 12 points and Cory Joseph 10 for Indiana, who won easily despite getting just eight points from star Victor Oladipo.
DeAndre Ayton had 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds while Devin Booker had eight points and five assists in 27 minutes for Phoenix.
Point guard Trae Young came back Tuesday to haunt the favourite team from his childhood. The rookie played one of his best all-around games to help the Atlanta Hawks beat the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder 142-126.
Young, who attended the University of Oklahoma, endured a miserable game in Oklahoma City in November - going 4-for-15 from the floor for nine points. He atoned for that performance by scoring 24 points, which included four three-pointers, and added 11 assists and six rebounds. It was his 14th double-double of the season.
Atlanta forward John Collins was nearly perfect from the field. The second-year power forward made his first 11 field goal attempts, finishing the night 12-for-14 to score 26 points. Many of Young's assists were turned into baskets by Alex Len, who scored 24 points on 9-for-14 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds.
The Hawks had a great shooting night, making a season-best 62.2 per cent from the floor, easily outpacing their former best of 55.6 per cent. Atlanta converted 18 three-point shots - five from rookie Kevin Huerter. It was the most points scored by Atlanta in a game this season.
Oklahoma City had four players score at least 20 points, led by Russell Westbrook, who had 31 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. Paul George added 24 points and eight rebounds, and Jerami Grant and former Hawks player Dennis Schroder each scored 21. Steven Adams scored 16 and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field.
The Hawks had a strong second quarter, outscoring the Thunder 45-30, and took a 70-59 lead at half-time. Oklahoma City roared back in the third quarter to score 41 points, 12 from Westbrook, who tied the score at 87-87 with 3:37 left. The Thunder led 100-97 after three quarters but the Hawks pulled away in the final period.
Giannis Antetokounmpo posted his 13th career triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, leading the host Milwaukee Bucks to a 124-86 win over the Miami Heat. It was the largest margin of defeat for Miami this season.
In terms of top scorers, the Bucks got 17 points from Eric Bledsoe and 16 from Malcolm Brogdon. Milwaukee, who have the second-best record in the NBA at 31-12, improved their home mark to 20-4.
Miami was led by point guard Justise Winslow, who had 19 points, five rebounds and five assists. Heat center Hassan Whiteside added 19 points and eight rebounds.
With a 13-2 run at the end, Milwaukee closed the first quarter with a 30-23 lead. The Heat held Antetokounmpo to three points on 1-for-5 shooting, but Milwaukee surged ahead by not turning the ball over once.
The second quarter, however, was all Milwaukee as the Bucks led by as many as 27 points. By half-time, the Bucks were up 69-45, shooting 51.0 per cent for the first 24 minutes.
The Bucks didn't let up in the third quarter, building their lead to 93-63, and the game was virtually over at that point.
Lonzo Ball had 19 points and eight rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers earned a 107-100 victory against the visiting Chicago Bulls, who fell to their eighth consecutive loss.
Lakers coach Luke Walton moved veterans Tyson Chandler and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope into the starting lineup at center and shooting guard, respectively, and moved JaVale McGee and Josh Hart to the bench.
Caldwell-Pope scored 17 points, Kyle Kuzma had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Brandon Ingram had 16 points and nine rebounds.
Jabari Parker scored 18 points off the bench to lead the Bulls, who hadn't lost eight in a row since a 10-game skid from November 19-December 6, 2017. Lauri Markkanen added 17 points, and Chandler Hutchison and Ryan Arcidiacono scored 12 apiece for Chicago.
Neither team led by double digits until McGee scored on a tip in for a 78-68 Los Angeles edge with 11:25 left in the game. Lakers backup guard Svi Mykhailiuk made two three-pointers early in a 14-0 run that extended the lead to 94-76 with 4:36 left, and Los Angeles held off a late push.
