NBA roundup: Nets pull off epic comeback at Phoenix

James Harden amassed 38 points and 11 assists and Joe Harris added 22 points as the short-handed Brooklyn Nets rallied from a 24-point deficit to earn a 128-124 road victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

The 21-point, second-half comeback was the largest for the Nets since they joined the NBA in the 1976-77 season.

Jeff Green scored 18 points off the bench for Brooklyn and Tyler Johnson added 17 in his first start of the season. The Nets, who were playing without Kyrie Irving (back) and Kevin Durant (hamstring), won their fourth straight game.

Chris Paul scored 17 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and Devin Booker added 22 points and seven assists as the Suns saw their season-best winning streak end at six games. Phoenix led the entire game until the Nets took their first lead on a Harden 3-pointer with 31.4 seconds remaining.

Boston Celtics 112 - Denver Nuggets 99

Jaylen Brown scored 27 points, Jayson Tatum had 21 points and eight assists, and host Boston overcame a big night by Nikola Jokic to beat Denver. Kemba Walker added 17 points for the Celtics, who had lost four of their previous five.

Jokic finished with 43 points, Jamal Murray had 25 — but committed nine turnovers — and Facundo Campazzo added 15 points in his first start for short-handed Denver.

The Nuggets played without five rotation players, three of them starters. In addition to Gary Harris, P.J. Dozier and Will Barton, who all missed Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Paul Millsap (left knee sprain) and Monte Morris (right shoulder strain) were sidelined.

Los Angeles Lakers 112 - Minnesota Timberwolves 104

LeBron James totaled 30 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists to lead Los Angeles, playing without injured

James Harden star Anthony Davis, to a victory over Minnesota in Minneapolis.

The Lakers, one of the NBA’s best road teams this season, won for the 13th time in 16 games away from L.A. and prevailed for the eighth time in their past nine games overall. They played without Davis, who is expected to miss multiple weeks after straining his right Achilles tendon Sunday at Denver.

Montrezl Harrell was clutch off the Lakers’ bench with 17 points and six rebounds and Marc Gasol (11 points) helped limit Karl-Anthony Towns to only 15 points and six rebounds. Dennis Schroder added 24 points for the Lakers while rookie Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 28 points.

New Orleans Pelicans 144 - Memphis Grizzlies 113

Zion Williamson scored 31 points as New Orleans salvaged the final game of a four-game road trip by winning at Memphis.

Josh Hart came off the bench to score a season-high 27 and Willy Hernangomez added 14 off the bench as the Pelicans’ reserves outscored the Grizzlies’ bench 63-30. Brandon Ingram scored 22 and Lonzo Ball had 13 as New Orleans posted a season high in points.

Ja Morant scored 28, Kyle Anderson had 19, Dillon Brooks added 18 and Jonas Valanciunas had 10 for the Grizzlies, who have dropped five straight against the Pelicans.

Toronto Raptors 124 - Milwaukee Bucks 113

Fred VanVleet scored 33 points and added seven assists and visiting Toronto defeated Milwaukee in the opener of a two-game set.

Pascal Siakam scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Toronto. Chris Boucher had 14 points, and OG Anunoby, who returned after missing 10 games with a strained calf, scored 13 points.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out eight assists and logged five steals for Milwaukee.

Portland Trail Blazers 115 Thunder 104

- Oklahoma City

Damian Lillard scored 31 points, including three 3pointers in four possessions in the fourth quarter, to lift Portland past host Oklahoma City.

The Blazers had let a 24-point, third-quarter lead slip away, trailing by five when Lillard hit the first of those 3pointers with 4:11 left to kickstart the decisive surge. Gary Trent Jr. added 19 points for Portland and Enes Kanter had a game-high 21 rebounds.

Luguentz Dort led the Thunder with 23 points while Hamidou Diallo added 17 points off the bench.

—Field Level Media

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) - As if their comprehensive defeat in the second test against India was not bad enough, England’s rigid rotation policy has now prompted complaints that test cricket is no more their priority.

The team under Joe Root had embarked on their Asia tour by leaving out speedster Jofra Archer and all-rounder Ben Stokes for the Sri Lanka leg as part of their policy to keep multi-format players fresh.

Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran and Mark Wood were rested for the first two tests against India after England’s 2-0 sweep in Sri Lanka.

Jos Buttler returned home after the first match in India and Moeen Ali was granted leave after playing the second test in which he was England’s most successful bowler as well as their second-innings top scorer.

Moeen will rejoin the team in

India ahead of the five-match Twenty20 series next month but former England captain Michael Vaughan questioned the tinkering with the squad.

“After 2019 we were told England’s priority would be winning back the Ashes,” Vaughan wrote in the Daily Telegraph.

“But in four Test matches this year they have already used 19 players. That to me, shows Test cricket is not the priority.”

Vaughan questioned why Buttler and Bairstow were not rested from the Twenty20 matches instead.

England have maintained the rotation policy was aimed at limiting a player’s time in bio-secure bubbles.

“I just feel sorry for Joe Root,” Vaughan wrote.

“I don’t know what is going on behind the scenes but if I was Test captain I would not be agreeing to it. I want my best team playing every game this year.”

All the same, England’s Twenty20 preference would be understandable considering they will return to India later this year chasing a second 20overs World Cup title.

Vaughan’s former team mate Kevin Pietersen and Australia spin great Shane Warne were also baffled by England’s handling of their players.

Warne tweeted, questioning “why England decided to rest players with 7/8 (days) till the next one. Is that not enough time to recover? Needed 2 weeks? Really?”

The third test, a day-night game, begins in Ahmedabad on Feb. 24.

Root has no complaints with the squad at his disposal though.

“I think we’ve got some wonderfully talented players and a squad of players that is more than capable of winning here,” he said after Tuesday’s loss in Chennai.

The Georgetown Office Assistants will stage an Inter Ministries/Government Agencies seven-aside tapeball competition on Sunday at the Durban Park Tarmac, Homestretch Avenue.

This is according to a press release.

The event, by long standing sport coordinator James Lewis, has received the permission of the National Covid-19 Task Force, the release stated.

“The Georgetown Office Assistants promotion team, headed by James ‘Uprising’ Lewis would be hosting the biggest Inter-Ministries/Government Agencies Republic Cup tape ball cricket competition on Sunday 21st February, 2021 on the Durban Park Tarmac from 9:00am. The group has gotten the green light from the Covid-19 Task Force,” stated the release.

The winning and runner-up teams of the four over per innings tournament, will pocket trophies and medals among other prizes and the competition is sponsored by the Honorable Ministries of Government.

According to the release several teams have commenced training in preparation for the tournament at different venues.

Friday is the closing date for registration.

“To date, all ministries have shown an interest in participating. Stiff competition is in the making as some teams have already started some training sessions at the National Park and also Durban Park. Strict COVID-19 guidelines are in effect.