RONDO ASSISTS POWER PELICANS
Sacramento pull surprise win over Cleveland
NEW ORLEANS
ANTHONY Davis scored a team-high 33 points, DeMarcus Cousins had 27 points and 14 rebounds, and Rajon Rondo dished out a career-high 25 assists to power the New Orleans Pelicans to a 128-113 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night at the Smoothie King Center.
Jrue Holiday added 23 points and E’Twaun Moore had 20 for the Pelicans, who won their third consecutive game. The Nets lost for the seventh time in eight games.
In Sacramento, Vince Carter scored 24 points in Kings’ improbable win over Cleveland.
The 40-year-old guard, who missed the team’s previous three games — two by coach’s decision and one as a result of rib pain — received multiple standing ovations from the Golden 1 Center crowd. He finished 10 of 12 from the field and had big-time shots to answer almost every time Cleveland tried to cut into the lead.
Cleveland’s LeBron James had a triple-double of 16 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds.
Kris Dunn scored 17 points and hit a pair of free throws with 7.8 seconds remaining, and Lauri Markkanen finished with 12 points as Chicago rallied to beat New York.
Robin Lopez finished with 11 points for Chicago, which has won nine of its last 11 games.
The Knicks lost their third straight game.
Kevin Durant ignited a thirdquarter runaway with consecutive dunks, propelling Golden State to a victory over Utah.
Durant had 21 points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots without playing in the fourth quarter.
Jimmy Butler scored 12 of his game-high 39 points in overtime to help Minnesota top Denver.
The Timberwolves won their fifth game in a row while halting the Nuggets’ winning streak at three games.
Paul George had 33 points, and Russell Westbrook added 30 points and 13 assists as Oklahoma City beat Toronto.
Carmelo Anthony and Steven Adams contributed 18 points apiece for the Thunder.
Dennis Schroder erupted for 16 of his 21 points in the second half, leading Atlanta to a win over Washington.
Ersan Ilyasova chipped in with 20 points while Marco Belinelli helped with 19 off the bench for Atlanta. The victory marked the first time this season that the Hawks won consecutive games.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 15 points to lead six players in double figures in Dallas’ victory over Indiana.
Harrison Barnes and Yogi Ferrell each had 13 points for Dallas. Wesley Matthews and Dwight Powell added 12 points apiece, and Devin Harris scored 10 for the Mavericks, who shot 51.3 per cent from the field.
Rookie Jayson Tatum scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Al Horford and Kyrie Irving combined for 41 points as Boston closed out Charlotte.
Irving scored 21 points and handed out eight assists, and Horford added 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who had lost three of their previous four games, including a Christmas Day defeat to the Washington Wizards.
A 32-point performance from guard Tyreke Evans helped Memphis capitalise on a sluggish Los Angeles offensive performance.
Jarell Martin had 20 points, Andrew Harrison recorded 15 points, Deyonta Davis scored 14 points, and Marc Gasol finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots for the Grizzlies. Reuters