Spurs withstand fightback to shock Warriors; Shorthanded Bucks beat Heat without Giannis; Grizzlies follow record-breaking win by beating Mavs; Jokic double-double helps Nuggets win against Knicks; Tatum, Schroder drop 31 as Celtics rout Blazers
Sunday 5 December 2021 09:03, UK
Zach LaVine scored 31 points, DeMar DeRozan had 29 and the Chicago Bulls beat the Brooklyn Nets 111-107 on Saturday night.
Nikola Vucevic and Ayo Dosunmu each added 11 points for the Bulls in a matchup of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
Lonzo Ball filled the box score for the Bulls but never broke out of single digits in any category, registering eight points, nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals and three blocks.
Kevin Durant led Brooklyn with 28 points and LaMarcus Aldridge had 20. James Harden added 14 points and 14 assists, but shot 5 for 21 from the field. Veteran Paul Millsap also scored a season-high 13 points.
The Bulls also beat the East-leading Nets on November 8 and have clinched the season series.
Derrick White scored 25 points, Dejounte Murray had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and San Antonio held off a furious rally to beat Golden State.
The Spurs closed the game with an 8-1 run to win their fourth straight.
Stephen Curry scored 27 points and Jordan Poole added 15 for Golden State, which was playing a night after snapping Phoenix's 18-game winning streak in a matchup of the NBA's top teams.
White hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:43 left in the game to give the Spurs a 107-106 lead.
Pat Connaughton made seven 3-pointers and scored 23 points, and Milwaukee avenged an embarrassing loss from the second game of the season, beating Miami despite playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee led by as many as 31 points in the second half against a depleted Heat team missing Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo due to injuries. Antetokounmpo sat out with a right calf injury.
The Heat routed Milwaukee 137-95 in Miami earlier in the season but the Bucks dominated this time behind Khris Middleton, Connaughton and Jrue Holiday.
Connaughton was 7 of 13 on 3s and Middleton had 22 points, nine assists and six rebounds in 30 minutes. Holiday scored all of his 16 points in the first half as Milwaukee sprinted to a 17-point lead at intermission.
Max Strus scored 25 points for Miami, making five 3-pointers. Caleb Martin had 16 points and Tyler Herro scored 15.
Nikola Jokic scored 32 points and had 11 rebounds in just 27 minutes, leading Denver over New York.
Denver never trailed in winning for only the third time in 10 games.
Zeke Nnaji added 21 points off the bench for the Nuggets, Will Barton contributed 13 and Jeff Green 11.
The Knicks have lost three straight overall and fell to 5-8 at Madison Square Garden this season.
Julius Randle led the Knicks with 24 points on 9-for-18 shooting. Evan Fournier chipped in 15, R.J. Barrett added 13 and Alec Burks and Derrick Rose each had 11.
Desmond Bane scored a career-high 29 points, and Memphis held on to beat Dallas in its first game since setting an NBA record with a 73-point victory.
Tyus Jones had 16 points and seven assists for the Grizzlies, who haven't trailed at all while going 4-0 since star guard and leading scorer Ja Morant was sidelined with a left knee sprain.
The Mavericks dropped to 0-4 this season without young sensation Luka Doncic. They were also missing his European sidekick, Kristaps Porzingis, and lost their fourth consecutive game without their top two scorers going back to last season.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter for the Mavericks, who cut a 15-point deficit to five in the final five minutes but couldn't get closer.
Jayson Tatum and Dennis Schroder scored 31 points apiece and Boston rode a sizzling start to a victory over Portland.
Enes Freedom grabbed 15 rebounds off the bench for the Celtics, who made 14 of their first 15 shots and built a 21-point, first-half lead.
CJ McCollum scored 24 points for the Trail Blazers.
Terrence Davis scored 23 of his 28 points in the second half and Sacramento beat the Clippers for the second time in four nights.
Davis made all four of his 3-point attempts in the third quarter and finished 6 of 11 from beyond the arc.
Tyrese Haliburton added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists for Sacramento, which beat the Clippers 124-115 on Wednesday in Los Angeles. De'Aaron Fox had 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and Marvin Bagley III recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Marcus Morris Sr. led the Clippers with 21 points and nine rebounds. Reggie Jackson added 18 points.
