NBA round-up: Clippers defeat Pelicans; Damian Lillard goes for 40 and LeBron James leads the way
Written by News on 14/01/2021
Kawhi Leonard collected 28 points, nine assists and six rebounds as the LA Clippers defeated the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans, while Damian Lillard established 40 points and 13 assists in the Portland Trail Blazers’ comeback win.
Paul George added to New Orleans woe with 27 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Clippers. He hit 5 of 9 3-pointers and 8 of 16 shots from the floor.
Patrick Beverley added 10 points and six rebounds.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored a career-high 37 points on 15-of-23 shooting, including 5 of 8 3-pointers for the Pelicans.
Brandon Ingram collected 22 points and six rebounds. Steven Adams finished with 12 points and six rebounds. J.J. Redick chipped in 12 points, while Kira Lewis Jr. finished with 10 for the Pelicans, who lost their fourth in a row.
Portland Trail Blazers 132-126 Sacramento Kings
Damian Lillard established season bests of 40 points and 13 assists as the Blazers rallied from a 19-point, third-quarter deficit to seal their season-best fourth straight victory.
CJ McCollum contributed 28 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Lillard and McCollum each made six 3-pointers as the Trail Blazers were 23 of 48 from behind the arc and shot 48.9 percent overall.
De’Aaron Fox had 29 points and Buddy Hield made a season-best eight 3-pointers while scoring 26 points for the Kings, who lost for the sixth time in the past eight games.
Tyrese Haliburton had 17 points and nine assists, and Richaun Holmes recorded 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Sacramento. Marvin Bagley III and Harrison Barnes scored 11 points apiece.
Brooklyn Nets 116-109 New York Knicks
No James Harden, at least for one more game? No Kyrie Irving, for who knows how long? It was no problem for the Nets.
Kevin Durant scored 26 points to lead seven players in double figures for the rapidly retooling Nets, who capped a wild day with victory over hosts Knicks.
Everyone except DeAndre Jordan and Chris Chiozza scored at least 10 points for the Nets hours after the team reportedly agreed to acquire Harden from the Houston Rockets in a blockbuster four-team trade.
Julius Randle scored 30 points for the Knicks, who have now lost four straight.
RJ Barrett had 20 points while Mitchell Robinson (10 points, 12 rebounds) recorded a double-double. Immanuel Quickley (19 points) and Kevin Knox II (13 points) each got into double-digits off the bench.
Los Angeles Lakers 128-99 Oklahoma City Thunder
The Lakers improved to 7-0 on the road for the first time in franchise history with LeBron James leading the way with 26 points.
During the last three games, the Lakers have trailed for just 11 seconds, and on Wednesday, the Lakers led from wire-to-wire.
James hit a season-high five 3-pointers, including a pair to fuel an 18-2 run early in the third quarter to put the game out of reach. James scored nine consecutive points during that stretch. Montrezl Harrell added 21 off the bench.
The Thunder have lost all five home games this season, their worst start at home since 2007.
Dallas Mavericks 104-93 Charlotte Hornets
Luka Doncic collected 34 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists to lift the Mavericks to victory over the Hornets.
Doncic, the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week, made 5 of 9 shots from 3-point range to send Dallas to their fourth straight win overall and fourth in a row in Charlotte.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had 18 points and Kristaps Porzingis added 16 while making his season debut. Boban Marjanovic and Trey Burke each had eight points for Dallas.
Charlotte’s Gordon Hayward scored 16 points before leaving the game in the third quarter due to a strained left hip.
Terry Rozier scored 18 points and P.J. Washington added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Hornets, who saw their four-game winning streak come to a halt.
Milwaukee Bucks 110-101 Detroit Pistons
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his 20th career triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and the visiting Bucks extended their winning streak over the Pistons to 14 games.
Jrue Holiday had 21 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Bucks, who defeated Detroit for the third time this season.
Jerami Grant’s 22 points led the Pistons. Svi Mykhailiuk supplied 18 points and Blake Griffin had 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Josh Jackson added 11 points.
Memphis Grizzlies 118-107 Minnesota Timberwolves
Kyle Anderson connected on back-to-back 3-pointers during an eight-point run midway through the fourth quarter that propelled the Grizzlies to victory over the Timberwolves.
Jonas Valanciunas led the way with 24 points and a game-high 16 rebounds for Memphis, who won their third straight, including second in a row on their current three-game trip.
Allen finished with 20 points, Brandon Clarke added 19, Melton had 15, and Xavier Tillman netted 12 for the Grizzlies, whose reserves outscored their Minnesota counterparts 50-21.
Two more games postponed
The NBA has postponed two games scheduled for Friday as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage across the country.
The game between the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons has been postponed, as has the game between the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns.
(c) Sky Sports 2021: NBA round-up: Clippers defeat Pelicans; Damian Lillard goes for 40 and LeBron James leads the way
