Rampant Raptors seal 11th straight win; Giannis scores 30 as Bucks thrash Suns; Pistons outlast Nuggets in OT
Monday 3 February 2020 06:59, UK
James Harden finished an assist shy of a 40-point triple-double as the Houston Rockets held on for a back-and-forth 117-109 win over the visiting New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
James Harden finished an assist shy of a 40-point triple-double as the Houston Rockets held on for a back-and-forth 117-109 win over the visiting New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
Harden finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, drilling 7-of-15 three-point attempts to keep the Rockets afloat while Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon and Austin Rivers shot a combined 2-of-15 from deep.
Harden sandwiched a pair of driving lay-ups around two free throws in the fourth quarter to extend the Houston lead to 110-103 and keep the Pelicans at bay. New Orleans finished with a 63-43 advantage on the glass but were undone by 23 turnovers that Houston converted into 29 points.
Five Pelicans posted double-digit rebounds: Brandon Ingram (12), Derrick Favors and Lonzo Ball (11 each), and Zion Williamson and Josh Hart (10 apiece).
Ingram led the Pelicans with 28 points while Williamson added 21 and Hart 16. Westbrook and Ben McLemore, who scored 22 points in 24 minutes off the bench, helped Harden with the scoring load while Danuel House Jr posted a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds.
There were 14 ties and 10 lead changes. Neither team held a double-digit advantage.
Ingram scored 16 points in the third period as the Pelicans briefly seized control. His three-pointer with 7:19 left gave the Pelicans a 75-72 lead, but when McLemore sank two free throws with 0.8 seconds left in the frame, that put New Orleans ahead 93-92 entering the fourth quarter.
Rookie Terence Davis scored a career-best 31 points on 12-for-15 shooting as the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Chicago Bulls 129-102 to equal their franchise record with 11 straight wins.
Pascal Siakam added 17 points and nine rebounds despite not playing in the fourth quarter for the Raptors, who also won 11 straight games in 2016 and 2018. Serge Ibaka scored 16 points for Toronto, Kyle Lowry had 14, Fred VanVleet had 12 points and eight assists while Chris Boucher had 15 and Patrick McCaw scored 10.
Thaddeus Young had 21 points and seven rebounds for Chicago before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Zach LaVine added 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Bulls, who have lost three in a row. Chandler Hutchison had 17 points and Ryan Arcidiacono and Coby White had 12 each.
The Raptors swept the three-game season series from the Bulls and have won 12 straight against them.
The Bulls led 63-60 at half-time. The Raptors took a five-point lead on OG Anunoby's running reverse dunk after three minutes of the third quarter had elapsed. The lead reached 77-67 on Siakam's 13-footer with 7:07 left in the third.
LaVine's dunk with 4:28 left cut it to five, but Lowry's two free throws in the final minute gave Toronto a 95-85 lead after three quarters. The Raptors scored the first six points of the final period. The lead reached 21 on McCaw's triple with eight minutes remaining.
Giannis Antetokounmpo missed a triple-double by one assist for the fifth time this season, contributing 30 points, 19 rebounds and nine assists to the Milwaukee Bucks' 129-108 victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns.
Brook Lopez blocked a career-high nine shots to complement 17 points and Khris Middleton went for 25 points, helping the Bucks - beaten at home by Denver on Friday - win for the 10th time in their last 11 games.
Devin Booker went over 30 points for the seventh time in his last 10 games, pouring in a game-high 32 to pace the Suns, who lost their second straight game.
The Bucks got a dunk from Lopez just 16 seconds into the game and led the rest of the way, using an 18-6 run bridging the second and third quarters to pull away.
The Suns were within 53-46 with 3:45 remaining in the half before Pat Connaughton and Middleton hit three-pointers in a 14-6 closing burst that opened a 15-point advantage at the break.
When Wesley Matthews dropped in two free throws and Antetokounmpo sank a short shot to open the third period, the Bucks had opened a 71-52 lead and never led by fewer than nine thereafter.
Antetokounmpo, who has recorded four triple-doubles this season, made 10 of his 21 shots en route to his team-high points total, which came in just 31 minutes.
Donte DiVincenzo added 15 points and Eric Bledsoe 12 for the Bucks, who improved to 23-3 at home.
Andre Drummond had 21 points, 17 rebounds and four assists and Reggie Jackson supplied 20 points and six assists off the bench as the host Detroit Pistons snapped a five-game losing streak by surprising the Denver Nuggets 128-123 in overtime.
Bruce Brown contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and Svi Mykhailiuk and Tony Snell scored 13 points apiece for Detroit. Drummond recorded the 400th double-double of his career.
Detroit's Derrick Rose left in the first half with a groin injury and did not return to the game. He finished with two points, ending his streak of 20-point games at 14.
Nikola Jokic carried Denver, who were coming off impressive wins over Utah and Milwaukee, with 39 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Will Barton had 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Monte Morris scored 19 points.
The Nuggets were playing without four rotation players due to injuries, including point guard Jamal Murray and forwards Michael Porter Jr and Paul Millsap.
Drummond scored 78 seconds into the overtime session and Brown followed with a triple to give Detroit a 116-112 lead. Drummond fouled out on the Nuggets' next possession but replacement Thon Maker hit a baseline shot to give the Pistons a five-point lead with 2:24 to play.
A Jerami Grant three-pointer with a minute to go cut Detroit's lead to four points. But the Pistons made four free throws down the stretch and Maker converted a lob pass to seal the victory.
