Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the basketball against Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon (10) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. (USA TODAY Sports Photo)
Reuters/Field Level Media
Eric Gordon led five players in double figures with 25 points Saturday night as the Houston Rockets, playing without star James Harden, used superior depth to stun the Golden State Warriors 118-112 in Oakland, Calif.
The win was the Rockets’ third in three meetings with the two-time defending champions this season after Golden State won a seven-game showdown last May in the Western Conference Finals.
This victory was accomplished without Harden, who has scored 30 or more points in 32 consecutive games, the second-longest run in NBA history.
The absence was just his fourth of the season. The Rockets had suffered defeats while he sat out two of his first three times.
Jazz 125, Mavericks 109
Joe Ingles capped an 18-point performance with four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, helping Utah pull away from Dallas at Salt Lake City.
In a game that paired two teams that had played the night before and traveled to Utah for Saturday’s contest, the Jazz used a 29-14 edge in free throw points to win their third straight at home.
After leading by as many as 15 points in the third quarter, the Jazz found themselves clinging to just an 86-83 lead early in the fourth quarter before Ingles got things headed in a positive direction.
Bucks 140, Timberwolves 128
Khris Middleton scored 28 points, and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as Milwaukee won for the 16th time in its last 18 games, beating visiting Minnesota.
The Bucks got off to a fast start en route to reaching 140 points for the fourth time this season. Antetokounmpo drove the lane for a dunk 14 seconds into the game and had 11 points in the opening 3:09.
Milwaukee went on to its fourth consecutive victory and second in a row since the All-Star break.
Kings 119, Thunder 116
Buddy Hield scored 34 points to help Sacramento hold off visiting Oklahoma City.
The Kings led for much of the way but had to hold on late, thanks to a couple of big shots by Russell Westbrook down the stretch.
A night after making a game-winner at the buzzer in double-overtime against Utah, the Thunder’s Paul George couldn’t come up with the big shot for the second straight game. George’s potential game-tying shot at the buzzer over Willie Cauley-Stein hit off the front of the rim to give the Kings the victory and the season series, 3-1.
Bulls 126, Celtics 116
Zack LaVine scored 42 points, and Lauri Markkanen added 35, both career highs, as Chicago defeated visiting Boston for its third consecutive victory.
The Bulls, who had lost 11 of their previous 12 games at the United Center, improved to 7-23 at home this season.
LaVine made two free throws with 17.6 seconds left to eclipse his previous best of 41 points, set earlier this season. LaVine only shot three free throws in the game. He was 17 of 29 from the field and 5 of 11 from 3-point range. He also had six rebounds and four assists.
Pelicans 128, Lakers 115
New Orleans got off to a hot start even without star center Anthony Davis and cruised to a victory against visiting Los Angeles.
The Pelicans scored 42 points in the opening quarter, the most in any quarter this season, as Davis rested after playing Friday night at Indiana.
Jrue Holiday had 27 points and seven assists for New Orleans, and Julius Randle scored 24 points. Brandon Ingram scored 29 points to lead the Lakers, and LeBron James had 27 points, 12 assists and four steals.
Pacers 119, Wizards 112
Thaddeus Young scored 22 points, Bojan Bogdanovic added 18 and visiting Indiana held off Washington.
Domantas Sabonis had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers, who began the post All-Star break schedule by winning on back-to-back nights. Indiana, third in the Eastern Conference, has won eight of its last nine.
Bradley Beal scored 35 points in 41 minutes for the Wizards, who have lost four straight and nine of 12. Thomas Bryant had 23 points and 12 rebounds for Washington, which finishes the season 1-3 against Indiana.
Nets 117, Hornets 115
D’Angelo Russell scored 40 points, including 12 straight down the stretch, and Brooklyn pulled out a victory over host Charlotte in a bizarre game.
The Nets blew a 19-point second-half lead and eventually had to come back from an eight-point deficit in the final four minutes. Russell’s 3-pointer with 39.8 seconds remaining gave the Nets the lead for good, and then no foul was called in a controversial ending when Charlotte’s Kemba Walker appeared to draw contact from Caris LeVert on a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
The victory allowed the Nets to expand their lead over the Hornets to two games in the chase for the Eastern Conference’s No. 6 playoff spot.
from The Morung Express
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