Mitchell’s hot start fuels Jazz, Clippers beat 76ers
Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points and handed out seven assists as the Utah Jazz boosted their Nba-leading record Saturday with a 126-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Jordan Clarkson came off the bench to add 28 points and Rudy Gobert added 16 points and 14 rebounds for Utah as they notched their fifth straight victory and 33rd of the season.
The Los Angeles Clippers, chasing Utah and the Phoenix Suns in the West, won their fifth straight game, 122-112 over the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers. Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 28 points, Paul George added 24 and Terrence Mann chipped in 23 off the bench.
Zion Williamson scored 38 points as the New Orleans Pelicans rallied to beat the Dallas Mavericks 112103. The Mavericks, missing ailing forward Luka Doncic and center Kristaps Porzingis who rested on the second night of a back-to-back, led 95-94 with less than four minutes remaining. But the Pelicans roared home on an 18-8 scoring run that included 10 points from Williamson.
Two days after being traded by Orlando, center Nikola Vucevic made his Chicago Bulls debut in the 120104 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Vucevic scored 21 points with nine rebounds and four assists, struggling defensively against Jakob Poeltl who led the Spurs with 20 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Demar Derozan added 17 points for the Spurs, who ended a four-game losing streak and made coach Gregg Popovich just the third NBA coach to reach 1,300 regular-season victories after Don Nelson (1,335) and Lenny Wilkens (1,332).