Williamson lifts Pelicans over Spurs, Magic shock Timberwolves
Westbrook reaches milestone with 25,000 career points
LOS ANGELES: Zion Williamson drove for the game-winning layup in the waning seconds Friday, lifting the New Orleans Pelicans to a 114-113 NBA victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Williamson finished with 33 points and eight rebounds, connecting on 12 of his 21 shots from the field. His dunk with 28.5 seconds remaining pulled the Pelicans within one and with 3.8 seconds left, he powered through the Spurs defense for the game-winner.
Devin Vassell scored 28 points for San Antonio but missed a three-pointer at the final buzzer. Sensational Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama added 16 points and 14 rebounds for San Antonio, whose 18 turnovers were twice as many as the Pelicans’.
“I live for stuff like this,” Williamson, the top pick in the 2019 draft, said after the teams traded the lead five times in the fourth quarter. “Playing in games like this is a lot of fun.” The dominant performance from the two-time All-Star came a day after he failed to gain a nod for this year’s All-Star game when the 14 reserves for the mid-season showcase were announced on Thursday.
Atlanta’s Trae Young, also snubbed in the All-Star selections, scored 32 points and handed out 15 assists to lead the Hawks in a 129-120 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Young came into the contest averaging 27 points and 10.9 assists per game but didn’t get an All-Star nod.
His response was his 76th career game with at least 30 points and 10 assists -- tied for the fifthmost such games in NBA history. He connected on seven of 11 from three-point range and came up with three steals for good measure as the Hawks notched their third straight win.
Kevin Durant scored 35 with eight rebounds and eight assists to lead the Suns, who had won nine of their previous 11 games. Devin Booker added 24, but after twice taking the lead in the third quarter, Phoenix coughed up eight of their 17 turnovers in the fourth and the Hawks held on.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder said that Young, like any NBA player, would relish an All-Star Game appearance, but he didn’t think that drove the 23-yearold. “Trae, one of the things that’s been great about what he’s doing is he’s not playing for accolades,” Snyder said. “He’s playing to win.”
Westbrook milestone
It was a milestone night for Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook, who became just the 25th NBA player to reach 25,000 career points. Westbrook scored 23 off the bench to help the Clippers beat the Pistons 136-125 in Detroit. Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points to lead the Clippers, who rallied from an early 14-point deficit and never trailed in the second half.
Westbrook hit the 25,000-point milestone with a running layup late in the fourth quarter that pushed the Clippers’ lead to 134-115. He was congratulated at the bench by James Harden -- another 25,000-point club member -- and other teammates. “It’s a fun group,” Westbrook said of a Clippers squad that has won 10 of their last 12 games. “Just to see all the love and support here from the coaches, from my teammates -- I’m truly, truly grateful for that.”
Elsewhere, the Orlando Magic stunned Western Conference contenders Minnesota 108-106. The defeat coupled with Oklahoma City’s 126-106 victory over the Charlotte Hornets left the Timberwolves and Thunder tied atop the Western Conference at 34-15.
Orlando’s Paolo Banchero scored 23 points, and the Magic overcame an early 17-point deficit to shock the Timberwolves. Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards scored 22 points each and Gobert added 16 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who scored just 18 points on 25 percent shooting in the fourth quarter.
In Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points with five rebounds and nine assists to lead the Thunder. In the last game of the night, two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic delivered his 15th triple-double of the season, scoring 27 points with 22 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the defending champion Denver Nuggets to a 120108 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.