MILWAUKEE (AP) – Giannis Antetokounmpo tied a career high with 34 points and the Milwaukee Bucks stunned the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-101 on Tuesday night.
Antetokounmpo added 12 rebounds and five assists while Milwaukee ended Cleveland's four-game winning streak. Jabari Parker had 18 points and Michael Beasley had 17 off the bench for the Bucks.
LeBron James had 22 points for the Cavaliers, who fell to 13-3. Kyrie Irving added 20 points.
Milwaukee led by 22 points in the fourth quarter and cruised past the defending champions, who benched their starters midway through the final period.
The Bucks outscored Cleveland by 14 points in the third quarter.
Cleveland rode hot early shooting to a 14-point first quarter lead, but Milwaukee closed on a 10-0 run and trailed by only two at the end of the period.
The hot hands of Antetokounmpo and Beasley sparked Milwaukee in the second quarter as the Bucks built an advantage of eight points before leading 58-54 at the half.
NETS 127, CLIPPERS 122, 2OT
NEW YORK (AP) — Sean Kilpatrick scored 31 of his career-high 38 points after the third quarter and Brooklyn stopped a seven-game losing streak with a double-overtime victory over Los Angeles.
The Clippers started the game without Blake Griffin, ended it without the ejected coach Doc Rivers and dropped their third straight game by blowing an 18-point lead.
Chris Paul had 26 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds for the Clippers, but the best guard on the floor in crunch time was Kilpatrick, who also had a career-best 14 rebounds.
Brook Lopez added 27 points for the Nets.
DeAndre Jordan had 21 points and 23 rebounds for the Clippers, who rested Griffin, their leading scorer.
MAGIC 95, SPURS 83
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Serge Ibaka had 18 points and Orlando took advantage of a sloppy night by San Antonio to snap the Spurs' nine-game winning streak.
San Antonio committed a season-high 19 turnovers in its worst scoring performance of the season. The Spurs have four home losses in the first two months of this season after falling just once at AT&T Center in 2015-16.
Evan Fournier scored 13 points and Nikola Vucevic had 12 to help the Magic snap a four-game skid.
Orlando entered having lost eight of 11, but they were looser and more fluid than San Antonio from the start.
The Spurs' turnovers resulted in 19 points for the Magic.
Kawhi Leonard had 21 points for San Antonio and LaMarcus Aldridge added 16.
PELICANS 105, LAKERS 88
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Anthony Davis had 41 points and 16 rebounds, helping New Orleans dominate short-handed Los Angeles.
Jrue Holiday scored 22 points in his first start this season and Omer Asik had 10 points and 11 assists while New Orleans snapped a two-game skid.
The Lakers expected to be healthier with forward Julius Randle returning to the lineup following a three-game absence because of a hip injury, but about two minutes into the game, starting shooting guard Nick Young was carried off with a strained right Achilles tendon.
Lou Williams scored 16 points for the Lakers and Randle finished with 12, but Los Angeles was in a 20-point hole by the second quarter.
JAZZ 120, ROCKETS 101
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gordon Hayward scored a season-high 31 points, helping Utah beat Houston for its season-best fourth straight win.
Utah started strong en route to a season high for scoring. Rodney Hood had 10 points during a 20-5 first-quarter run after trailing 16-9, and Houston never led again. Hood finished with 19 points.
Rudy Gobert recorded his 11th double-double of the season with 16 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. Hayward had seven assists and five rebounds.
James Harden scored 26 points but was an inefficient 8 for 23 from the field. He also had seven assists and five rebounds, while Eric Gordon scored 24 points off the bench.
PISTONS 112, HORNETS 89
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Tobias Harris scored 24 points, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Marcus Morris each had 18 points and Detroit beat Charlotte for its third straight win.
Ish Smith added 13 points whhile Detroit shot 49 percent from the field.
Kemba Walker had 23 points for the Hornets, who were playing their fourth game in five nights.
The Pistons hadn't played since Saturday and looked much fresher throughout the game in snapping Charlotte's two-game winning streak.
Detroit took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter after Caldwell-Pope knocked down a pair of 3-pointers late in the third. Things got sloppy from there with the Hornets turning the ball over frequently on bad passes, and the game quickly turning into a blowout.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Spurs go for 10th in row vs. sliding Magic
Stats, LLC
Two teams with plenty of new faces heading in different directions will square off on Tuesday when the San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic meet at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.
The surging Spurs have won nine straight games, including three straight victories on the road last week, and have picked right up where they left off in from the 2015-16 regular season despite sporting a roster with seven new players.
Meanwhile, the Magic -- with a new coach and a bevy of new different players in different roles -- have lost four consecutive outings.
If the game seems like a foregone conclusion even before its tipoff, remember this: San Antonio has been underwhelming at home, losing all three of its games in the friendly confines of the AT&T Center is a ragged nine-day stretch in the first week of November.
Since a 101-99 loss to Houston on Nov. 9, the Spurs have jelled. Now they have to find a way to reclaim their home mojo. Having Orlando in town might just be the remedy to what's been ailing San Antonio.
"The best thing about this early part of the season is the fact that a lot of the new guys have caught on so quickly," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
"(Second-year players) Kyle Anderson and Jon Simmons haven't played much before. David Lee, Davis Bertans and Dewayne Dedmon and Pau (Gasol) just all got here, so they've blended in very well pretty quickly. It's been surprising."
San Antonio (13-3) is getting spectacular contributions from star forward Kawhi Leonard, who leads the team in scoring at 24.8 points per game and is the team's scoring leader in 13 of its 16 games.
Forward LaMarcus Aldridge (18.4 points and 6.7 rebounds a game) is also on a nice roll after a bit of a ragged start to the season. Aldridge led the Spurs with 24 points and seven rebounds in their latest outing, a 112-100 victory at Washington.
"We're pretty confident," Aldridge said. "Guys are bringing it every night. We understand what we need to do to be successful and to keep winning -- you have to compete harder. Our guys are locked in."
Orlando (6-11) has lost three in a row at home during its four-game skid, and is 2-5 over its past seven outings. The Magic have scored more than 95 points just once in that stretch and have bene held to under 90 points in four of those seven games.
They head to the Alamo City off a 104-96 loss to Milwaukee on Sunday. Guard Evan Fournier led the Magic against Milwaukee with a game-high 27 points (just two of those in the fourth quarter), seven assists and six rebounds, while forward Serge Ibaka netted 19 points.
After trailing for most of the game, Orlando cut the deficit to 88-86 after center Nikola Vucevic hit a 3-pointer with 6:38 left in the fourth quarter. However, that was as close as the Magic would get as Milwaukee answered with a 13-4 run and sealed the victory. Orlando committed only eight turnovers in that loss, but shot just 41.3 percent from the floor.
The Magic's lineup changes included three new starters on Sunday as coach Frank Vogel continues to look for a winning formula.
"We've just got to keep looking for ways to get better," Vogel said. "I wanted to explore some combinations with the same nine guys in the rotation. It was us trying to get a different feel. There were some good things about the (lineup) change, and some that weren't so good."
Fournier paces the Magic at 17.6 points per game and has led (or tied) the team in scoring eight times and in assists four times this season. He's scored in double figures 16 times and had 20-plus points seven times, including a season-high 29 points on Nov. 3 vs. Sacramento.
The Spurs were 2-0 against Orlando last season, winning 107-92 in Feb. 21 in San Antonio and 98-96 nine nights later in Orlando. San Antonio has 10 straight wins against the Magic, dating to a 123-101 loss in Orlando on Dec, 23, 2010, and have won 40 of the 55 all-time games in the series.
The game in San Antonio is the first of five straight road contests for the Magic, an eight-day trip in which Orlando will also play in Memphis, Philadelphia, Detroit and Washington, D.C.
The surging Spurs have won nine straight games, including three straight victories on the road last week, and have picked right up where they left off in from the 2015-16 regular season despite sporting a roster with seven new players.
Meanwhile, the Magic -- with a new coach and a bevy of new different players in different roles -- have lost four consecutive outings.
If the game seems like a foregone conclusion even before its tipoff, remember this: San Antonio has been underwhelming at home, losing all three of its games in the friendly confines of the AT&T Center is a ragged nine-day stretch in the first week of November.
Since a 101-99 loss to Houston on Nov. 9, the Spurs have jelled. Now they have to find a way to reclaim their home mojo. Having Orlando in town might just be the remedy to what's been ailing San Antonio.
"The best thing about this early part of the season is the fact that a lot of the new guys have caught on so quickly," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
"(Second-year players) Kyle Anderson and Jon Simmons haven't played much before. David Lee, Davis Bertans and Dewayne Dedmon and Pau (Gasol) just all got here, so they've blended in very well pretty quickly. It's been surprising."
San Antonio (13-3) is getting spectacular contributions from star forward Kawhi Leonard, who leads the team in scoring at 24.8 points per game and is the team's scoring leader in 13 of its 16 games.
Forward LaMarcus Aldridge (18.4 points and 6.7 rebounds a game) is also on a nice roll after a bit of a ragged start to the season. Aldridge led the Spurs with 24 points and seven rebounds in their latest outing, a 112-100 victory at Washington.
"We're pretty confident," Aldridge said. "Guys are bringing it every night. We understand what we need to do to be successful and to keep winning -- you have to compete harder. Our guys are locked in."
Orlando (6-11) has lost three in a row at home during its four-game skid, and is 2-5 over its past seven outings. The Magic have scored more than 95 points just once in that stretch and have bene held to under 90 points in four of those seven games.
They head to the Alamo City off a 104-96 loss to Milwaukee on Sunday. Guard Evan Fournier led the Magic against Milwaukee with a game-high 27 points (just two of those in the fourth quarter), seven assists and six rebounds, while forward Serge Ibaka netted 19 points.
After trailing for most of the game, Orlando cut the deficit to 88-86 after center Nikola Vucevic hit a 3-pointer with 6:38 left in the fourth quarter. However, that was as close as the Magic would get as Milwaukee answered with a 13-4 run and sealed the victory. Orlando committed only eight turnovers in that loss, but shot just 41.3 percent from the floor.
The Magic's lineup changes included three new starters on Sunday as coach Frank Vogel continues to look for a winning formula.
"We've just got to keep looking for ways to get better," Vogel said. "I wanted to explore some combinations with the same nine guys in the rotation. It was us trying to get a different feel. There were some good things about the (lineup) change, and some that weren't so good."
Fournier paces the Magic at 17.6 points per game and has led (or tied) the team in scoring eight times and in assists four times this season. He's scored in double figures 16 times and had 20-plus points seven times, including a season-high 29 points on Nov. 3 vs. Sacramento.
The Spurs were 2-0 against Orlando last season, winning 107-92 in Feb. 21 in San Antonio and 98-96 nine nights later in Orlando. San Antonio has 10 straight wins against the Magic, dating to a 123-101 loss in Orlando on Dec, 23, 2010, and have won 40 of the 55 all-time games in the series.
The game in San Antonio is the first of five straight road contests for the Magic, an eight-day trip in which Orlando will also play in Memphis, Philadelphia, Detroit and Washington, D.C.
Dellavedova faces former team as Bucks host Cavaliers
Stats, LLC
MILWAUKEE -- The Cleveland Cavaliers will see a familiar face Tuesday when they try to extend their four-game winning streak against the Bucks in Milwaukee.
Matthew Dellavedova spent his first three NBA seasons in a Cavaliers uniform and was a key backup on last year's team, which rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the finals to win the franchise's first championship.
"I'm looking forward to catching up with them and seeing them," Dellavedova told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Obviously you develop strong relationships and friendships with not only the players, but the coaches and training staff."
The 26-year-old signed a $38 million offer sheet from Milwaukee during the off-season and has since moved into a starting role with the Bucks, who coveted his ability to both shoot and defend the 3-pointer.
The move has paid off thus far; Dellavedova is averaging 7.9 points per game and shooting 34 percent from distance.
"It will be a little bit funny playing against them for the first time," Dellavedova said. "But I should know their tendencies pretty well."
Cleveland comes to Milwaukee on a roll, extending their winning streak to four games after a 1MILWAUKEE -- The Cleveland Cavaliers will see a familiar face Tuesday when they try to extend their four-game winning streak against the Bucks in Milwaukee.
Matthew Dellavedova spent his first three NBA seasons in a Cavaliers uniform and was a key backup on last year's team, which rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the finals to win the franchise's first championship.
"I'm looking forward to catching up with them and seeing them," Dellavedova told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Obviously you develop strong relationships and friendships with not only the players, but the coaches and training staff."
The 26-year-old signed a $38 million offer sheet from Milwaukee during the off-season and has since moved into a starting role with the Bucks, who coveted his ability to both shoot and defend the 3-pointer.
The move has paid off thus far; Dellavedova is averaging 7.9 points per game and shooting 34 percent from distance.
"It will be a little bit funny playing against them for the first time," Dellavedova said. "But I should know their tendencies pretty well."
Cleveland comes to Milwaukee on a roll, extending their winning streak to four games after a 112-108 victory over the 76ers on Sunday.
The victory came despite a slow start. The Cavaliers missed their first 14 shots and trailed by as many as 14 before closing the first half on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to six. They outscored Philadelphia 35-27 in the final quarter to pull away for their Eastern Conference-leading 13th victory of the season.
"When you have great players, it can come from any of us at any given moment," Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving said. "When one of us gets it going, we always continue to go to that person. It can be anybody's night. We're always trusting each other. That fourth quarter was just for me to be aggressive."
The defending NBA champs have won five of their last six contests against the Bucks, including three of the last four in Milwaukee.
They've shot 49 percent during that six-game stretch, averaging 109 points and a margin of victory of 12.2 points per game.
The Bucks beat Orlando 104-96 Sunday, their second victory over the Magic in the last week, but are 3-6 in their last nine games overall.
"We knew we'd have to play better than we did against them at home," Dellavedova said. "The bench came in and did a great job. Hook (John Henson) was great on both ends."
The two teams will meet three times before the year's end, including a back-to-back set Dec. 20 and 21 in Milwaukee and Cleveland, respectively.
"It's going to be a tough game," said Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. "We've been playing all these good teams and we've been close in every game.
"We're right there; we've just got to open the door."
The Cavaliers are expected to be without Channing Frye, whose father passed away on Thanksgiving. Iman Schumpert is considered questionable with a strained left ankle.12-108 victory over the 76ers on Sunday.
The victory came despite a slow start. The Cavaliers missed their first 14 shots and trailed by as many as 14 before closing the first half on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to six. They outscored Philadelphia 35-27 in the final quarter to pull away for their Eastern Conference-leading 13th victory of the season.
"When you have great players, it can come from any of us at any given moment," Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving said. "When one of us gets it going, we always continue to go to that person. It can be anybody's night. We're always trusting each other. That fourth quarter was just for me to be aggressive."
The defending NBA champs have won five of their last six contests against the Bucks, including three of the last four in Milwaukee.
They've shot 49 percent during that six-game stretch, averaging 109 points and a margin of victory of 12.2 points per game.
The Bucks beat Orlando 104-96 Sunday, their second victory over the Magic in the last week, but are 3-6 in their last nine games overall.
"We knew we'd have to play better than we did against them at home," Dellavedova said. "The bench came in and did a great job. Hook (John Henson) was great on both ends."
The two teams will meet three times before the year's end, including a back-to-back set Dec. 20 and 21 in Milwaukee and Cleveland, respectively.
"It's going to be a tough game," said Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. "We've been playing all these good teams and we've been close in every game.
"We're right there; we've just got to open the door."
The Cavaliers are expected to be without Channing Frye, whose father passed away on Thanksgiving. Iman Schumpert is considered questionable with a strained left ankle.
MILWAUKEE -- The Cleveland Cavaliers will see a familiar face Tuesday when they try to extend their four-game winning streak against the Bucks in Milwaukee.Matthew Dellavedova spent his first three NBA seasons in a Cavaliers uniform and was a key backup on last year's team, which rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the finals to win the franchise's first championship.
"I'm looking forward to catching up with them and seeing them," Dellavedova told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Obviously you develop strong relationships and friendships with not only the players, but the coaches and training staff."
The 26-year-old signed a $38 million offer sheet from Milwaukee during the off-season and has since moved into a starting role with the Bucks, who coveted his ability to both shoot and defend the 3-pointer.
The move has paid off thus far; Dellavedova is averaging 7.9 points per game and shooting 34 percent from distance.
"It will be a little bit funny playing against them for the first time," Dellavedova said. "But I should know their tendencies pretty well."
Cleveland comes to Milwaukee on a roll, extending their winning streak to four games after a 1MILWAUKEE -- The Cleveland Cavaliers will see a familiar face Tuesday when they try to extend their four-game winning streak against the Bucks in Milwaukee.
Matthew Dellavedova spent his first three NBA seasons in a Cavaliers uniform and was a key backup on last year's team, which rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the finals to win the franchise's first championship.
"I'm looking forward to catching up with them and seeing them," Dellavedova told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Obviously you develop strong relationships and friendships with not only the players, but the coaches and training staff."
The 26-year-old signed a $38 million offer sheet from Milwaukee during the off-season and has since moved into a starting role with the Bucks, who coveted his ability to both shoot and defend the 3-pointer.
The move has paid off thus far; Dellavedova is averaging 7.9 points per game and shooting 34 percent from distance.
"It will be a little bit funny playing against them for the first time," Dellavedova said. "But I should know their tendencies pretty well."
Cleveland comes to Milwaukee on a roll, extending their winning streak to four games after a 112-108 victory over the 76ers on Sunday.
The victory came despite a slow start. The Cavaliers missed their first 14 shots and trailed by as many as 14 before closing the first half on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to six. They outscored Philadelphia 35-27 in the final quarter to pull away for their Eastern Conference-leading 13th victory of the season.
"When you have great players, it can come from any of us at any given moment," Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving said. "When one of us gets it going, we always continue to go to that person. It can be anybody's night. We're always trusting each other. That fourth quarter was just for me to be aggressive."
The defending NBA champs have won five of their last six contests against the Bucks, including three of the last four in Milwaukee.
They've shot 49 percent during that six-game stretch, averaging 109 points and a margin of victory of 12.2 points per game.
The Bucks beat Orlando 104-96 Sunday, their second victory over the Magic in the last week, but are 3-6 in their last nine games overall.
"We knew we'd have to play better than we did against them at home," Dellavedova said. "The bench came in and did a great job. Hook (John Henson) was great on both ends."
The two teams will meet three times before the year's end, including a back-to-back set Dec. 20 and 21 in Milwaukee and Cleveland, respectively.
"It's going to be a tough game," said Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. "We've been playing all these good teams and we've been close in every game.
"We're right there; we've just got to open the door."
The Cavaliers are expected to be without Channing Frye, whose father passed away on Thanksgiving. Iman Schumpert is considered questionable with a strained left ankle.12-108 victory over the 76ers on Sunday.
The victory came despite a slow start. The Cavaliers missed their first 14 shots and trailed by as many as 14 before closing the first half on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to six. They outscored Philadelphia 35-27 in the final quarter to pull away for their Eastern Conference-leading 13th victory of the season.
"When you have great players, it can come from any of us at any given moment," Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving said. "When one of us gets it going, we always continue to go to that person. It can be anybody's night. We're always trusting each other. That fourth quarter was just for me to be aggressive."
The defending NBA champs have won five of their last six contests against the Bucks, including three of the last four in Milwaukee.
They've shot 49 percent during that six-game stretch, averaging 109 points and a margin of victory of 12.2 points per game.
The Bucks beat Orlando 104-96 Sunday, their second victory over the Magic in the last week, but are 3-6 in their last nine games overall.
"We knew we'd have to play better than we did against them at home," Dellavedova said. "The bench came in and did a great job. Hook (John Henson) was great on both ends."
The two teams will meet three times before the year's end, including a back-to-back set Dec. 20 and 21 in Milwaukee and Cleveland, respectively.
"It's going to be a tough game," said Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. "We've been playing all these good teams and we've been close in every game.
"We're right there; we've just got to open the door."
The Cavaliers are expected to be without Channing Frye, whose father passed away on Thanksgiving. Iman Schumpert is considered questionable with a strained left ankle.
Pelicans seek some home cooking against Lakers
Stats, LLC
NEW ORLEANS -- The last time the Pelicans lost a home game they were playing the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now two and a half weeks later, those teams meet again in the Smoothie King Center where New Orleans (6-12) has won four straight games and will try to bounce back after consecutive road losses to the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks.
Los Angeles (9-9), which bounced back from back-to-back losses to the Golden State Warriors to beat the Atlanta Hawks 109-95 at home on Sunday, had an easy time in a 126-99 victory at New Orleans on Nov. 12
Before the two-game road trip, New Orleans had won four straight. It had a 68-62 lead early in the fourth quarter before the NBA-worst Mavericks went on a 27-12 run despite playing without All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki.
"We just need to go back to what we did in that winning streak -- sharing the ball and having movement," Pelicans rookie guard Buddy Hield told the team's official website. "Everybody was having fun. We need to get that back flowing. The league now is like you lose two in a row, you need to get back to winning. It's tough to get a win in this league."
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was tight-lipped after the loss. In his post-game news conference he had a simple explanation for the outcome, saying six different times, nearly verbatim, "they outplayed us and they deserved to win" before ending the brief session.
The loss to the Lakers dropped the Pelicans to 0-5 at home, but they haven't lost there since. Los Angeles led 63-62 in the third quarter when New Orleans forward Anthony Davis, the NBA's leading scorer, went to the locker room to have a stiff lower back treated. In his absence, the Lakers went on a 14-0 run.
Los Angeles showed off its depth in that game as the bench scored 73 points. The Lakers bench was strong again Sunday, outscoring the Hawks bench 65-24 and turning the game around by turning a 32-21 deficit after one quarter into a 56-48 halftime lead.
"The energy that the second unit brought on the defensive end in the second quarter changed the outcome of that game," Lakers coach Luke Walton told the Los Angeles Times. "It's what we have been preaching all year, but it was really the first time that we saw all five guys on the court talking defensively."
The Lakers depth has been tested because of the absence of two starters. Point guard D'Angelo Russell is sidelined because of a left knee injury and power forward Julius Randle has missed the last three games because of a hip injury. Russell is expected to miss at least another week, but Randle traveled with the team in hopes of playing at some point during a four-game road trip that begins Tuesday.
Thomas Robinson, who is with his sixth team since being drafted No. 5 overall in 2012, made his first start of the season in Randle's place against Atlanta. He had nine points and eight rebounds in 15-plus minutes.
"What I didn't do earlier in my career is take baby steps," Robinson told the Lakers' official website. "I just wanted it all at one time. This is what I'm doing now. It's a process and I'll keep growing, keep growing. I'm still young (25), so I have plenty left."
NEW ORLEANS -- The last time the Pelicans lost a home game they were playing the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now two and a half weeks later, those teams meet again in the Smoothie King Center where New Orleans (6-12) has won four straight games and will try to bounce back after consecutive road losses to the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks.
Los Angeles (9-9), which bounced back from back-to-back losses to the Golden State Warriors to beat the Atlanta Hawks 109-95 at home on Sunday, had an easy time in a 126-99 victory at New Orleans on Nov. 12
Before the two-game road trip, New Orleans had won four straight. It had a 68-62 lead early in the fourth quarter before the NBA-worst Mavericks went on a 27-12 run despite playing without All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki.
"We just need to go back to what we did in that winning streak -- sharing the ball and having movement," Pelicans rookie guard Buddy Hield told the team's official website. "Everybody was having fun. We need to get that back flowing. The league now is like you lose two in a row, you need to get back to winning. It's tough to get a win in this league."
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was tight-lipped after the loss. In his post-game news conference he had a simple explanation for the outcome, saying six different times, nearly verbatim, "they outplayed us and they deserved to win" before ending the brief session.
The loss to the Lakers dropped the Pelicans to 0-5 at home, but they haven't lost there since. Los Angeles led 63-62 in the third quarter when New Orleans forward Anthony Davis, the NBA's leading scorer, went to the locker room to have a stiff lower back treated. In his absence, the Lakers went on a 14-0 run.
Los Angeles showed off its depth in that game as the bench scored 73 points. The Lakers bench was strong again Sunday, outscoring the Hawks bench 65-24 and turning the game around by turning a 32-21 deficNEW ORLEANS -- The last time the Pelicans lost a home game they were playing the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now two and a half weeks later, those teams meet again in the Smoothie King Center where New Orleans (6-12) has won four straight games and will try to bounce back after consecutive road losses to the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks.
Los Angeles (9-9), which bounced back from back-to-back losses to the Golden State Warriors to beat the Atlanta Hawks 109-95 at home on Sunday, had an easy time in a 126-99 victory at New Orleans on Nov. 12
Before the two-game road trip, New Orleans had won four straight. It had a 68-62 lead early in the fourth quarter before the NBA-worst Mavericks went on a 27-12 run despite playing without All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki.
"We just need to go back to what we did in that winning streak -- sharing the ball and having movement," Pelicans rookie guard Buddy Hield told the team's official website. "Everybody was having fun. We need to get that back flowing. The league now is like you lose two in a row, you need to get back to winning. It's tough to get a win in this league."
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was tight-lipped after the loss. In his post-game news conference he had a simple explanation for the outcome, saying six different times, nearly verbatim, "they outplayed us and they deserved to win" before ending the brief session.
The loss to the Lakers dropped the Pelicans to 0-5 at home, but they haven't lost there since. Los Angeles led 63-62 in the third quarter when New Orleans forward Anthony Davis, the NBA's leading scorer, went to the locker room to have a stiff lower back treated. In his absence, the Lakers went on a 14-0 run.
Los Angeles showed off its depth in that game as the bench scored 73 points. The Lakers bench was strong again Sunday, outscoring the Hawks bench 65-24 and turning the game around by turning a 32-21 deficit after one quarter into a 56-48 halftime lead.
"The energy that the second unit brought on the defensive end in the second quarter changed the outcome of that game," Lakers coach Luke Walton told the Los Angeles Times. "It's what we have been preaching all year, but it was really the first time that we saw all five guys on the court talking defensively."
The Lakers depth has been tested because of the absence of two starters. Point guard D'Angelo Russell is sidelined because of a left knee injury and power forward Julius Randle has missed the last three games because of a hip injury. Russell is expected to miss at least another week, but Randle traveled with the team in hopes of playing at some point during a four-game road trip that begins Tuesday.
Thomas Robinson, who is with his sixth team since being drafted No. 5 overall in 2012, made his first start of the season in Randle's place against Atlanta. He had nine points and eight rebounds in 15-plus minutes.
"What I didn't do earlier in my career is take baby steps," Robinson told the Lakers' official website. "I just wanted it all at one time. This is what I'm doing now. It's a process and I'll keep growing, keep growing. I'm still young (25), so I have plenty left."it after one quarter into a 56-48 halftime lead.
"The energy that the second unit brought on the defensive end in the second quarter changed the outcome of that game," Lakers coach Luke Walton told the Los Angeles Times. "It's what we have been preaching all year, but it was really the first time that we saw all five guys on the court talking defensively."
The Lakers depth has been tested because of the absence of two starters. Point guard D'Angelo Russell is sidelined because of a left knee injury and power forward Julius Randle has missed the last three games because of a hip injury. Russell is expected to miss at least another week, but Randle traveled with the team in hopes of playing at some point during a four-game road trip that begins Tuesday.
Thomas Robinson, who is with his sixth team since being drafted No. 5 overall in 2012, made his first start of the season in Randle's place against Atlanta. He had nine points and eight rebounds in 15-plus minutes.
"What I didn't do earlier in my career is take baby steps," Robinson told the Lakers' official website. "I just wanted it all at one time. This is what I'm doing now. It's a process and I'll keep growing, keep growing. I'm still young (25), so I have plenty left."
Now two and a half weeks later, those teams meet again in the Smoothie King Center where New Orleans (6-12) has won four straight games and will try to bounce back after consecutive road losses to the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks.
Los Angeles (9-9), which bounced back from back-to-back losses to the Golden State Warriors to beat the Atlanta Hawks 109-95 at home on Sunday, had an easy time in a 126-99 victory at New Orleans on Nov. 12
Before the two-game road trip, New Orleans had won four straight. It had a 68-62 lead early in the fourth quarter before the NBA-worst Mavericks went on a 27-12 run despite playing without All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki.
"We just need to go back to what we did in that winning streak -- sharing the ball and having movement," Pelicans rookie guard Buddy Hield told the team's official website. "Everybody was having fun. We need to get that back flowing. The league now is like you lose two in a row, you need to get back to winning. It's tough to get a win in this league."
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was tight-lipped after the loss. In his post-game news conference he had a simple explanation for the outcome, saying six different times, nearly verbatim, "they outplayed us and they deserved to win" before ending the brief session.
The loss to the Lakers dropped the Pelicans to 0-5 at home, but they haven't lost there since. Los Angeles led 63-62 in the third quarter when New Orleans forward Anthony Davis, the NBA's leading scorer, went to the locker room to have a stiff lower back treated. In his absence, the Lakers went on a 14-0 run.
Los Angeles showed off its depth in that game as the bench scored 73 points. The Lakers bench was strong again Sunday, outscoring the Hawks bench 65-24 and turning the game around by turning a 32-21 deficit after one quarter into a 56-48 halftime lead.
"The energy that the second unit brought on the defensive end in the second quarter changed the outcome of that game," Lakers coach Luke Walton told the Los Angeles Times. "It's what we have been preaching all year, but it was really the first time that we saw all five guys on the court talking defensively."
The Lakers depth has been tested because of the absence of two starters. Point guard D'Angelo Russell is sidelined because of a left knee injury and power forward Julius Randle has missed the last three games because of a hip injury. Russell is expected to miss at least another week, but Randle traveled with the team in hopes of playing at some point during a four-game road trip that begins Tuesday.
Thomas Robinson, who is with his sixth team since being drafted No. 5 overall in 2012, made his first start of the season in Randle's place against Atlanta. He had nine points and eight rebounds in 15-plus minutes.
"What I didn't do earlier in my career is take baby steps," Robinson told the Lakers' official website. "I just wanted it all at one time. This is what I'm doing now. It's a process and I'll keep growing, keep growing. I'm still young (25), so I have plenty left."
NEW ORLEANS -- The last time the Pelicans lost a home game they were playing the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now two and a half weeks later, those teams meet again in the Smoothie King Center where New Orleans (6-12) has won four straight games and will try to bounce back after consecutive road losses to the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks.
Los Angeles (9-9), which bounced back from back-to-back losses to the Golden State Warriors to beat the Atlanta Hawks 109-95 at home on Sunday, had an easy time in a 126-99 victory at New Orleans on Nov. 12
Before the two-game road trip, New Orleans had won four straight. It had a 68-62 lead early in the fourth quarter before the NBA-worst Mavericks went on a 27-12 run despite playing without All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki.
"We just need to go back to what we did in that winning streak -- sharing the ball and having movement," Pelicans rookie guard Buddy Hield told the team's official website. "Everybody was having fun. We need to get that back flowing. The league now is like you lose two in a row, you need to get back to winning. It's tough to get a win in this league."
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was tight-lipped after the loss. In his post-game news conference he had a simple explanation for the outcome, saying six different times, nearly verbatim, "they outplayed us and they deserved to win" before ending the brief session.
The loss to the Lakers dropped the Pelicans to 0-5 at home, but they haven't lost there since. Los Angeles led 63-62 in the third quarter when New Orleans forward Anthony Davis, the NBA's leading scorer, went to the locker room to have a stiff lower back treated. In his absence, the Lakers went on a 14-0 run.
Los Angeles showed off its depth in that game as the bench scored 73 points. The Lakers bench was strong again Sunday, outscoring the Hawks bench 65-24 and turning the game around by turning a 32-21 deficNEW ORLEANS -- The last time the Pelicans lost a home game they were playing the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now two and a half weeks later, those teams meet again in the Smoothie King Center where New Orleans (6-12) has won four straight games and will try to bounce back after consecutive road losses to the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks.
Los Angeles (9-9), which bounced back from back-to-back losses to the Golden State Warriors to beat the Atlanta Hawks 109-95 at home on Sunday, had an easy time in a 126-99 victory at New Orleans on Nov. 12
Before the two-game road trip, New Orleans had won four straight. It had a 68-62 lead early in the fourth quarter before the NBA-worst Mavericks went on a 27-12 run despite playing without All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki.
"We just need to go back to what we did in that winning streak -- sharing the ball and having movement," Pelicans rookie guard Buddy Hield told the team's official website. "Everybody was having fun. We need to get that back flowing. The league now is like you lose two in a row, you need to get back to winning. It's tough to get a win in this league."
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was tight-lipped after the loss. In his post-game news conference he had a simple explanation for the outcome, saying six different times, nearly verbatim, "they outplayed us and they deserved to win" before ending the brief session.
The loss to the Lakers dropped the Pelicans to 0-5 at home, but they haven't lost there since. Los Angeles led 63-62 in the third quarter when New Orleans forward Anthony Davis, the NBA's leading scorer, went to the locker room to have a stiff lower back treated. In his absence, the Lakers went on a 14-0 run.
Los Angeles showed off its depth in that game as the bench scored 73 points. The Lakers bench was strong again Sunday, outscoring the Hawks bench 65-24 and turning the game around by turning a 32-21 deficit after one quarter into a 56-48 halftime lead.
"The energy that the second unit brought on the defensive end in the second quarter changed the outcome of that game," Lakers coach Luke Walton told the Los Angeles Times. "It's what we have been preaching all year, but it was really the first time that we saw all five guys on the court talking defensively."
The Lakers depth has been tested because of the absence of two starters. Point guard D'Angelo Russell is sidelined because of a left knee injury and power forward Julius Randle has missed the last three games because of a hip injury. Russell is expected to miss at least another week, but Randle traveled with the team in hopes of playing at some point during a four-game road trip that begins Tuesday.
Thomas Robinson, who is with his sixth team since being drafted No. 5 overall in 2012, made his first start of the season in Randle's place against Atlanta. He had nine points and eight rebounds in 15-plus minutes.
"What I didn't do earlier in my career is take baby steps," Robinson told the Lakers' official website. "I just wanted it all at one time. This is what I'm doing now. It's a process and I'll keep growing, keep growing. I'm still young (25), so I have plenty left."it after one quarter into a 56-48 halftime lead.
"The energy that the second unit brought on the defensive end in the second quarter changed the outcome of that game," Lakers coach Luke Walton told the Los Angeles Times. "It's what we have been preaching all year, but it was really the first time that we saw all five guys on the court talking defensively."
The Lakers depth has been tested because of the absence of two starters. Point guard D'Angelo Russell is sidelined because of a left knee injury and power forward Julius Randle has missed the last three games because of a hip injury. Russell is expected to miss at least another week, but Randle traveled with the team in hopes of playing at some point during a four-game road trip that begins Tuesday.
Thomas Robinson, who is with his sixth team since being drafted No. 5 overall in 2012, made his first start of the season in Randle's place against Atlanta. He had nine points and eight rebounds in 15-plus minutes.
"What I didn't do earlier in my career is take baby steps," Robinson told the Lakers' official website. "I just wanted it all at one time. This is what I'm doing now. It's a process and I'll keep growing, keep growing. I'm still young (25), so I have plenty left."
Clippers look to right the ship at Nets' expense
Stats, LLC
NEW YORK -- The Los Angeles Clippers are halfway through a six-game road trip covering approximately 6,133 miles.
The first stop went well but the last two stops turned into nightmares for the Clippers.
The Brooklyn Nets can only hope two straight losses constitute a nightmare these days.
The Clippers continue their road trip Tuesday night and look to rebound from two double-digit losses when they face the Nets, who are dealing with an unsightly seven-game losing streak.
Los Angeles flew 1,240 miles to Dallas and improved to 14-2 by shooting 50.6 percent in a 20-point victory Wednesday. Then the Clippers flew 1,000 miles to Detroit, trailed by 12 after the first quarter and lost by 11 on Friday.
Following the loss to the Pistons, Los Angeles flew 240 miles to Indiana and once the Clippers took the court, things went even worse in a 91-70 loss to the Pacers. Los Angeles shot 31.4 percent, committed 20 turnovers and was outrebounded by 12.
The Clippers were held to 70 points or fewer for the first time since an 86-67 loss at Utah on Dec. 5, 2003. Los Angeles committed 20 turnovers for the only the 10th time since Doc Rivers took the coaching job in 2013 and the Clippers were held to their lowest shooting percentage since a 31.3 percent showing Feb. 27, 2008 vs. Portland.
"We don't turn the ball over, but we did tonight." Rivers said. "It's one of those nights. I just thought the turnovers changed the game early. They had 20 more shots than us at halftime, and we didn't seem very confident. I thought we settled the entire night offensively."
Rivers may be right.
His team was outscored 42-16 in the paint and were 15-of-50 on shots classified as jumpers.
Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Chris Paul and J.J. Reddick were a combined 4-of-18 from the floor.
"This was just all bad," Paul said. "We shot it bad. Our defense was bad. I think I had four turnovers in the first quarter. ...So this was just a bad game for us. But don't take anything away from Indiana. They beat us."
Now the Clippers will travel 648 miles to oppose a team that has been "bleeding" for the last two weeks.
The Nets were 4-5 when they took the court against the Clippers on Nov. 14. They were blitzed 127-95 and have continued losing, with six of those defeats coming by double-digits.
The latest setback was a 122-105 decision to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night. The Nets had a one-point lead at halftime but again struggled in the third quarter.
Brooklyn was outscored 34-18 in the third quarter and in this skid teams are outscoring the Nets by a 222-150 margin. In those quarters, the Nets have shot 37.4 percent (55-of-147) while allowing opponents to shoot 53.3 percent (80-of-150).
"We're just getting outplayed and outworked, that's it," said center Brook Lopez, who has scored 25 points and shot 40 percent in third quarters during this skid.
The latest third quarter was so ineffective for the Nets that DeMarcus Cousins' had the same amount of points as Brooklyn. It resulted in a 15-point deficit and in their last seven games, the average deficit for the Nets has been 18 points entering the fourth quarter.
"We have to fix the third quarter blues," Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson said. "For some reason we don't come out with the requisite energy that we need."
Sean Kilpatrick led the Nets with 22 points and was fouled hard by Matt Barnes. The flagrant foul resulted in Barnes' ejection and briefly got the Nets to within single digits.
"At the end of the day, if we're going to win in this league, we've got to come out with some type of edge," Kilpatrick said. "If it takes something like that for us to have some type of edge, then it's not good."
Los Angeles is 6-2 in the last eight meetings with the Nets. Griffin scored 20 points in the Clippers' blowout home win on Nov. 14 and had 21 in a 105-100 win in Brooklyn on Dec. 12 of last year.
The first stop went well but the last two stops turned into nightmares for the Clippers.
The Brooklyn Nets can only hope two straight losses constitute a nightmare these days.
The Clippers continue their road trip Tuesday night and look to rebound from two double-digit losses when they face the Nets, who are dealing with an unsightly seven-game losing streak.
Los Angeles flew 1,240 miles to Dallas and improved to 14-2 by shooting 50.6 percent in a 20-point victory Wednesday. Then the Clippers flew 1,000 miles to Detroit, trailed by 12 after the first quarter and lost by 11 on Friday.
Following the loss to the Pistons, Los Angeles flew 240 miles to Indiana and once the Clippers took the court, things went even worse in a 91-70 loss to the Pacers. Los Angeles shot 31.4 percent, committed 20 turnovers and was outrebounded by 12.
The Clippers were held to 70 points or fewer for the first time since an 86-67 loss at Utah on Dec. 5, 2003. Los Angeles committed 20 turnovers for the only the 10th time since Doc Rivers took the coaching job in 2013 and the Clippers were held to their lowest shooting percentage since a 31.3 percent showing Feb. 27, 2008 vs. Portland.
"We don't turn the ball over, but we did tonight." Rivers said. "It's one of those nights. I just thought the turnovers changed the game early. They had 20 more shots than us at halftime, and we didn't seem very confident. I thought we settled the entire night offensively."
Rivers may be right.
His team was outscored 42-16 in the paint and were 15-of-50 on shots classified as jumpers.
Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Chris Paul and J.J. Reddick were a combined 4-of-18 from the floor.
"This was just all bad," Paul said. "We shot it bad. Our defense was bad. I think I had four turnovers in the first quarter. ...So this was just a bad game for us. But don't take anything away from Indiana. They beat us."
Now the Clippers will travel 648 miles to oppose a team that has been "bleeding" for the last two weeks.
The Nets were 4-5 when they took the court against the Clippers on Nov. 14. They were blitzed 127-95 and have continued losing, with six of those defeats coming by double-digits.
The latest setback was a 122-105 decision to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night. The Nets had a one-point lead at halftime but again struggled in the third quarter.
Brooklyn was outscored 34-18 in the third quarter and in this skid teams are outscoring the Nets by a 222-150 margin. In those quarters, the Nets have shot 37.4 percent (55-of-147) while allowing opponents to shoot 53.3 percent (80-of-150).
"We're just getting outplayed and outworked, that's it," said center Brook Lopez, who has scored 25 points and shot 40 percent in third quarters during this skid.
The latest third quarter was so ineffective for the Nets that DeMarcus Cousins' had the same amount of points as Brooklyn. It resulted in a 15-point deficit and in their last seven games, the average deficit for the Nets has been 18 points entering the fourth quarter.
"We have to fix the third quarter blues," Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson said. "For some reason we don't come out with the requisite energy that we need."
Sean Kilpatrick led the Nets with 22 points and was fouled hard by Matt Barnes. The flagrant foul resulted in Barnes' ejection and briefly got the Nets to within single digits.
"At the end of the day, if we're going to win in this league, we've got to come out with some type of edge," Kilpatrick said. "If it takes something like that for us to have some type of edge, then it's not good."
Los Angeles is 6-2 in the last eight meetings with the Nets. Griffin scored 20 points in the Clippers' blowout home win on Nov. 14 and had 21 in a 105-100 win in Brooklyn on Dec. 12 of last year.
Pistons take 1-8 road record to Charlotte
Stats, LLC
Road games have been a big issue for the Detroit Pistons this season. With three road games in the next four days, they must figure out quickly how to collect wins away from The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Detroit has a 1-8 road record entering its game at Charlotte on Tuesday.
"There is something we have to figure out, especially since we want to be a really good team," forward Tobias Harris said. "We have to find ways to grind it out on the road. Effort coming in has to be better and even our focus, too, has to be a lot better. Obviously, we have a ways to go to be a good team on the road. This next little stretch we have is going to be a good test for us to try to get together."
The Pistons dropped the first game of the four-game trip to Oklahoma City on Saturday, 106-88. They also make stops in Boston on Wednesday and Atlanta on Friday before returning home.
"We've got to figure out these roads woes because we are like a totally different team," point guard Ish Smith said. "We are going to figure it out, that's a must. Like I said, tough three road games against all Eastern Conference teams above .500, all of us are fighting. We need to get in position for playoffs, so we are going to figure it out."
Smith has been starting all season in place of injured Reggie Jackson, who has been sidelined since early in training camp with knee tendinitis. Jackson went through his first full practice on Monday but he's not expected to return until the weekend at the earliest.
The Pistons (8-10) have relied on a balanced approach this season, with six players averaging double figures. Harris tops the list at 16.4 points per game, while center Andre Drummond is averaging 14.6 points and 13.4 rebounds.
Charlotte (10-7) won the season series, 2-1, a year ago with guard Kemba Walker averaging 19.7 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds in those games.
Walker has lifted the Hornets to victories the past two games after a four-game slide. He averaged 24.5 points in wins over New York (107-102) and Memphis (104-85).
Swingman Jeremy Lamb also played an integral part in those wins, averaging 19.5 points and 13.0 rebounds.
Coach Steve Clifford is hoping Lamb can sustain that level of play.
"Most guys in this league can have a good game," he said in his postgame press conference. "A good portion of them can have a good two weeks. But it's about playing well over 82 games. Obviously, he's got a lot of energy and now the key is to sustain that level of play and keep getting better."
Clifford was pleased with the overall effort of his team in Memphis on Monday.
"That's two games in a row where we've gotten our defense back," he said. "We were more physical and the ball movement was terrific. It's a good win, especially on the road."
Small forward Nicolas Batum, who missed Saturday's win over the Knicks with a corneal abrasion, played on Monday and finished with six points.
Detroit has a 1-8 road record entering its game at Charlotte on Tuesday.
"There is something we have to figure out, especially since we want to be a really good team," forward Tobias Harris said. "We have to find ways to grind it out on the road. Effort coming in has to be better and even our focus, too, has to be a lot better. Obviously, we have a ways to go to be a good team on the road. This next little stretch we have is going to be a good test for us to try to get together."
The Pistons dropped the first game of the four-game trip to Oklahoma City on Saturday, 106-88. They also make stops in Boston on Wednesday and Atlanta on Friday before returning home.
"We've got to figure out these roads woes because we are like a totally different team," point guard Ish Smith said. "We are going to figure it out, that's a must. Like I said, tough three road games against all Eastern Conference teams above .500, all of us are fighting. We need to get in position for playoffs, so we are going to figure it out."
Smith has been starting all season in place of injured Reggie Jackson, who has been sidelined since early in training camp with knee tendinitis. Jackson went through his first full practice on Monday but he's not expected to return until the weekend at the earliest.
The Pistons (8-10) have relied on a balanced approach this season, with six players averaging double figures. Harris tops the list at 16.4 points per game, while center Andre Drummond is averaging 14.6 points and 13.4 rebounds.
Charlotte (10-7) won the season series, 2-1, a year ago with guard Kemba Walker averaging 19.7 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds in those games.
Walker has lifted the Hornets to victories the past two games after a four-game slide. He averaged 24.5 points in wins over New York (107-102) and Memphis (104-85).
Swingman Jeremy Lamb also played an integral part in those wins, averaging 19.5 points and 13.0 rebounds.
Coach Steve Clifford is hoping Lamb can sustain that level of play.
"Most guys in this league can have a good game," he said in his postgame press conference. "A good portion of them can have a good two weeks. But it's about playing well over 82 games. Obviously, he's got a lot of energy and now the key is to sustain that level of play and keep getting better."
Clifford was pleased with the overall effort of his team in Memphis on Monday.
"That's two games in a row where we've gotten our defense back," he said. "We were more physical and the ball movement was terrific. It's a good win, especially on the road."
Small forward Nicolas Batum, who missed Saturday's win over the Knicks with a corneal abrasion, played on Monday and finished with six points.
NBA Capsules (November 29, 2016)
NEW YORK (AP) – Russell Westbrook got his third straight triple-double and nearly did it by halftime, finishing with 27 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists for his NBA-leading eighth of the season as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New York Knicks 112-103 on Monday night.
Westbrook had 14 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists at the break and is now averaging a triple-double for the season, raising his averages to 30.9 points, 11.3 assists and 10.3 rebounds through more than a month of the season.
Enes Kanter added a season-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Steven Adams had 14 points and 10 boards in the Thunder's third straight victory.
Derrick Rose scored a season-best 30 points, but the Knicks had their six-game home winning streak snapped. Kristaps Porzingis added 21 points and Carmelo Anthony had 18, but shot just 4 for 19.
CELTICS 112, HEAT 104
MIAMI (AP) — Isaiah Thomas had 25 points and eight assists, Avery Bradley added 18 points and Boston beat Miami.
Jae Crowder scored 17 points and Kelly Olynyk had 14 for the Celtics, who beat Miami for the fourth consecutive time. The 112 points were the most scored against the Heat this season.
Goran Dragic had 27 points and 17 assists for the Heat, setting season bests in both categories. Hassan Whiteside added 25 points and 17 rebounds, and Josh Richardson scored 12.
The Heat tied a season low for a quarter with 12 points in the second, going into halftime down 48-31. They established a season best with 42 points in the third, yet Boston maintained a double-digit lead.
JAZZ 112, TIMBERWOLVES 103
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — George Hill had 24 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 17 rebounds to lead Utah over Minnesota for its third straight win.
Gordon Hayward scored 24 points and Utah's top-ranked defense put the clamps on young Timberwolves stars Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns had 19 points and 12 rebounds but shot 8 of 18 and struggled with foul trouble. Wiggins scored 13 points on 6-for-16 shooting. All five Wolves starters were in double figures, including Zach LaVine with 28 points.
RAPTORS 122, 76ERS 95
TORONTO (AP) — Kyle Lowry scored 24 points and set a team record by hitting all six of his 3-pointers, and Toronto extended its winning streak over Philadelphia to 13 games.
Lowry added eight assists and four rebounds. He topped the 5-for-5 mark on 3s set by several other Raptors throughout the years.
Six players scored in double figures for the Raptors (11-6), who won their third in a row.
Terrence Ross added a season-high 22 points for Toronto, including a trio of 3s, as the Raptors went 13 for 19 (69 percent) from beyond the arc.
Robert Covington led the 76ers with 20 points, going 6 for 9 from 3-point range. Jahlil Okafor had 15 points for the Sixers (4-14), who lost their fourth straight.
Philadelphia has dropped all six road games this season. The team's losing streak away from home is at 22 games dating to last season.
WIZARDS 101, KINGS 95, OT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bradley Beal made a career-high seven 3-pointers and finished with 31 points as Washington recovered after giving up a late lead and beat Sacramento in overtime.
John Wall had 19 points and 11 assists for the Wizards, but committed a career-high 11 turnovers.
Washington had a season-high 24 giveaways, but held the Kings to three points in overtime after seeing an eight-point lead evaporate over the final 5:12 of regulation.
DeMarcus Cousins had 36 points and a season-high 20 rebounds for Sacramento, which also committed its most turnovers of the season with 20.
HORNETS 104, GRIZZLIES 85
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb scored 21 points apiece, and Charlotte built an early lead on the way to beating Memphis.
Walker and Lamb were a combined 14 of 25 from the field, including 7 for 13 on 3-point attempts. The rest of the Hornets were 2 of 13 from outside the arc.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 14 points and Frank Kaminsky added 12 for the Hornets, who won their second straight after a four-game losing streak. Lamb grabbed nine rebounds.
Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 19 points and eight rebounds. Mike Conley had 15 points before leaving in the third quarter with a lower back injury.
Westbrook had 14 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists at the break and is now averaging a triple-double for the season, raising his averages to 30.9 points, 11.3 assists and 10.3 rebounds through more than a month of the season.
Enes Kanter added a season-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Steven Adams had 14 points and 10 boards in the Thunder's third straight victory.
Derrick Rose scored a season-best 30 points, but the Knicks had their six-game home winning streak snapped. Kristaps Porzingis added 21 points and Carmelo Anthony had 18, but shot just 4 for 19.
CELTICS 112, HEAT 104
MIAMI (AP) — Isaiah Thomas had 25 points and eight assists, Avery Bradley added 18 points and Boston beat Miami.
Jae Crowder scored 17 points and Kelly Olynyk had 14 for the Celtics, who beat Miami for the fourth consecutive time. The 112 points were the most scored against the Heat this season.
Goran Dragic had 27 points and 17 assists for the Heat, setting season bests in both categories. Hassan Whiteside added 25 points and 17 rebounds, and Josh Richardson scored 12.
The Heat tied a season low for a quarter with 12 points in the second, going into halftime down 48-31. They established a season best with 42 points in the third, yet Boston maintained a double-digit lead.
JAZZ 112, TIMBERWOLVES 103
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — George Hill had 24 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 17 rebounds to lead Utah over Minnesota for its third straight win.
Gordon Hayward scored 24 points and Utah's top-ranked defense put the clamps on young Timberwolves stars Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns had 19 points and 12 rebounds but shot 8 of 18 and struggled with foul trouble. Wiggins scored 13 points on 6-for-16 shooting. All five Wolves starters were in double figures, including Zach LaVine with 28 points.
RAPTORS 122, 76ERS 95
TORONTO (AP) — Kyle Lowry scored 24 points and set a team record by hitting all six of his 3-pointers, and Toronto extended its winning streak over Philadelphia to 13 games.
Lowry added eight assists and four rebounds. He topped the 5-for-5 mark on 3s set by several other Raptors throughout the years.
Six players scored in double figures for the Raptors (11-6), who won their third in a row.
Terrence Ross added a season-high 22 points for Toronto, including a trio of 3s, as the Raptors went 13 for 19 (69 percent) from beyond the arc.
Robert Covington led the 76ers with 20 points, going 6 for 9 from 3-point range. Jahlil Okafor had 15 points for the Sixers (4-14), who lost their fourth straight.
Philadelphia has dropped all six road games this season. The team's losing streak away from home is at 22 games dating to last season.
WIZARDS 101, KINGS 95, OT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bradley Beal made a career-high seven 3-pointers and finished with 31 points as Washington recovered after giving up a late lead and beat Sacramento in overtime.
John Wall had 19 points and 11 assists for the Wizards, but committed a career-high 11 turnovers.
Washington had a season-high 24 giveaways, but held the Kings to three points in overtime after seeing an eight-point lead evaporate over the final 5:12 of regulation.
DeMarcus Cousins had 36 points and a season-high 20 rebounds for Sacramento, which also committed its most turnovers of the season with 20.
HORNETS 104, GRIZZLIES 85
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb scored 21 points apiece, and Charlotte built an early lead on the way to beating Memphis.
Walker and Lamb were a combined 14 of 25 from the field, including 7 for 13 on 3-point attempts. The rest of the Hornets were 2 of 13 from outside the arc.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 14 points and Frank Kaminsky added 12 for the Hornets, who won their second straight after a four-game losing streak. Lamb grabbed nine rebounds.
Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 19 points and eight rebounds. Mike Conley had 15 points before leaving in the third quarter with a lower back injury.
Monday, November 28, 2016
NBA Capsules (November 28, 2016)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kyrie Irving scored 19 of his season-high 39 points in the fourth quarter, and LeBron James had a triple-double in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 112-108 victory over Philadelphia on Sunday.
James had 26 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, and Kevin Love added 25 points and 11 rebounds, The defending champion Cavaliers have won four straight to improve to 13-2.
Joel Embiid had 22 points and nine rebounds for the 76ers. They have lost three straight.
ROCKETS 130, TRAIL BLAZERS 114
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — James Harden had 38 points and 10 assists and Houston beat Portland.
Eric Gordon added 26 points, including six 3-pointers for the Rockets, They have made at least 10 3-pointers in 16 straight games to match the NBA record set by Golden State and Cleveland last season. They finished the night with 17.
CJ McCollum scored 28 points and Damian Lillard had 27 for the Blazers.
PACERS 91, CLIPPERS 70
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Glenn Robinson III and Myles Turner each scored 17 points and Indiana beat Los Angeles Clippers, handing the Clippers consecutive losses for the first time this season.
Al Jefferson added 16 points and eight rebounds to help Indiana win two straight for the second time this season.
Blake Griffin had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers. They dropped to 14-4.
KINGS 122, NETS 105
NEW YORK (AP) — DeMarcus Cousins had 37 points and 11 rebounds, Rudy Gay added 22 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Sacramento route Brooklyn.
Darren Collison added 18 points for the Kings in their first first first in Brooklyn.
Sean Kilpatrick scored 22 points, Brook Lopez had 17 and Bojan Bogdanovic added 13 for the Nets, They have lost seven straight games.
The Kings' Matt Barnes was ejected for a flagrant foul 2 on Kilpatrick with 9:34 left.
LAKERS 109, HAWKS 94
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lou Williams scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, Jordan Clarkson added 18 points and Los Angeles overcame the absence of two injured starters to beat Atlanta.
Julius Randle and D'Angelo Russell missed another game due to injuries, but the Lakers compensated for the absence of two starters with a balanced offensive effort.
Kent Bazemore scored 21 points and Dwight Howard added 19 points and nine rebounds amid constant boos for the Hawks. They have lost five of six after a 9-2 start to the season.
NUGGETS 120, SUNS 114
PHOENIX (AP) — Wilson Chandler scored 25 points, Jameer Nelson added 21 and Denver held off Phoenix.
Eric Bledsoe led Phoenix with a career-high 35 points. Devin Booker added 30.
The Nuggets led by 20 at the half but Booker and Bledsoe led a rally that cut the lead to three early in the fourth quarter. Denver gained a slightly larger cushion from there before the Suns cut it to four in the final minute but could get no closer.
Booker scored 25 points in the second half, Bledsoe 21.
MAVERICKS 91, PELICANS 81
DALLAS (AP) — Wesley Matthews scored 21 points, including eight during a fourth-quarter rally that gave Dallas the lead for good, and the Mavericks beat New Orleans.
Matthews made a 3-pointer and another basket to give Dallas a 72-71 edge with 5:39 remaining. New Orleans regained the lead on Anthony Davis' two free throws, but Matthews made another 3-pointer to put the Mavericks ahead to stay.
Dallas improved to 3-13, still the NBA's worst record. The Pelicans fell to 6-12.
Harrison Barnes led the Mavericks with 23 points. Davis had 36 points and 13 rebounds.
BUCKS 104, MAGIC 96
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — John Henson scored 20 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo added 18 points and nine rebounds, and Milwaukee beat Orlando.
Michael Beasley had 13 points to help the Bucks beat the Magic for the second time in a week.
Evan Fournier led Orlando with 27 points and seven assists. Serge Ibaka scored 19 points, and Nikola Vucevic added 17 points and 16 rebounds.
Sunday, November 27, 2016
NBA Capsules (November 27, 2016)
WASHINGTON (AP) — LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 points, Tony Parker added 20 and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Washington Wizards 112-100 on Saturday night for their ninth straight victory.
The Spurs (14-3) swept a three-game road swing and are a perfect 10-0 away from home.
Kawhi Leonard scored 19 for San Antonio, which shot 53.3 percent (40 of 75) from the field. The Spurs led by 10 at halftime and as many as 19 in the second half.
San Antonio's bench outscored the Washington reserves 35-18.
Bradley Beal led Washington (5-10) with 25 points and John Wall scored 21 as all five starters finished in double figures. Marcin Gortat had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
THUNDER 106, PISTONS 88
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Russell Westbrook recorded his second straight triple-double and NBA-best seventh of the season with 17 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds, and Oklahoma City beat Detroit.
Westbrook shot just 8 for 22 from the field after scoring at least 30 points for eight straight games. It was just the second time this year Westbrook failed to score 20.
Anthony Morrow scored 21 points off the bench to lead the Thunder (10-8), who were playing their fourth game in six nights in four different cities. Victor Oladipo added 18 while Steven Adams had 16 points and nine rebounds.
It was just the fourth time in 18 games this season that Westbrook did not lead the team in scoring.
Tobias Harris scored 21 points for the Pistons, who have lost five of their last seven.
WARRIORS 115, TIMBERWOLVES 102
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry had 34 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Golden State overcame the absence of do-everything Draymond Green to beat Minnesota.
Curry shot 13 for 19 with four 3-pointers, while Kevin Durant added 28 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and a career-high six blocked shots. Klay Thompson scored 23 points with four 3s to go with six rebounds for Golden State.
Green sat out a day after bruising his left ankle at Los Angeles in a collision with teammate Ian Clark, who also missed the game after being hit in the throat on the play.
Zach LaVine scored 31 points with five 3s, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 12 of his 18 points in the first quarter on 6-for-10 shooting. He then quieted down and missed five of his next six attempts before a three-point play with 4:03 remaining.
HORNETS 107, KNICKS 102
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kemba Walker scored 28 points, Jeremy Lamb added 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds and Charlotte snapped a four-game losing streak.
Frank Kaminsky added 14 points, including two clutch 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter as the Hornets snapped the Knicks' three-game winning streak.
The Hornets (9-7) avenged an overtime loss to the Knicks on Friday night at Madison Square Garden in which Carmelo Anthony hit the go-ahead jumper with 3.1 seconds left and finished with 35 points.
Anthony didn't fare as well the second time around, limited to 18 points on 7-of-24 shooting. Kristaps Porzingis had 25 points and Derrick Rose added 18 points, eight assists and eight rebounds for the Knicks.
GRIZZLIES 110, HEAT 107
MIAMI (AP) — Marc Gasol scored a season-high 28 points, Mike Conley had 11 of his 21 in the final 3:06 and Memphis beat Miami.
Troy Williams added 18 for the Grizzlies, who earned a split of the home-and-home with the Heat and gave coach David Fizdale a win in the building where he served as a Miami assistant under Erik Spoelstra for the past eight seasons.
Dion Waiters scored a season-high 28 for Miami, which got 15 points and 12 rebounds from Hassan Whiteside, and 15 points from Josh Richardson.
Memphis outscored Miami 27-16 from the line, and turned the ball over only six times.
The Spurs (14-3) swept a three-game road swing and are a perfect 10-0 away from home.
Kawhi Leonard scored 19 for San Antonio, which shot 53.3 percent (40 of 75) from the field. The Spurs led by 10 at halftime and as many as 19 in the second half.
San Antonio's bench outscored the Washington reserves 35-18.
Bradley Beal led Washington (5-10) with 25 points and John Wall scored 21 as all five starters finished in double figures. Marcin Gortat had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
THUNDER 106, PISTONS 88
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Russell Westbrook recorded his second straight triple-double and NBA-best seventh of the season with 17 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds, and Oklahoma City beat Detroit.
Westbrook shot just 8 for 22 from the field after scoring at least 30 points for eight straight games. It was just the second time this year Westbrook failed to score 20.
Anthony Morrow scored 21 points off the bench to lead the Thunder (10-8), who were playing their fourth game in six nights in four different cities. Victor Oladipo added 18 while Steven Adams had 16 points and nine rebounds.
It was just the fourth time in 18 games this season that Westbrook did not lead the team in scoring.
Tobias Harris scored 21 points for the Pistons, who have lost five of their last seven.
WARRIORS 115, TIMBERWOLVES 102
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry had 34 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Golden State overcame the absence of do-everything Draymond Green to beat Minnesota.
Curry shot 13 for 19 with four 3-pointers, while Kevin Durant added 28 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and a career-high six blocked shots. Klay Thompson scored 23 points with four 3s to go with six rebounds for Golden State.
Green sat out a day after bruising his left ankle at Los Angeles in a collision with teammate Ian Clark, who also missed the game after being hit in the throat on the play.
Zach LaVine scored 31 points with five 3s, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 12 of his 18 points in the first quarter on 6-for-10 shooting. He then quieted down and missed five of his next six attempts before a three-point play with 4:03 remaining.
HORNETS 107, KNICKS 102
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kemba Walker scored 28 points, Jeremy Lamb added 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds and Charlotte snapped a four-game losing streak.
Frank Kaminsky added 14 points, including two clutch 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter as the Hornets snapped the Knicks' three-game winning streak.
The Hornets (9-7) avenged an overtime loss to the Knicks on Friday night at Madison Square Garden in which Carmelo Anthony hit the go-ahead jumper with 3.1 seconds left and finished with 35 points.
Anthony didn't fare as well the second time around, limited to 18 points on 7-of-24 shooting. Kristaps Porzingis had 25 points and Derrick Rose added 18 points, eight assists and eight rebounds for the Knicks.
GRIZZLIES 110, HEAT 107
MIAMI (AP) — Marc Gasol scored a season-high 28 points, Mike Conley had 11 of his 21 in the final 3:06 and Memphis beat Miami.
Troy Williams added 18 for the Grizzlies, who earned a split of the home-and-home with the Heat and gave coach David Fizdale a win in the building where he served as a Miami assistant under Erik Spoelstra for the past eight seasons.
Dion Waiters scored a season-high 28 for Miami, which got 15 points and 12 rebounds from Hassan Whiteside, and 15 points from Josh Richardson.
Memphis outscored Miami 27-16 from the line, and turned the ball over only six times.
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Warriors face Timberwolves for first time this season
Stats, LLC
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Two teams that played Friday and traveled after the game will get their depth checked Saturday night when the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors meet for the first time this season.
The Timberwolves had to work the harder of the two Friday, rallying from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit at Phoenix to overtake the Suns 98-85.
Minnesota outscored Phoenix 31-10 in the final period to end a three-game losing streak.
"Our best fourth quarter of the year," gushed Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau afterward. "Things weren't going well in that game, but the fight was there and we just kept working the game and the game turned."
Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns scored seven points apiece in the comeback, which extracted a toll from the Timberwolves.
Wiggins wound up playing 41 of the 48 minutes and three other starters, including Towns, at least 35, leaving Minnesota in less-than-ideal shape Saturday night on the second night of a back-to-back.
That said, the youthful Timberwolves have responded well to the adversity of the NBA schedule this season, winning on the back half of a consecutive-nights sequence both times they have encountered it.
Neither of those wins, however, has come at the expense of a two-time defending conference champ.
The Warriors have played like a three-peat candidate of late, winning 10 in a row, including 109-85 on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
No Golden State starter played more than 36 minutes in the wire-to-wire effort.
The Warriors nonetheless will have an incentive when they take the court Saturday -- to play better than Friday.
"It was one of the worst basketball games I've seen in my life," Warriors coach Steve Kerr insisted to reporters afterward. "We were awful, and they were awful. The people who bought tickets should get their money back, honestly."
Kerr is making no such claim about his home fans. They have witnessed Golden State win its last five home games by an average of 20.6 points.
The Warriors, who had to jettison much of their depth in order to create space to sign Kevin Durant in the offseason, have not played their best basketball this season on the second night of back-to-backs.
One of their two losses -- 117-97 to the Lakers -- came in the second game of a consecutive-night scheduling, and they had to hang on for a 124-121 win at Milwaukee the day after a blowout win at Boston last week.
The Timberwolves won the most recent meeting with the Warriors, handing Golden State one of its nine losses last season, 124-117 in overtime on April 5.
Wiggins (32) and Towns (20) combined for 52 points in that shocker, but it was backup Shabazz Muhammad who stunned the Warriors that night with 35 points.
Muhammad played a scoreless seven minutes off the bench Friday night in Phoenix.
The Warriors had won seven straight and 14 of 15 over Minnesota before the April matchup.
The Timberwolves had to work the harder of the two Friday, rallying from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit at Phoenix to overtake the Suns 98-85.
Minnesota outscored Phoenix 31-10 in the final period to end a three-game losing streak.
"Our best fourth quarter of the year," gushed Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau afterward. "Things weren't going well in that game, but the fight was there and we just kept working the game and the game turned."
Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns scored seven points apiece in the comeback, which extracted a toll from the Timberwolves.
Wiggins wound up playing 41 of the 48 minutes and three other starters, including Towns, at least 35, leaving Minnesota in less-than-ideal shape Saturday night on the second night of a back-to-back.
That said, the youthful Timberwolves have responded well to the adversity of the NBA schedule this season, winning on the back half of a consecutive-nights sequence both times they have encountered it.
Neither of those wins, however, has come at the expense of a two-time defending conference champ.
The Warriors have played like a three-peat candidate of late, winning 10 in a row, including 109-85 on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
No Golden State starter played more than 36 minutes in the wire-to-wire effort.
The Warriors nonetheless will have an incentive when they take the court Saturday -- to play better than Friday.
"It was one of the worst basketball games I've seen in my life," Warriors coach Steve Kerr insisted to reporters afterward. "We were awful, and they were awful. The people who bought tickets should get their money back, honestly."
Kerr is making no such claim about his home fans. They have witnessed Golden State win its last five home games by an average of 20.6 points.
The Warriors, who had to jettison much of their depth in order to create space to sign Kevin Durant in the offseason, have not played their best basketball this season on the second night of back-to-backs.
One of their two losses -- 117-97 to the Lakers -- came in the second game of a consecutive-night scheduling, and they had to hang on for a 124-121 win at Milwaukee the day after a blowout win at Boston last week.
The Timberwolves won the most recent meeting with the Warriors, handing Golden State one of its nine losses last season, 124-117 in overtime on April 5.
Wiggins (32) and Towns (20) combined for 52 points in that shocker, but it was backup Shabazz Muhammad who stunned the Warriors that night with 35 points.
Muhammad played a scoreless seven minutes off the bench Friday night in Phoenix.
The Warriors had won seven straight and 14 of 15 over Minnesota before the April matchup.
Inconsistent Thunder return home to face Pistons
Stats, LLC
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The first part of the NBA season continues to be a roller coaster for the Oklahoma City Thunder. From winning six of their first seven games to dropping seven of their last 10, the revamped team has been anything but predictable.
Coming off Friday night's overtime victory in Denver, the Thunder (9-8) completed a three-game road trip, their longest of the season so far. And they return home looking for answers for a variety of issues that seem to be hurting the team.
One of those is Oklahoma City's inability to defend the 3-point line with any tenacity. In their last 10 games, they are allowing teams to shoot 42 percent from deep, which is the worst in the NBA during that span.
"That's the next step that we have to take from a defensive perspective -- the awareness, the understanding and the decision-making," Thunder coach Billy Donovan told NBA.com. "We're doing a much better job of being in the right spots, but once we're in that spot and have to get out to the 3-point line, there have been times we've been slow getting there or we've lost our man on the back side with exchanges. There have been times where we've given too much help."
On Nov. 20, the Thunder allowed the Indiana Pacers to shoot 11 of 22 from 3-point range. Two nights later, the Los Angeles Lakers also knocked down 11 from behind the arc. Even in a win over the Brooklyn Nets, the Thunder allowed them to hit 11 3-pointers.
Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, who has given up his share of uncontested 3-pointers, says it comes down to focus.
"It's just being focused on when to help and when not to help," Westbrook said, "having a real sense of urgency on that aspect to not give up so many threes."
When Oklahoma City faced Detroit earlier in the month, 3-point shooting was not a problem. The Pistons won despite knocking down only 5-of-16.
In the Nov. 14 matchup, Detroit was also without the services of center Andre Drummond. When the Thunder and Pistons meet in Oklahoma City, Drummond will be in the lineup with his 14.9 points, 14 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.5 steals.
However, Detroit will not have guard Reggie Bullock after he suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee during Wednesday's win over Miami.
"Reggie's a pretty even-keel guy, so he's fine outwardly," coach Stan Van Gundy told Mlive.com. "But I know he's frustrated, because he wasn't ready to go at the beginning of the year and that cost him some time. And then he had worked his way back in the rotation. It's just really unfortunate for him."
The Pistons have already been missing guard Reggie Jackson with a fracture in his foot. The loss of Bullock weakens an already depleted Detroit backcourt.
The one piece of good news is that the Pistons expect to get Jackson back in early December. However, that doesn't help them when Van Gundy looks down the Detroit bench to find a defender to put in front of Westbrook, who had another triple-double Friday.
But Van Gundy wants to see what type of mindset his Pistons can take on the road as they face a new round of adversity.
"That's the kind of resilience we had a year ago. We haven't necessarily had that all the time this year," Van Gundy said. "It was really good to see. Now the challenge is to bring that same mindset and effort on the road. We've got four in a row on the road, all against good teams, all of them .500 or better. It's going to be a really tough week -- four games in seven days -- it's going to be difficult, so we've got to bring the same mindset and energy on the road."
Coming off Friday night's overtime victory in Denver, the Thunder (9-8) completed a three-game road trip, their longest of the season so far. And they return home looking for answers for a variety of issues that seem to be hurting the team.
One of those is Oklahoma City's inability to defend the 3-point line with any tenacity. In their last 10 games, they are allowing teams to shoot 42 percent from deep, which is the worst in the NBA during that span.
"That's the next step that we have to take from a defensive perspective -- the awareness, the understanding and the decision-making," Thunder coach Billy Donovan told NBA.com. "We're doing a much better job of being in the right spots, but once we're in that spot and have to get out to the 3-point line, there have been times we've been slow getting there or we've lost our man on the back side with exchanges. There have been times where we've given too much help."
On Nov. 20, the Thunder allowed the Indiana Pacers to shoot 11 of 22 from 3-point range. Two nights later, the Los Angeles Lakers also knocked down 11 from behind the arc. Even in a win over the Brooklyn Nets, the Thunder allowed them to hit 11 3-pointers.
Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, who has given up his share of uncontested 3-pointers, says it comes down to focus.
"It's just being focused on when to help and when not to help," Westbrook said, "having a real sense of urgency on that aspect to not give up so many threes."
When Oklahoma City faced Detroit earlier in the month, 3-point shooting was not a problem. The Pistons won despite knocking down only 5-of-16.
In the Nov. 14 matchup, Detroit was also without the services of center Andre Drummond. When the Thunder and Pistons meet in Oklahoma City, Drummond will be in the lineup with his 14.9 points, 14 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.5 steals.
However, Detroit will not have guard Reggie Bullock after he suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee during Wednesday's win over Miami.
"Reggie's a pretty even-keel guy, so he's fine outwardly," coach Stan Van Gundy told Mlive.com. "But I know he's frustrated, because he wasn't ready to go at the beginning of the year and that cost him some time. And then he had worked his way back in the rotation. It's just really unfortunate for him."
The Pistons have already been missing guard Reggie Jackson with a fracture in his foot. The loss of Bullock weakens an already depleted Detroit backcourt.
The one piece of good news is that the Pistons expect to get Jackson back in early December. However, that doesn't help them when Van Gundy looks down the Detroit bench to find a defender to put in front of Westbrook, who had another triple-double Friday.
But Van Gundy wants to see what type of mindset his Pistons can take on the road as they face a new round of adversity.
"That's the kind of resilience we had a year ago. We haven't necessarily had that all the time this year," Van Gundy said. "It was really good to see. Now the challenge is to bring that same mindset and effort on the road. We've got four in a row on the road, all against good teams, all of them .500 or better. It's going to be a really tough week -- four games in seven days -- it's going to be difficult, so we've got to bring the same mindset and energy on the road."
Grizzlies look to get even in rematch with Heat
Stats, LLC
MIAMI -- Let's do it again.
After the Miami Heat beat the host Memphis Grizzlies 90-81 on Friday night, the teams fly south for the home-and-home rematch on Saturday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Miami's win on Friday was improbable given the fact that the Heat were without two injured starters in point guard Goran Dragic (strained left elbow) and small forward Justise Winslow (sore left wrist).
In addition, center Hassan Whiteside, who entered Friday night leading the NBA in rebounding (15.4) and ranking second in blocks (2.57) while averaging 18.3 points, had a quiet night due to foul trouble.
He was whistled for three fouls in a 68-second span of the third quarter and scored just four points on 1-for-6 shooting while adding 12 rebounds and two blocks.
Miami had just one player score over 15 points, and that man -- reserve guard Tyler Johnson -- pretty much stole the game for the Heat, making 8-of-17 shots from the floor while grabbing five rebounds.
It was a big win for the Heat (5-10), who snapped a two-game losing skid while also ending a six-game win streak for the Grizzlies (10-6).
Saturday night's rematch in Miami may be more about will than skill. These two teams figure to be fairly gassed after playing on Friday and flying in late night.
The Grizzlies, who shot just 35.4 percent from the floor on Friday, including 21.1 percent on 3-pointers (4-of-19), had been playing well until this emotional letdown.
There was a reason for that letdown, however, and it may continue.
Memphis is without power forward Zach Randolph indefinitely. He is mourning the loss of his mother, Mae Randolph, who passed away on Thanksgiving.
Mae was a single mom, raising Zach and his three siblings on her own, and the burly NBA standout is no doubt feeling her loss.
"We have to take care of our brother," Grizzlies coach David Fizdale told the media on Friday, which is when Mae Randolph's death was confirmed. "Losing his mom on Thanksgiving was devastating."
Without Randolph -- who has been described as Memphis' spiritual leader -- the Grizzlies were out of sorts all night against Miami. The Heat never trailed and led by as many as 17 points.
The Grizzlies used star point guard Mike Conley off the bench as he deals with a restriction on his overall minutes.
Conley, who signed a five-year, $153 million contract extension this past summer, scored 16 points in 23 minutes. It was the first time he did not start a game since Jan. 3, 2012, when he was returning from an ankle injury.
Three Grizzlies players are out with injuries: small forwards James Ennis (strained calf) and Chandler Parsons (left knee bone bruise) and power forward Brandan Wright (left ankle tendinitis). Ennis, a former Heat player, and Parsons, a Florida native, should return in two weeks. Wright is out one more month.
To add depth, Memphis called up 6-4 rookie combo guard David Baldwin from the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League. He averaged 18.5 points in two games with Iowa.
Memphis had just 11 players available on Friday, and Miami had 10.
Given all that, it's safe to expect more turbulence from both offenses on Saturday.
Memphis is 25th in the NBA in scoring. Miami is 28th in the league in scoring.
Whiteside, who fouled out on Friday, figures to bounce back offensively on Saturday, and that would help the Heat immensely.
But if he doesn't put up big scoring numbers, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra will still take his other contributions.
"The boxscore does not tell the true impact Hassan had on this game," Spoelstra told the media when asked about Whiteside, who at times faced a zone-defense look against Memphis. "He had a great impact.
"He even had some (inspiring) words for his teammates. He wanted them to follow his lead, and we certainly did that defensively."
Miami's offense, on the other hand, will likely be without its quarterback again on Saturday as Dragic said he shouldn't have played Miami's previous game due to his elbow injury, and he is not about to make the same mistake twice.
"When I dribble, when I shoot the ball, when I pass the ball," Dragic said, "I cannot extend my elbow."
After the Miami Heat beat the host Memphis Grizzlies 90-81 on Friday night, the teams fly south for the home-and-home rematch on Saturday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Miami's win on Friday was improbable given the fact that the Heat were without two injured starters in point guard Goran Dragic (strained left elbow) and small forward Justise Winslow (sore left wrist).
In addition, center Hassan Whiteside, who entered Friday night leading the NBA in rebounding (15.4) and ranking second in blocks (2.57) while averaging 18.3 points, had a quiet night due to foul trouble.
He was whistled for three fouls in a 68-second span of the third quarter and scored just four points on 1-for-6 shooting while adding 12 rebounds and two blocks.
Miami had just one player score over 15 points, and that man -- reserve guard Tyler Johnson -- pretty much stole the game for the Heat, making 8-of-17 shots from the floor while grabbing five rebounds.
It was a big win for the Heat (5-10), who snapped a two-game losing skid while also ending a six-game win streak for the Grizzlies (10-6).
Saturday night's rematch in Miami may be more about will than skill. These two teams figure to be fairly gassed after playing on Friday and flying in late night.
The Grizzlies, who shot just 35.4 percent from the floor on Friday, including 21.1 percent on 3-pointers (4-of-19), had been playing well until this emotional letdown.
There was a reason for that letdown, however, and it may continue.
Memphis is without power forward Zach Randolph indefinitely. He is mourning the loss of his mother, Mae Randolph, who passed away on Thanksgiving.
Mae was a single mom, raising Zach and his three siblings on her own, and the burly NBA standout is no doubt feeling her loss.
"We have to take care of our brother," Grizzlies coach David Fizdale told the media on Friday, which is when Mae Randolph's death was confirmed. "Losing his mom on Thanksgiving was devastating."
Without Randolph -- who has been described as Memphis' spiritual leader -- the Grizzlies were out of sorts all night against Miami. The Heat never trailed and led by as many as 17 points.
The Grizzlies used star point guard Mike Conley off the bench as he deals with a restriction on his overall minutes.
Conley, who signed a five-year, $153 million contract extension this past summer, scored 16 points in 23 minutes. It was the first time he did not start a game since Jan. 3, 2012, when he was returning from an ankle injury.
Three Grizzlies players are out with injuries: small forwards James Ennis (strained calf) and Chandler Parsons (left knee bone bruise) and power forward Brandan Wright (left ankle tendinitis). Ennis, a former Heat player, and Parsons, a Florida native, should return in two weeks. Wright is out one more month.
To add depth, Memphis called up 6-4 rookie combo guard David Baldwin from the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League. He averaged 18.5 points in two games with Iowa.
Memphis had just 11 players available on Friday, and Miami had 10.
Given all that, it's safe to expect more turbulence from both offenses on Saturday.
Memphis is 25th in the NBA in scoring. Miami is 28th in the league in scoring.
Whiteside, who fouled out on Friday, figures to bounce back offensively on Saturday, and that would help the Heat immensely.
But if he doesn't put up big scoring numbers, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra will still take his other contributions.
"The boxscore does not tell the true impact Hassan had on this game," Spoelstra told the media when asked about Whiteside, who at times faced a zone-defense look against Memphis. "He had a great impact.
"He even had some (inspiring) words for his teammates. He wanted them to follow his lead, and we certainly did that defensively."
Miami's offense, on the other hand, will likely be without its quarterback again on Saturday as Dragic said he shouldn't have played Miami's previous game due to his elbow injury, and he is not about to make the same mistake twice.
"When I dribble, when I shoot the ball, when I pass the ball," Dragic said, "I cannot extend my elbow."
Hornets look to avenge Friday loss to Knicks
Stats, LLC
CHARLOTTE -- The Charlotte Hornets won't have too much time to dwell on giving up a 13-point lead to the New York Knicks, only to lose 113-111 in overtime on Friday in New York.
The two teams will go at it again on Saturday in Charlotte.
The Hornets have lost in overtime in two of their last four games.
Forward Carmelo Anthony sank a jumper with three seconds left in overtime to lift the Knicks (8-7) to their third straight win and sixth straight at Madison Square Garden. It was the 18th time in his career that Anthony delivered a game-winning shot.
"He (Anthony) is going to get a good shot up," said Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek. "He's got the experience and the size.
"He makes big shots. It's a luxury to have. He was fantastic tonight."
The nine-time All-Star poured in a season-high 35 points and 14 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick Rose scored 16 points each for the Knicks.
Anthony had a chance to win it for the Knicks in regulation, but his fade away jumper was off.
"When I missed that one, I had a good look at it," Anthony said. "I felt like I could get that same look again off of a different move rather than facing up, put the defender on my back and make him make a decision after that."
Marco Belinelli led Charlotte (8-7), losers of four straight, with 19 points. Nicolas Batum just missed out on a triple-double, tallying 18 points, nine rebounds and a team-high nine assists and Kemba Walker scored 17 points, including the play that sent the game into overtime.
Over his last four games, Belinelli is averaging 16.8 points while hitting 15-of-24 from beyond the arc (62.5 percent).
The Hornets surrendered a 70-57 in the third quarter. New York responded with a 22-4 run to take a 79-74 lead going into the fourth. Anthony accumulated 11 points in the quarter.
"The biggest difference was that stretch in the third quarter," said Hornets coach Steve Clifford. "We played a good first half. We played a good fourth quarter. (Derrick) Rose made a big shot (to take a three-point lead at the end of regulation) and (Carmelo) Anthony made three contested shots.
"The one time we doubled (him), he found (Kristaps) Porzingis for three. It really came down to that. Guys making plays and their guys made plays.
"If we're not more physical it's not going to work out for us. We're going to have to have everyone fighting for the ball."
Center Cody Zeller returned from a three-game absence, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds and two assists for the Hornets and forward Frank Kaminsky added 13 points and nine rebounds in 40 minutes off the bench.
Charlotte's Marvin Williams left in the third quarter and did not return (hyper-extended left knee). Knicks center Joakim Noah returned to the starting lineup after missing three games with flu-like symptoms. He played 17 minutes, scored six points and grabbed eight rebounds.
The two teams will go at it again on Saturday in Charlotte.
The Hornets have lost in overtime in two of their last four games.
Forward Carmelo Anthony sank a jumper with three seconds left in overtime to lift the Knicks (8-7) to their third straight win and sixth straight at Madison Square Garden. It was the 18th time in his career that Anthony delivered a game-winning shot.
"He (Anthony) is going to get a good shot up," said Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek. "He's got the experience and the size.
"He makes big shots. It's a luxury to have. He was fantastic tonight."
The nine-time All-Star poured in a season-high 35 points and 14 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick Rose scored 16 points each for the Knicks.
Anthony had a chance to win it for the Knicks in regulation, but his fade away jumper was off.
"When I missed that one, I had a good look at it," Anthony said. "I felt like I could get that same look again off of a different move rather than facing up, put the defender on my back and make him make a decision after that."
Marco Belinelli led Charlotte (8-7), losers of four straight, with 19 points. Nicolas Batum just missed out on a triple-double, tallying 18 points, nine rebounds and a team-high nine assists and Kemba Walker scored 17 points, including the play that sent the game into overtime.
Over his last four games, Belinelli is averaging 16.8 points while hitting 15-of-24 from beyond the arc (62.5 percent).
The Hornets surrendered a 70-57 in the third quarter. New York responded with a 22-4 run to take a 79-74 lead going into the fourth. Anthony accumulated 11 points in the quarter.
"The biggest difference was that stretch in the third quarter," said Hornets coach Steve Clifford. "We played a good first half. We played a good fourth quarter. (Derrick) Rose made a big shot (to take a three-point lead at the end of regulation) and (Carmelo) Anthony made three contested shots.
"The one time we doubled (him), he found (Kristaps) Porzingis for three. It really came down to that. Guys making plays and their guys made plays.
"If we're not more physical it's not going to work out for us. We're going to have to have everyone fighting for the ball."
Center Cody Zeller returned from a three-game absence, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds and two assists for the Hornets and forward Frank Kaminsky added 13 points and nine rebounds in 40 minutes off the bench.
Charlotte's Marvin Williams left in the third quarter and did not return (hyper-extended left knee). Knicks center Joakim Noah returned to the starting lineup after missing three games with flu-like symptoms. He played 17 minutes, scored six points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Spurs take perfect road record to Washington
Stats, LLC
WASHINGTON -- The Wizards won their first road game of the season Friday night. Now John Wall and crew must hand the San Antonio Spurs their first road setback in order to keep Washington's modest win streak going.
The Spurs (13-3) rallied from a 14-point deficit in the first quarter at Boston for a 109-103 victory over the Celtics on Friday. Kawhi Leonard had 25 points and 10 rebounds.
"It was a great win for us against the really active team," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
San Antonio improved to 9-0 on the road and extended its overall winning streak to eight games.
The Wizards (5-9) can't dare to dream so extravagantly after a slow start, but perhaps they're turning the corner.
Wall scored 26 points, including the final seven for Washington in Friday's 94-91 win at the Orlando Magic. The point guard also had 10 assists and three steals while fueling a defensive effort that forced 19 turnovers.
"He's one of the best players in the league," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. "His game and the way he attacks pick and rolls, the way he can guard, his length, his toughness. That's what he does. He's a two-way player. ... A couple extra more minutes than I would've liked, but we needed all the minutes out there for him."
All five starters for Washington played at least 32 minutes, topped by Wall's 39. Washington couldn't rely on its lackluster second unit as Orlando rallied from 17 points down in the first quarter to an 83-79 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Otto Porter, Marcin Gortat and Wall took over offensively for the Wizards, who quickly retook the lead by holding the Magic without a point over five possessions.
"I think in that time span (late fourth), we got five stops in a row to close out the game. That is very important for us to do to get ourselves back into the game. As long as we have that mindset that we are going to defend and that we are going to be tougher, we have to do a better job of rebounding and if we had rebounded I think it would have been a bigger margin than what it was."
While Washington receives little production from its second unit, San Antonio's reserves had 56 points and 17 rebounds against Boston. Patty Mills scored a season-best 19 points and rookie Davis Bertans had a career-best 15 points. Veteran David Lee also had 15 and 12 rebounds in under 18 minutes.
"He's been playing really well," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said of Lee, who he coached early last season. "You kind of saw that toward the end of last year when he was with Dallas and he's been a really good fit."
The Spurs (13-3) rallied from a 14-point deficit in the first quarter at Boston for a 109-103 victory over the Celtics on Friday. Kawhi Leonard had 25 points and 10 rebounds.
"It was a great win for us against the really active team," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
San Antonio improved to 9-0 on the road and extended its overall winning streak to eight games.
The Wizards (5-9) can't dare to dream so extravagantly after a slow start, but perhaps they're turning the corner.
Wall scored 26 points, including the final seven for Washington in Friday's 94-91 win at the Orlando Magic. The point guard also had 10 assists and three steals while fueling a defensive effort that forced 19 turnovers.
"He's one of the best players in the league," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. "His game and the way he attacks pick and rolls, the way he can guard, his length, his toughness. That's what he does. He's a two-way player. ... A couple extra more minutes than I would've liked, but we needed all the minutes out there for him."
All five starters for Washington played at least 32 minutes, topped by Wall's 39. Washington couldn't rely on its lackluster second unit as Orlando rallied from 17 points down in the first quarter to an 83-79 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Otto Porter, Marcin Gortat and Wall took over offensively for the Wizards, who quickly retook the lead by holding the Magic without a point over five possessions.
"I think in that time span (late fourth), we got five stops in a row to close out the game. That is very important for us to do to get ourselves back into the game. As long as we have that mindset that we are going to defend and that we are going to be tougher, we have to do a better job of rebounding and if we had rebounded I think it would have been a bigger margin than what it was."
While Washington receives little production from its second unit, San Antonio's reserves had 56 points and 17 rebounds against Boston. Patty Mills scored a season-best 19 points and rookie Davis Bertans had a career-best 15 points. Veteran David Lee also had 15 and 12 rebounds in under 18 minutes.
"He's been playing really well," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said of Lee, who he coached early last season. "You kind of saw that toward the end of last year when he was with Dallas and he's been a really good fit."
NBA Capsules (November 26, 2016)
DENVER (AP) — Russell Westbrook had 36 points, 18 assists and 12 rebounds for his sixth triple-double, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 132-129 in overtime on Friday night.
Westbrook scored 24 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to help the Thunder rally from 13 down and end a three-game losing streak. His 18 assists were a season high.
Victor Oladipo had 26 points for the Thunder.
Westbrook scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to start the comeback. His two free throws with 9.5 seconds left made it 122-119, but Denver tied it when Steven Adams fouled Jamal Murray on a 3-point attempt and the rookie hit the free throws.
Kenneth Faried blocked Westbrook's layup at the horn to send it into overtime.
Wilson Chandler finished with a season-high 30 points and 11 rebounds. Jameer Nelson had 21 points and 13 assists, both season highs, for the Nuggets.
SPURS 109, CELTICS 103
BOSTON (AP) — Kawhi Leonard had 25 points and 10 rebounds and Patty Mills scored 19 to lead San Antonio to its eighth straight victory.
Mills made a 3-pointer with 45 seconds left after the Celtics made it a one-possession game.
David Lee had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and rookie Davis Bertans scored a career-high 15 to help the Spurs improve to 9-0 on the road this season. San Antonio beat Boston for the 10th straight time.
Isaiah Thomas scored 24 points with eight assists and Avery Bradley had 19 points and eight rebounds for Boston, which had won three in a row.
CAVALIERS 128, MAVERICKS 90
CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Love scored 27 points, Kyrie Irving added 25 and Cleveland led by as many as 45 points in a rout of Dallas.
Love hit seven 3-pointers while Irving, who made his first 10 shots, scored 19 points in the first quarter. Irving's big quarter came two nights after Love scored an NBA-record 34 in the first against Portland.
LeBron James, playing in his 1,000th regular-season game, had 19 points and 11 assists.
The defending NBA champions faced little resistance from the team with the league's worst record. Dallas scored the game's first basket before the Cavaliers turned the game into a rout. Cleveland led 36-16 after one quarter and was ahead 68-28 late in the second.
Dirk Nowitzki, who appeared in only his fifth game of the season because of an injured right Achilles, scored 15 points for Dallas.
ROCKETS 117, KINGS 104
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — James Harden had 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in his fourth triple-double of the season, and Houston set an NBA record with 50 3-point attempts in its victory over Sacramento.
The Rockets went 21 of 50 from beyond the arc and came within two makes of matching the single-game record they already share with the Orlando Magic.
The Rockets made eight 3s in the first quarter, six in the second, three in the third and four in the fourth.
Trevor Ariza added 18 points and nine rebounds, while Clint Capela scored 17 points to lead Houston to its eighth win in the last nine games between the teams.
DeMarcus Cousins had 32 points and nine rebounds for Sacramento despite being hindered by foul trouble much of the second half. Cousins made four consecutive 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter when the Kings pulled within 112-104.
WARRIORS 109, LAKERS 85
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Durant had 29 points, nine assists and six rebounds, and Golden State beat injury-depleted Los Angeles for the second time in three days.
Stephen Curry scored 24 points and Klay Thompson had 18 in the Warriors' 10th consecutive victory. They followed up their 43-point win in Oakland on Wednesday with another comfortable win in these clubs' fifth meeting in 43 days.
Draymond Green had 12 points and eight rebounds before leaving in the third quarter with a bruised left ankle from a collision with teammate Ian Clark.
Jordan Clarkson scored 20 points for the Lakers, who played without injured starters Julius Randle, Nick Young and D'Angelo Russell.
KNICKS 113, HORNETS 111, OT
NEW YORK (AP) — Carmelo Anthony scored a season-high 35 points, including the tiebreaking jumper with 3.1 seconds left in overtime, and New York beat Charlotte.
Derrick Rose added 16 points and blocked Kemba Walker's 3-pointer that would have won it just before the buzzer. Kristaps Porzingis also scored 16 points in the Knicks' sixth straight home victory.
Former Hornets guard Courtney Lee finished with 12 points in the opener of a home-and-home series.
Marco Belinelli scored 19 points, Nicolas Batum had 18 and Walker added 17 for the Hornets, who have lost four straight games.
PISTONS 108, CLIPPERS 97
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 16 points and a career-high 10 assists as Detroit beat Los Angeles.
Detroit won its second straight and improved to 7-2 at home, as opposed to 1-7 on the road. The Clippers lost for just the second time in 13 games, falling to 7-1 on the road.
Marcus Morris scored 17 points and Andre Drummond had 16 points and 10 rebounds, as the Pistons got at least 15 points from all five starters. Jon Leuer added 11 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
J.J. Redick and Blake Griffith each had 24 points for the Clippers, while Chris Paul had eight points to go with 15 assists.
TRAIL BLAZERS 119, PELICANS 104
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Damian Lillard scored 27 points, CJ McCollum added 24 and Portland snapped New Orleans' four-game winning streak.
Lillard added 11 assists for the Blazers, who were coming off a 1-4 road trip. It was the 2,000th win in franchise history.
Anthony Davis, who went into the game ranked second in the league with an average of 31.3 points a game, led the Pelicans with 31 points and 13 rebounds.
JAZZ 95, HAWKS 68
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gordon Hayward scored 24 points as Utah beat Atlanta, which has lost four of five after starting the season 9-2.
Hayward was unstoppable early and started the game making his first six shots. Utah used a 23-2 run early in the fourth quarter to put the game away as George Hill hit a pair 3-pointers and Rudy Gobert converted a three-point play.
Hill finished with 23 and Gobert notched double-double No. 8 with 10 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
Dennis Schroder scored a team-high 16 for the Hawks (10-6) and Paul Millsap added 11. Atlanta shot just 31.3 percent from the field.
The Jazz (9-8) won the second quarter 24-11 to push its lead to 48-34 at halftime. They used a 20-3 run to build the cushion, highlighted by a behind-the-back dribble, pull-up jumper by Hill followed by a 3-pointer from the veteran.
BULLS 105, 76ERS 89
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade had 26 points apiece to lead Chicago over Philadelphia.
Taj Gibson added 12 points for the Bulls, who finished a six-game road trip with a 4-2 record. Butler rested for the entire fourth quarter of the blowout.
Chicago led from start to finish against the short-handed 76ers, who played without center Joel Embiid.
A leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, Embiid missed his fifth game as part of his rehab plan for a foot injury that cost him the last two seasons. Embiid is averaging 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds in just 22.6 minutes as he is on a minutes restriction.
HEAT 90, GRIZZLIES 81
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Tyler Johnson matched his season high with 22 points, Dion Waiters added 15 and Miami snapped its two-game losing streak by beating Memphis.
James Johnson added 13 points and Josh Richardson finished with 12 for Miami in the game that matched Heat coach Erik Spoelstra against his former assistant, first-year Memphis coach David Fizdale.
Mike Conley, who came off the bench, led Memphis with 16 points but shot only 5 of 15 from the field. JaMychal Green finished with 14 points for Memphis, which played without Zach Randolph following his mother's death and had its six-game winning streak snapped.
Miami shot 12 of 31 outside the arc and forced 18 turnovers, leading to 23 points.
RAPTORS 105, BUCKS 99
MILWAUKEE (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points and Kyle Lowry added 19 to lead Toronto over Milwaukee.
DeRozan again tormented the Bucks and Toronto hit 14 3-pointers to continue its dominance against Milwaukee. The Raptors have won 11 of the last 12 meetings.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points and added 11 assists, while Tony Snell had a season-high 16 points for the Bucks.
With the game on the line, Lowry hit a 3-pointer and DeRozan knocked down a contested jumper with 16 seconds left to seal the victory.
Two nights after the Raptors made 12 3-pointers in a win at Houston, they went 14 of 31 from behind the arc against the Bucks, who came in with the No. 1 defensive 3-point percentage in the league at 30.6 percent.
PACERS 118, NETS 97
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Glenn Robinson III scored 20 points as Indiana beat Brooklyn.
The Pacers opened the second half with a 20-5 run and led by as many 31 points.
Rodney Stuckey scored 18 points, and Al Jefferson and Myles Turner each finished with 16. Robinson was one of six Pacers to score in double figures. Paul George sat out Friday night, nursing a sore left ankle.
Brook Lopez finished with 20 points for the Nets.
WIZARDS 94, MAGIC 91
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — John Wall had 26 points and 10 assists to help Washington hold on and beat Orlando.
Wall scored the Wizards' last eight points as Washington held on after surrendering a 19-point, first-quarter lead. Otto Porter Jr. scored 19 for Washington and all five starters finished in double figures.
Serge Ibaka led the Magic with 19 points, while Nikola Vucevic contributed 17 points and 17 rebounds. Elfrid Payton scored 15 points, all in the second half, as Orlando lost its third straight game.
TIMBERWOLVES 98, SUNS 85
PHOENIX (AP) — Andrew Wiggins scored 25 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 and Minnesota rallied from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat Phoenix.
Eric Bledsoe scored 23 for the Suns, who were just back from a six-game road trip.
Minnesota used a 27-6 outburst to quickly erase the Phoenix lead and pull away, snapping a three-game losing streak.
The Timberwolves outscored Phoenix 31-10 in the fourth quarter.
The Suns committed a season-high 26 turnovers, resulting in 23 Minnesota points. Phoenix also was just 6 of 26 from 3-point range.
Brandon Knight added 15 points for Phoenix but only two in the second half. Devin Booker scored 11.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)