Kawhi Leonard enjoys victorious Toronto homecoming as Clippers defeat Raptors
LeBron's triple-double leads Lakers past Magic; Harden hits for 55 as Rockets beat Cavs; Giannis-less Bucks earn 16th straight win
Thursday 12 December 2019 08:33, UK
Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points and added six assists and five rebounds on his return to Toronto, as the visiting LA Clippers defeated the Raptors 112-92 on Wednesday night.
LA Clippers 112-92 Toronto Raptors
Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points and added six assists and five rebounds on his return to Toronto, as the visiting LA Clippers defeated the Raptors 112-92 on Wednesday night.
Lou Williams scored 18 points and had eight assists off the bench for the Clippers, who have won five of their past six games. Maurice Harkless added 14 points, Paul George had 13, Patrick Beverley and Patrick Patterson each scored 11, and Montrezl Harrell contributed 10.
Pascal Siakam scored 24 points for the Raptors, who have lost four of their past five games. Norman Powell added 22 points, OG Anunoby had 13 points, Terence Davis had 10 and Marc Gasol compiled nine points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
Leonard, who led the Raptors to the NBA title last season before leaving as a free agent, was presented with his championship ring in a ceremony before the game. There also was a video tribute. He was greeted with a loud, prolonged ovation.
The Raptors reduced a 20-point deficit to five points during the third quarter, but the Clippers came back to lead by as many as 24 points during the fourth.
Los Angeles Lakers 96-87 Orlando Magic
LeBron James collected 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his sixth triple-double of the season as the visiting Los Angeles Lakers posted a 96-87 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Reigning Western Conference Player of the Week Anthony Davis added 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers, who have won 15 of 16 overall and 12 in a row on the road.
Los Angeles' road winning streak matched the 1972-73 team for the second-longest run in franchise history. The club record is 16 straight road victories, set by the 1971-72 Lakers.
Former Orlando center Dwight Howard was greeted by a chorus of boos from the crowd, and that reaction didn't get any better after he exchanged shoves with a few Magic players during the third quarter. Los Angeles' Jared Dudley and Orlando's Wes Iwundu were ejected following their roles in a skirmish that began after Jonathan Isaac fouled Howard, who played his first eight NBA seasons in Orlando (2004-12).
Isaac scored 19 points and Evan Fournier added 18 for the Magic, who battled back from an early 24-point deficit to forge a tie at 71 early in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles promptly responded with a 10-0 spurt to take control of the contest. Avery Bradley began the uprising and Alex Caruso and Dudley each drained a three-pointer before James capped the surge with a lay-up.
Boston Celtics 117-122 Indiana Pacers
Domantas Sabonis recorded a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds and the Indiana bench came up big in the fourth quarter to power the Pacers to a 122-117 win over the visiting Boston Celtics.
Indiana handed Boston just their second loss in the last eight games, but the Pacers needed to rally in the fourth quarter to do it. The Celtics outscored the Pacers 37-23 in the third quarter to take a 10-point lead into the final period.
Aaron and Justin Holiday provided key minutes in the fourth, and the two finished with 18 and 17 points, respectively. The brothers scored three consecutive baskets as part of a 10-2 run to open the fourth quarter, setting Indiana on their way in the pivotal frame.
The Holidays were two of six Indiana players to score in double figures, joining Sabonis, whose baby hook in the paint with 32.4 seconds proved vital. Sabonis flirted with a triple-double, matching Malcolm Brogdon and Boston's Jaylen Brown with a game-high eight assists.
Brogdon led the Pacers with 29 points, including the final four free throws to put the game away. TJ Warren added 14 points, and Myles Turner scored 11. Kemba Walker scored a season-high 44 points for the Celtics, but his potential game-tying three-point attempt in the closing seconds came up short when Warren got a piece of the ball.
Houston Rockets 116-110 Cleveland Cavaliers
James Harden scored 55 points, but it was his eighth assist that proved critical in the visiting Houston Rockets' 116-110 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Harden gave the Rockets a 109-108 lead with 1:03 left and followed by converting a Cleveland turnover into a transition corner three-pointer by PJ Tucker that extended the advantage to four. Tucker recorded the steal against Jordan Clarkson and dashed to the right corner to await the pass from Harden, who delivered in plenty of time for Tucker to set his feet and sink the shot.
Harden finished 20-of-34 from the floor and drilled 10-of-18 three-point attempts to help Houston overcome a 24-0 Cleveland run that bridged the final two periods. The Cavaliers have dropped 14 of 15 games.
Russell Westbrook added 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Rockets. Rookie Kevin Porter Jr scored a career-high 24 points to pace the Cavaliers, while Collin Sexton chipped in 18. Kevin Love and Clarkson scored 17 apiece, with Love adding 11 rebounds.
New Orleans Pelicans 112-127 Milwaukee Bucks
Eric Bledsoe scored 29 points as the host Milwaukee Bucks won their 16th consecutive game despite the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, routing the New Orleans Pelicans 127-112.
Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA MVP, sat out the game because of a sore quad tendon and three team-mates joined Bledsoe in double figures. Khris Middleton scored 24, Ersan Ilyasova added 18 and George Hill had 13.
The Bucks, who are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the best record in the league (22-3), matched their longest winning streak since winning 16 in a row over two seasons in 1973.
JJ Redick scored 31, Brandon Ingram had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Jrue Holiday scored 21 and rookie Jaxson Hayes had 12 points to lead the Pelicans, who lost their 10th game in a row.
The Bucks led 69-46 at half-time, but the Pelicans started chipping away in the third quarter. They crept within 95-82 on rookie Nickeil Alexander-Walker's three-pointer with 2:43 left in the period.
Hill's basket gave Milwaukee a 111-88 lead early in the fourth quarter and they kept New Orleans at a safe distance the rest of the way.
Oklahoma City Thunder 93-94 Sacramento Kings
Bogdan Bogdanovic made a three-pointer with 13.4 seconds remaining as the Sacramento Kings overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 94-93.
Both teams committed turnovers with the game tied in the final minute before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit two free throws to put the Thunder up 93-91 with 31.6 seconds left.
Bogdanovic, who missed five of his first six threes, got the ball outside the arc and paused as Oklahoma City defender Dennis Schroder went flying past him trying for a block. Bogdanovic then hit a 28-foot jumper to give Sacramento the lead.
Chris Paul missed a shot from the elbow for the Thunder as time expired.
Buddy Hield had eight of his 23 points in the fourth quarter for the Kings. Bogdanovic scored 17 and Marvin Bagley III added 11 points and six rebounds after missing the previous 22 games with a broken right thumb.
Schroder had 17 points to lead six Thunder players in double figures. Paul wasn't one of them. Oklahoma City's point guard had eight points, 12 assists and seven rebounds.
Utah Jazz 127-116 Minnesota Timberwolves
Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, dished out six assists and collected five rebounds to lift the visiting Utah Jazz to a 127-116 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Rudy Gobert finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds to help the Jazz win for just the third time in nine games. Joe Ingles added 23 points, five rebounds and five assists. Six players scored in double figures for Utah.
The Jazz shot 56.6 per cent from the field and 45.7 per cent from three-point range. They finished with a 45-42 edge on rebounds and outscored Minnesota 48-44 in the paint.
Jeff Teague scored 32 points and dished out six assists to lead the Timberwolves. Andrew Wiggins added 26 points while Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Minnesota lost their sixth straight game and gave up at least 120 points for the fifth consecutive contest.
Memphis Grizzlies 115-108 Phoenix Suns
Dillon Brooks had 27 points and Jaren Jackson Jr had 24 and three three-pointers as the Memphis Grizzlies built a 10-point fourth-quarter lead and held on for a 115-108 victory over the host Phoenix Suns.
Brandon Clarke had 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench and Ja Morant had 13 points - four in the final 43 seconds - and six assists for the Grizzlies, who won their second straight game after losing nine of 11.
Frank Kaminksy had season highs with 24 points and four three-pointers, Ricky Rubio had 22 points and eight assists and Kelly Oubre Jr had 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Suns, who were trying to get back to .500 for the first time in three weeks.
Despite shooting poorly, the Suns got to within four points twice in the final two minutes, the first when Aron Baynes hit two free throws with 1:33 remaining to make it 107-103.
Brooks made a pair of free throws to push the lead back to six, and after Baynes made a lay-up to trim the lead to four, Morant dunked over Baynes to make it 111-105 with 43.4 seconds left. Morant hit two free throws on the next possession with 28.3 seconds left.
Suns leading scorer Devin Booker, playing with his right wrist taped, had 15 points and 10 assists on 6-of-17 shooting.
Charlotte Hornets 113-108 Brooklyn Nets
Devonte' Graham scored 27 of his career-high 40 points after half-time as the Charlotte Hornets overcame a 20-point deficit and recorded a 113-106 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in New York.
Graham scored five of Charlotte's final seven points, hitting a long jumper over Garrett Temple with 51.5 seconds left to snap a 106-106 tie and then connecting on a top-of-the-key three-pointer over Joe Harris with 22.7 seconds remaining to put Charlotte up 111-106.
Graham shot 12-of-21 from the field and hit 7-of-12 three-point attempts. He became the first Hornet other than Kemba Walker to get a 40-point game since Al Jefferson on January 31, 2014, against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Graham's big night helped the Hornets rally from a 20-point hole early in the second and a 17-point deficit with 5:58 remaining in the third quarter. He scored 23 points in the final 17:58 as Charlotte outscored the Nets 53-31 the margin the rest of the way.
Miles Bridges added 14 points for Charlotte, Terry Rozier and rookie PJ Washington added 13 points apiece for Charlotte. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 24 points for the Nets, who fell to 9-4 without Kyrie Irving (right shoulder impingement). Jarrett Allen added 21 points and 10 rebounds for Brooklyn.
Atlanta Hawks 102-136 Chicago Bulls
Zach LaVine scored a game-high 35 points on 12-for-16 shooting, including 7-of-7 from beyond the arc, as the Chicago Bulls cruised to a 136-102 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks.
Lauri Markkanen added 22 points on 8-for-9 shooting for Chicago, who recorded a season-high in points and snapped a three-game losing streak. Coby White scored 19 points to lead the Bulls' reserves, while Wendell Carter Jr notched his 13th double-double in 26 games with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Alex Len scored 17 points off the bench to lead Atlanta, who lost their second game in as many nights. Cam Reddish added 16 points off the bench, and Trae Young recorded a double-double with 15 points and 13 assists despite shooting only 4-of-14 from the field and 1-of-6 from beyond the arc.
After a fast-paced third quarter, during which the Bulls outscored the Hawks 40-35, Chicago increased their lead to 106-87. It marked the first time the Bulls scored 100-plus points in the first three quarters since April 14, 2008, against the Milwaukee Bucks, according to the team. The Bulls then outscored the Hawks 30-15 in the fourth quarter.
New York Knicks 124-122 Golden State Warriors (OT)
Julius Randle capped a double-double performance with a tiebreaking three-pointer in the second minute of overtime, helping the New York Knicks give interim coach Mike Miller his first NBA win while snapping a 10-game losing streak in an entertaining 124-122 victory over the host Golden State Warriors.
Randle finished with 24 points and a team-high 13 rebounds, and Marcus Morris Sr scored 36 points, his most since joining the Knicks as a free agent in the offseason. New York rebounded from a 28-point shellacking on Tuesday in Portland to deliver Miller a win in his third game since replacing David Fizdale.
Mitchell Robinson and Elfrid Payton followed Randle's three-pointer with baskets, helping the Knicks go up by as many as seven in the overtime period before holding on to beat Golden State for the first time in their last 11 meetings dating to March 2014.
In a duel between 20-game losers and two of the lowest-scoring teams in the league, Draymond Green recorded a triple-double while D'Angelo Russell scored 32 points for Golden State.
The Warriors forced the extra session by outscoring the Knicks 9-3 in the final 40.3 seconds of regulation, with Russell drawing Golden State even with a three-pointer with 5.5 seconds left.
Morris (10 rebounds) and Barrett (22 points, 10 rebounds) joined Randle with double-doubles for the Knicks, who also ended a five-game road losing streak.
Green's triple-double included 14 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists for the Warriors, Burks had 18 points and Glenn Robinson III 17, while Marquese Chriss had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
