Kawhi Leonard posts first triple-double and grabs 33 points as LA Clippers beat Heat in Miami
Giannis leads Bucks to win in NBA Paris Game; OKC drop season-high 130 on Hawks; Westbrook tallies 45 points and 10 assists as Rockets down Nuggets
Saturday 25 January 2020 11:07, UK
Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points and had his first career triple-double as Los Angeles beat the Heat in Miami.
LA Clippers 122-117 Miami Heat
Kawhi Leonard scored 17 of his game-high 33 points in the crucial third quarter and had his first career triple-double as Los Angeles beat hosts Miami, 122-117.
The Heat, who lost for only the second time in 22 home games, were led by Jimmy Butler, who had 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists before going out with a right-ankle injury in the fourth quarter. Miami were without three rotation players: guard Goran Dragic (calf injury), Kendrick Nunn (Achilles) and Justise Winslow (back).
Leonard, who rested in Los Angeles' previous game, a loss to the Hawks in Atlanta, also had 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Clippers shooting guard Landry Shamet had 22 points.
Denver Nuggets 113-106 New Orleans Pelicans
Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr and Torrey Craig had double-doubles as the Denver Nuggets won in New Orleans, 113-106.
Zion Williamson had his second straight strong performance in a losing effort for the Pelicans. The No 1 overall draft choice had 15 points (on 7-of-9 shooting) and six rebounds in 20 minutes two nights after scoring 22 points in 18 minutes of a loss to San Antonio in his long-awaited NBA debut.
Jokic had 27 points and 12 rebounds, Porter had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Craig had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Josh Hart matched Williamson by scoring 15 for New Orleans.
Milwaukee Bucks 116-103 Charlotte Hornets
Giannis Antetokounmpo put on a show with 30 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, lifting the Milwaukee Bucks to a 116-103 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday in the NBA's first regular-season game in Paris.
After the teams battled to a tie at 78 through three quarters, the Bucks pulled away with an 11-2 burst that featured an Antetokounmpo three-point play, three free throws from Kyle Korver after he was fouled on a 3-point shot attempt, and a 3-point jumper from Khris Middleton.
Eric Bledsoe backed Antetokounmpo with 20 points for the Bucks, and George Hill chipped in with 16 points.
Superior bench play kept Charlotte in the game, with reserve Malik Monk leading all scorers with 31 points while Marvin Williams added 18. Devonte' Graham finished with 19 points to go with a team-high seven rebounds.
Toronto Raptors 118-112 New York Knicks
Kyle Lowry scored a game-high 26 points as Toronto held off a furious fourth-quarter rally by host New York to get its sixth straight win, 118-112.
Pascal Siakam had 23 points and combined with Lowry to score the final 12 points - seven for Siakam and five for Lowry. Fred VanVleet scored 16 points while Norman Powell (16 points) and Serge Ibaka (14 points) reached double digits off the bench for Toronto.
Marcus Morris Sr (21 points, 10 rebounds), Julius Randle (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Elfrid Payton (13 points, 11 assists) had double-doubles for the Knicks, who led by as many as 13 points in the first quarter and made up all of a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit but could not take the lead and eventually succumbed to defeat.
Boston Celtics 109-98 Orlando Magic
Kemba Walker scored 37 points, Gordon Hayward added 22 and the short-handed Boston Celtics surged past the host Orlando Magic, 109-98, for its third straight win.
Hayward also had 14 rebounds, and Daniel Theis chipped in 16 points. Boston played without two of its three top scorers in Jayson Tatum (right groin strain) and Jaylen Brown (right ankle sprain), and key reserve Enes Kanter also was out with a right hip contusion.
Evan Fournier had a team-high 30 points, Nikola Vucevic added 17 and 12 rebounds and Aaron Gordon scored 12 for the Magic, who lost for the fourth time in their last five.
Atlanta Hawks 111-140 Oklahoma City Thunder
Danilo Gallinari scored 25 points to lead the host Oklahoma City Thunder to a season-high point total during a 140-111 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points as the Thunder won their fourth straight game. Dennis Schroder added 21 points and Mike Muscala had 14 to help Oklahoma City's subs score 58 points.
John Collins shot 13 of 16 overall and scored 28 points for the Hawks, who have lost three of four and seven of 10. Trae Young also dropped 26 points, fresh from the news he will start in the All-Star game, and Cam Reddish had 20.
Houston Rockets 131-124 Minnesota Timberwolves
Russell Westbrook paired a season-high 45 points with 10 assists in Minneapolis and as the Houston Rockets extended the Minnesota Timberwolves' losing skid to eight games with a 131-124 victory.
Westbrook scored 27 second-half points and dominated down the stretch to help the Rockets fend off the Timberwolves, who attempted to rally behind Karl-Anthony Towns (30 points, 12 rebounds) and Andrew Wiggins (28 points).
With James Harden scoring a season-low 12 points on 3-of-13 shooting, including 0-of-6 from three-point range, the Rockets turned to reserve guards Eric Gordon and Austin Rivers to provide support for Westbrook. Gordon added a season-high 27 points and Rivers tallied 16 points. Westbrook also grabbed six rebounds and finished 13 of 13 from the free-throw line.
Phoenix Suns 103-99 San Antonio Spurs
Devin Booker racked up 35 points and distributed 10 assists as the Phoenix Suns rode a definitive second-quarter run and timely baskets down the stretch to end the host San Antonio Spurs' three-game winning streak, 103-99.
The Suns led by six points heading to the fourth quarter and never relinquished the advantage. San Antonio was within one point five times over the final 12 minutes but could never break through. It was Booker's sixth double-double of the year and his 18th game of the season with 30 or more points.
Dario Saric scored 20 points for Phoenix, with Kelly Oubre Jr. adding 16, Ricky Rubio hitting 11, and Deandre Ayton pumping in 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs with 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting. LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points, and Derrick White tallied 13 for San Antonio.
Memphis Grizzlies 125-112 Detroit Pistons
Jaren Jackson Jr had 29 points and Dillon Brooks supplied 27 as the visiting Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Piston in Detroit, 125-112.
Rookie Ja Morant contributed 16 points and 12 assists, Brandon Clarke had 15 points and 11 rebounds off the bench and De'Anthony Melton added 14 points and five assists for Memphis.
Derrick Rose led Detroit, which was missing center Andre Drummond (lip) and starting wings Bruce Brown and Tony Snell (flu), with 22 points and eight assists. Christian Wood contributed 20 points and six rebounds off the bench while Reggie Jackson, Svi Mykhailiuk and Langston Galloway scored 14 points apiece. Thon Maker chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds.
Live NBA: Dallas @ Utah
Sacramento Kings 98-91 Chicago Bulls
Buddy Hield scored 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting off the bench and Sacramento pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat the host Chicago Bulls, 98-91.
Harrison Barnes added 19 points for the Kings and De'Aaron Fox finished with 18. Sacramento snapped a six-game losing streak and posted its first victory since January 7 against the Phoenix Suns.
Zach LaVine scored 21 points to lead the Bulls. Chandler Hutchison had 11 points off the bench and Thaddeus Young and Kris Dunn both finished with 10 for Chicago, which lost for the second time in the past three games.
Indiana Pacers 129-119 Golden State Warriors
TJ McConnell, Jeremy Lamb and TJ Warren contributed baskets to a key fourth-quarter run, allowing the Indiana Pacers to hold off the Golden State Warriors 129-118 in San Francisco.
Warren finished with a team-high 33 points as the Pacers overcame a slow start to win for the third time in four games on a western swing.
Doug McDermott drilled six three-pointers en route to 24 points off the bench for Indiana. Domantas Sabonis and Lamb chipped in with 16 points apiece while McConnell and Aaron Holiday had 12 each. Sabonis also completed a double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds. He also found time for eight assists, tying McConnell for team-high honours in that category.
Golden State's D'Angelo Russell led all scorers with 37 points. Glenn Robinson III added 18 points, and Marquese Chriss had 13 as the starting center in place of Willie Cauley-Stein, who reportedly is being traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Alec Burks had 11 and Draymond Green 10 as part of a double-double with a game-high 11 assists.
