Adams’ best return goes unrewarded
Steven Adams had his best scoring game of the NBA season with 22 points but it wasn’t enough as the Thunder were beaten 130-127 by the Los Angeles Lakers yesterday.
Anthony Davis led the way for the Lakers, scoring 24 of his 33 points in the second half. Davis also had 11 rebounds and seven assists.
LeBron James added 23 points and 14 assists for the Lakers, who won their sixth straight match and own the league’s best record at 13-2.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points and Adams added 22 for the Thunder, who have lost five of six. Adams also had six rebounds, four assists and shot nine of 10 from the the floor.
It’s a welcome return to form for Adams who has been struggling with a knee injury.
Los Angeles guard Rajon Rondo was ejected early in the fourth quarter after a kick to Dennis Schroder’s groin area. Schroder made two free throws, then Gilgeous-Alexander’s layup tied the game at 109.
Davis hit a corner three and was fouled by Adams, then made the free throw to put the Lakers ahead 126-121 with 2:36 to play.
Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul made a layup with 11.8 seconds left that cut the Lakers’ lead to 126-125. Davis was fouled with 8.1 seconds left, and he made both free throws. GilgeousAlexander’s layup with 4.2 seconds left trimmed it to one again, but Davis made two more free throws with 3.8 seconds remaining.
James intercepted the inbounds pass intended Adams and ran out the clock.
Thunder coach Billy Donovan got a technical for arguing with officials in the second quarter.
Oklahoma City trimmed what once was a 15-point third-quarter deficit to 106-103 by the end of the period.
The Thunder
Golden State Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Boston guard Kemba Walker has been diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms and taken to hospital for further evaluation after colliding with a team-mate.
Walker and Semi Ojeleye collided late in the second quarter of Boston’s game against Denver, with Walker striking Ojeleye’s long for next visit Warriors the on abdomen area head-first and going down on to the court in a heap.
Play was stopped as medical personnel from both teams tended to the star guard who was prone on the floor for several minutes.
A brace was placed around his neck to stabilise the area and he was strapped to a backboard before being placed onto a gurney and wheeled off the court.
Without their star point guard, Boston weren’t able to get the win and lost 96-92.
Australian Ben Simmons registered a triple-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists as Philadelphia handed San Antonio their eighth successive loss.
Patty Mills scored five points to go with three rebounds and four assists in 26 minutes of court time for the Spurs.
The 76ers won their third straight game but San Antonio drop to a 5-11 record and are on the longest skid since head coach Gregg Popovich took over in 1996-97.
Elsewhere, Andre Drummond had 23 points and 15 rebounds, helping Detroit to a 128-103 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
The Pistons led 76-57 halftime and they reached at 100 points with more than five minutes remaining in the third quarter, capitalising on their highest-scoring first half since 1983.
Bradley Beal had 30 points and 12 assists as the Washington Wizards rallied to defeat the visiting Charlotte Hornets 125-118.
Luka Doncic continued his terrific start to the season and scored 30 points and provided 14 assists in Dallas’s 143-101 win over Cleveland.
Other winners yesterday were Brooklyn over Sacramento, Miami over Chicago and Utah over Golden State.