Clippers bounce back against Hornets; Warriors pick up first win at Pelicans; 76ers, Spurs and Nuggets continue unbeaten starts
Tuesday 29 October 2019 16:13, UK
James Harden scored a game-high 40 points as the Houston Rockets took a 116-112 win over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday as Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul met their former teams for the first time since the summer's blockbuster trade.
James Harden scored a game-high 40 points while Russell Westbrook finished an assist shy of his second consecutive triple-double, but it was the two-way prowess of PJ Tucker that led the Houston Rockets to a 116-112 win over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
Tucker had 17 points and nine rebounds, and he regularly assumed the challenge of defending both big and small opponents in the match which saw Westbrook come face to face with his former team for the first time since being traded to Houston, and vice-versa for Chris Paul.
Truckers corner three-pointer with 54.8 seconds left provided the Rockets the six-point cushion they needed to survive late treys from Danilo Gallinari, Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Harden then sealed the victory via his precision at the free-throw line, going 6-for-6 in the last two minutes.
Westbrook finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists while Harden added seven assists. The Beard also made 21 of 22 foul shots. Tucker was 5-for-7 on three-point attempts. Clint Capela contributed 15 points for Houston.
Dennis Schroder and Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 apiece for the Thunder while Gallinari added 17. Paul posted 15 points on his return to Houston, and Nerlens Noel also scored 15.
Houston erased a 10-point halftime deficit by picking up the pace in the third quarter, frequently attacking early in the shot clock to favourable results. A 12-0 run gave the Rockets a 69-66 lead, with that rally capped by a Harden to Westbrook baseline alley-oop. The Rockets shot 5 of 9 from three-point range in the period, and the Thunder struggled to maintain the tempo.
By outscoring Oklahoma City 39-18 in the third, the Rockets took a 91-80 edge into the fourth.
The Thunder flashed ample energy early even though they were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, racing to a 15-point lead by converting both in transition.
The Rockets were sluggish defensively, and it wasn't until the second quarter that they found some juice. Still, despite the inroads made by Harden and Capela offensively, the Rockets had no answer for Schroder on defense, as Schroder posted 18 first-half points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Houston shot just 4 of 25 on 3-point attempts prior to the break and trailed 62-52 at halftime. However, the Rockets did race to 10 fastbreak points, setting a tone for their aggression in the third period.
OCK returns home to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, while a trip to Washington to face the Wizards is next up for Houston.
Kawhi Leonard scored 30 points as the Los Angeles Clippers bounced back from their surprise defeat to the Phoenix Suns with a 111-96 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets at Staples Center.
Leonard also had seven rebounds, six assists and three blocks as the Clippers bolted out of the gate, leading by as much as 14 in the first quarter before the Hornets regrouped. Charlotte ended the quarter on a 17-4 run to slice the deficit to 29-28.
The LA bench was dominant as usual, outscoring the Hornets' reserves 50-41,with Lou Williams adding 23 points and Montrezl Harrell scoring 19 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Clippers guard Landry Shamet scored all 16 of his points in the first half, while center Ivica Zubac recorded a career-high five blocks.
Point guard Terry Rozier finished with 17 points to lead six Hornets in double digits. Cody Zeller chipped in 14 points and 13 rebounds. Reserve guard Devonte Graham had 14 points and 12 assists for Charlotte, while Malik Monk scored 15 points, P.J. Washington had 11 and Bismack Biyombo scored 10.
Los Angeles outscored Charlotte 29-20 in the third quarter for an 86-74 advantage heading into the fourth. A 10-3 run capped by a floater by Harrell and a layup by Leonard increased the margin to 96-79 with 7:45 remaining. Charlotte pulled within eight after a three-pointer by Miles Bridges with 4:14 left.
But the Hornets got no closer as the Clippers pulled away down the stretch to move to 3-1 to start the season.
Next up for the Clips is a trip to Utah to face the Jazz on Wednesday, while the Hornets head west to face the Sacramento Kings.
Stephen Curry scored 26 points and Draymond Green had a triple-double as the visiting Golden State Warriors defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 134-123 to record their first win of the season.
The five-time defending Western Conference champion Warriors began the season with losses to the Clippers and Thunder by an average margin of 23.5 points, but they were sharp from the beginning against the Pelicans who are now 0-4 to begin the season.
Green had 16 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists. D'Angelo Russell scored 24 points, Damion Lee added 23 off the bench, while Jordan Poole scored 13 and Glenn Robinson III had 12.
The Warriors also won the battle on the glass convincingly and outrebounded the Pelicans, 61-41.
Brandon Ingram had 27 points and 10 rebounds to lead New Orleans in scoring for the fourth consecutive game. Jaxson Hayes added 19 points, Kenrich Williams had 16, Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 15, and Josh Hart and Lonzo Ball had 12 each.
Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday missed his second consecutive game because of a sprained left knee, and center Derrick Favors sat out the game because of left knee soreness.
New Orleans remains without rookie forward Zion Williamson, who last week underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee that is expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks.
Golden State was missing five players because of injury - Kevon Looney (hamstring), Willie Cauley-Stein (foot), Alec Burks (ankle), Alen Smailagic (ankle) and Klay Thompson, who is out indefinitely while rehabbing from ACL surgery.
Golden State led by 17 points at halftime and built the margin to as many as 26 points before taking a 103-79 lead after three quarters.
The final margin was more respectable thanks to the Pelicans' 44-point fourth quarter fuelled primarily by their bench.
Next up for Golden State, they host the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. The Pelicans are at home to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
Joel Embiid scored 36 points, including the decisive two free throws with 5.3 seconds left, as the visiting Philadelphia 76ers held off the Atlanta Hawks 105-103 on Monday.
Embiid showed no ill effects of the right ankle sprain that forced him to miss the Sixers' previous game against Detroit and he shot 12-for-19 from the field, including 2-for-6 on three-point tries, and 10-for-10 from the foul line. He added 13 rebounds, five assists and three steals for good measure as Philly moved to 3-0, continuing their unbeaten start to the season.
After Embiid's late foul shots broke a tie, Atlanta had a chance to win the game. However, Vince Carter's three-point attempt hit the back rim and bounced high and away as the buzzer sounded.
Josh Richardson scored 14 and Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons each scored 13 for Philadelphia.
Atlanta was led by Trae Young with 25 points, but only six of those came in the second half. Young also had a game-high nine assists. John Collins had 16 points before fouling out in the final minute, and De'Andre Hunter scored 14.
The Sixers took a 101-100 lead on a pair of Al Horford free throws with two minutes left and extended it to 103-100 when Harris rolled in a right-hander with 42.1 seconds to go.
Young subsequently made one free throw and missed the second, but Collins grabbed the rebound and slammed home the game-tying basket with 7.4 seconds remaining.
In a high-scoring first quarter, Atlanta grabbed a 40-31 edge and hung on to lead 65-63 at the half. Young, who was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 38.5 points and nine rebounds in the first two games, scored 19 in the first half.
The game was contentious. Embiid received a technical foul for taunting, and Young got a T for complaining too vigorously. Philadelphia reserve Mike Scott, who played five seasons for the Hawks, was ejected with 1:36 left the second quarter for a flagrant-2 foul on Damian Jones.
The Sixers lost reserve Shake Milton with a hyperextended left knee in the third quarter. He scored nine points in 12:32 before getting injured.
The Hawks go on the road to play the Miami Heat on Tuesday in the second half of a back-to-back. The Sixers host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.
DeMar DeRozan poured in 27 points and led a huge midgame charge for the San Antonio Spurs, who came flying back from an early deficit and then held off the visiting Portland Trail Blazers 113-110 on Monday.
San Antonio completed a sweep of their season-opening three-game homestand while Portland fell to 2-2 as its two-game winning streak ended.
The Spurs roared back from a 19-point, first-quarter hole to take the lead midway through the third on the way to taking a 82-71 advantage heading into the final 12 minutes.
San Antonio outscored the Trail Blazers 63-38 over the second and third quarters, but Portland, playing the second game of a road back-to-back, forged its own comeback late, pulling to within a point on Damian Lillard's dunk with 1:09 to play.
Lillard scored 18 of his 28 points over the game's final 3:50, but he missed a three-point attempt that would have tied the game with 16.3 seconds to play. After a foul and two missed free throws by DeRozan, Portland had two more chances to pull even, but Lillard missed twice from beyond the arc, with the final attempt rolling around the rim and out at the buzzer.
Derrick White added 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting for the Spurs. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 15 points for San Antonio, and Bryn Forbes and Patty Mills scored 14 and 12 points, respectively.
CJ McCollum had 27 points for the Trail Blazers, with Rodney Hood pumping in 11 and Skal Labissiere and Anfernee Simons scoring 10 points each.
The Spurs' first road assignment is a tough one, as they visit the Clippers on Thursday. Portland will look to get back to winning ways against the Thunder on Wednesday.
Khris Middleton led seven players in double figures with 21 points as the Milwaukee Bucks gradually pulled away from the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers for a 129-112 victory.
Coming off a home loss to Miami, the Bucks also got 19 and 17-point efforts off the bench from George Hill and Pat Connaughton, respectively, while also getting double-figure scoring from starters Brook Lopez (16), Giannis Antetokounmpo (14), Eric Bledsoe (14) and Wes Matthews (14).
Collin Sexton led Cleveland with 18 points. Tristan Thompson (17 points, 13 rebounds) and Kevin Love (15 points, game-high 16 rebounds) notched double-doubles for the Cavaliers, who were coming off a home win over Indiana on Saturday.
Milwaukee, though, were comfortable here as they led 59-52 at halftime and extended the margin to as much as 83-67 in the third period after another Connaughton three-pointer before coasting home.
Connaughton (four) combined with Middleton, Lopez and Kyle Korver (three apiece) for 13 three-pointers as the Bucks outscored the Cavaliers 51-36 from beyond the arc. The Bucks shot 17-for-38 (44.7 per cent) overall on threes.
Antetokounmpo completed a double-double with a team-high 10 rebounds. He also found time for seven assists, one fewer than the team leader, Bledsoe.
Jordan Clarkson added 17 points, Larry Nance Jr. 15 and Cedi Osman 10 for the Cavs, who host the Bulls on Tuesday night. The Bucks, meanwhile, will be in Boston to face the Celtics.
Gary Harris contributed a pair of baskets, including a three-pointer, to a key 11-0 third-quarter burst which allowed the Nuggets to take the lead against the Sacramento Kings before Denver held on for a 101-94 road victory on Monday.
Playing the front end of a back-to-back, the Nuggets managed to give 10 players at least 17 minutes apiece and no one more than 31 while remaining unbeaten on the season at 3-0.
Richaun Holmes recorded a 24-point, 13-rebound double-double to pace the Kings, who fell to a very disappointing 0-4 to begin the season.
Sacramento held the upper hand most of the first half and retained a 65-58 advantage in the fourth minute of the third period before the Nuggets took charge.
Will Barton, Nicola Jokic and Paul Millsap joined with Harris on the game-changing run that put Denver up for good at 69-65.
The Nuggets went on to lead 77-70 by quarter's end and extended the advantage to 90-78 with 5:47 to play before Sacramento made a late run.
Holmes converted a De'Aaron Fox lob into an alley-oop dunk as the Kings rallied within 90-87 with 2:51 to play.
Holmes then added a free throw with 2:20 to go to cut the gap to just two points before Barton and Jokic hit consecutive shots inside 2:00 to see off the threat and help Denver extend their unbeaten start to the season.
The Nuggets next host the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. The Kings are at home to the Hornets on Wednesday.
Bojan Bogdanovic had 29 points and four three-pointers, and Donovan Mitchell added 25 points and made the first of two free throws with 0.4 seconds left to give the Utah Jazz a 96-95 victory over the host Phoenix Suns on Monday.
Rudy Gobert contributed 15 points and 18 rebounds, and he made eight consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter to help the Jazz overcome a seven-point deficit in the final nine minutes for their eight straight win against the Suns.
Devin Booker had 21 points while playing through foul trouble, Kelly Oubre Jr scored 18 points and Ricky Rubio had 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in his first game against Utah after spending the previous two seasons with the Jazz.
Mitchell's dunk after a Suns turnover tied the game at 92 at 2:06 remaining. Bogdanovic made a dunk and ensuing free throw after another turnover with 1:45 remaining for a 95-92 lead before Jevon Carter's three-pointer with 47.3 seconds to go tied it at 95.
After the Jazz took over with seven seconds remaining, Mitchell drove the lane and was fouled by Booker. He made the first shot, which was all Utah needed.
Carter had 15 points, Aron Baynes 12 and Frank Kaminsky 10 for the Suns, who were attempting to start 3-1 for the first since 2014-15.
Michael Conley, who took over from Rubio as Utah's point guard, was bothered by foul trouble and had only one point in 20 minutes, missing all seven of his field-goal attempts. Conley is 9-for-45 from the field this season and has still to settle with his new team. He had one assist, one steal and three turnovers.
The Suns made 41.2 per cent from the field, the first Jazz opponent to make more than 40 per cent but it mattered not in the end as Utah took the win.
The Jazz head to the Clippers on Wednesday while Phoenix head to the Chase Center to face the Warriors.
Kyle Lowry scored 26 points, including a key three-pointer and five free throws late in the fourth quarter, as the Toronto Raptors held off the visiting Orlando Magic 104-95 on Monday night.
Pascal Siakam added 24 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who got double-digit scoring from all five starters. Fred VanVleet had 14 points, OG Anunoby added 12 points and eight rebounds, and Marc Gasol contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds. Serge Ibaka had nine points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
Jonathan Isaac led the Magic with 24 points, Evan Fournier added 18 points, and Markelle Fultz and Terrence Ross added 13 and 11 off the bench, respectively. Nikola Vucevic added five points and 12 rebounds in what was a disappointing night offensively for the Montenegrin and his frontcourt partner Aaron Gordon as they combined for just 2-of-19 from the floor.
The Raptors took an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter and quickly increased it to 14 on VanVleet's layup and free throw 24 seconds into the frame but Orlando then rallied Ross hit a three-pointer with 4:18 to go to give the Magic an 89-87 lead.
Siakam then made a layup and a free throw to put Toronto back out in front by one, but Fultz got it right back for the Magic with a layup with 3:45 to play.
Lowry's three-pointer gave Toronto a two-point lead 42 seconds later, then Lowry added two free throws and Toronto led by four with 2:35 to go. A minute later, Lowry made three free throws to increase the lead to seven and put the game out of reach.
The Magic is now the only team in the NBA yet to record 100 points in a game. They face the Knicks back on their home floor on Tuesday night, while the Raptors host Detroit.
Christian Wood scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds off the bench and Derrick Rose overcame a cold shooting night to score the go-ahead basket in the final minute as the host Detroit Pistons defeated the Indiana Pacers for the second time in six nights, 96-94, on Monday.
Andre Drummond supplied 18 points and 18 rebounds, while Luke Kennard tossed in 14 points for Detroit, which had lost its last two games. Bruce Brown added 11 points and seven rebounds, and Rose scored 10 on 4-for-16 shooting with six assists off the bench.
Domantas Sabonis led the Pacers, who dropped to 0-3, with 21 points and 14 rebounds. T.J. Warren had 19 points and five steals, Myles Turner scored 16 points, and Malcolm Brogdon added 15 points and 11 assists.
Detroit went scoreless for more than three minutes early in the fourth as Indiana whittled its deficit from nine to two. Sabonis capped that spurt off with a three-point play.
A Brogdon basket midway through the quarter cut the Pistons' lead to 86-85.
Warren's floater with 2:53 left gave Indiana its first lead at 91-90. Warren then drilled a three-pointer after an offensive rebound to make it a four-point advantage.
Kennard answered with a three and Warren then travelled to give the ball back to Detroit. Rose missed on a drive but Brogdon misfired a three on the other end. Rose finally converted a layup with 28.3 seconds left to give Detroit a 95-94 edge.
Indiana missed two long tries on its next possession before fouling Kennard, who made the first free throw and missed the second. Drummond's tap-in on the miss was waved off for offensive goaltending.
Warren's three-point desperation try at the buzzer fell short and Detroit claimed their first win since dispatching the Pacers in both teams' season opener.
Both teams are next in action on Tuesday when the Pistons face the Raptors in Toronto and the Pacers play the Brooklyn Nets.
Reserve Bobby Portis scored 11 of his season-high 28 points in the fourth quarter as the New York Knicks rebounded from a dismal showing in their home opener against Boston and rallied from 18 points down to beat the Chicago Bulls 105-98.
Portis gave the Knicks their first lead at 100-98 when he spotted up in the left corner opposite the New York bench and got a pass out of the low post from Julius Randle. He had plenty of time to spot up as Lauri Markkanen was late to rotate over before hitting the three.
He then followed it up with another shot from beyond the arc to extend New York's advantage to five points with 69 seconds left in front of the Knicks bench that led to the crowd loudly chanting his name.
Portis' clutch performance came as part of a game-ending 15-0 run for the Knicks, who avoided their first 0-4 start since 2005-06.
The former Chicago forward shot 10 of 14 from the floor and hit all four of his three-point shots while also grabbing 11 rebounds.
Portis also hit a three-pointer from the top of the key that forged an 88-88 tie with 6:09 left, but Chicago ripped off a 10-2 run to take a 98-90 lead on Markkanen's three with 3:33 remaining.
But the Bulls were unable to contain Portis and finished the game by missing seven straight shots.
Rookie RJ Barrett put in another impressive performance for New York and added 19 points and 15 rebounds for his first career double-double as the Knicks shot 41.8 per cent. Kevin Knox contributed 14 points and Randle collected 13 points and 14 rebounds.
Zack LaVine led Chicago with 21 points and Wendell Carter Jr. collected 20 points and 10 rebounds. Markkanen contributed 18 points while Thaddeus Young finished with 15 points as the Bulls shot 42.4 per cent.
Next up for the Knicks is a trip to the Magic on Tuesday, while the Bulls continue their road trip against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
