Jazz keep hot streak going, rout Rockets
Celtics ease past Knicks for fourth straight win
>> SALT LAKE CITY: Reserve Derrick Favors finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds as the Utah Jazz delivered another shooting night to remember with a 118-91 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday.
Joe Ingles chipped in 18 points and, like Favors, Dante Exum came off the bench to score 15, as five players reached double figures proving once again that Utah’s unselfish offence is the defining aspect of their recent winning streak.
Two nights ago, the Jazz had seven players in double figures in a win over San Antonio. They are a much different team than the group that struggled through a shooting slump for much of November.
Utah won for the fourth time in five contests and did it without star centre Rudy Gobert, who was ejected by the officials less than three minutes into the game.
Gobert picked up his first foul on the opening tip. After collecting his second foul at 9:13 minutes of the first quarter, Gobert got tossed when he got frustrated and swatted at some items, including a paper cup, which were sitting on the scorer’s table.
Gobert was slapped with a US$15,000 fine from league disciplinary officials earlier in the week for criticising the officials following Utah’s 102-100 loss to Miami on Sunday.
Referee Tom Washington said Gobert grabbed Clint Capela’s arm on the opening tip-off. And then he was ejected for losing his temper.
“He was coming off the floor and he forcefully swung at items on the scorer’s table and those three items came out onto the floor. It was just too demonstrative and we had to take action,” said Washington.
James Harden scored 15 points while Chris Paul and Capela added 12 apiece for the visiting Rockets, who allowed an opponent to pull away in the second half for a second consecutive game.
Houston haven’t had trouble generating offence lately but they have struggled mightily on defence. On Thursday they committed a seasonhigh 22 turnovers and surrendered up a season-high 33 points off those mistakes.
At Boston, Kyrie Irving scored 22 points before leaving the game in the final minutes nursing his right shoulder, Al Horford had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Boston coasted past the New York Knicks 128-100.
Jaylen Brown returned after missing three games with a bruised lower back and scored a season-high 21 points. Jayson Tatum added 17 for Boston, who won their fourth straight game and exacted a bit of revenge for a Nov 21 loss to the Knicks.
Tim Hardaway Jr scored 22 for New York, who have lost four of their last five games. Enes Kanter had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Noah Vonleh had 12 and 10.
At Portland, Damian Lillard had 25 points and eight assists before sitting for the final quarter and Portland snapped a three-game losing streak with a 108-86 rout of Phoenix.
Jake Layman came off the bench to score a career-high 24 points for the Blazers, who had lost six of their last seven games. Portland led by as many as 31 points.
Troy Daniels had a season-high 15 points for the struggling Suns, who were held to nine points in the first quarter for the second consecutive game and have lost seven straight. Phoenix have just four victories this season, and just one on the road.
Phoenix missed TJ Warren for the fourth straight game because of right ankle soreness and Devin Booker for the second game because of a left hamstring strain.
Booker is the team’s top scorer, averaging 23.5 points, while Warren averages 17.7.