Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Spurs top Rockets despite Harden’s triple-double
HOUSTON — Tony Parker showed why he is so valuable to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night.
Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 20 points in their 106-100 victory over Houston, but Parker’s court presence proved to be the biggest difference between this victory and Wednesday’s night’s 101-99 home loss to the Rockets without him.
“He’s a great point guard, very smart, knows where guys’ spots are on the floor, and he’s been here before,” Leonard said. “He knows what (Gregg Popovich) expects, and if one of us gets out of line or if we’re doing well, he tells us. He just makes us better.”
Parker missed three games with knee soreness last week, and the Spurs lost consecutive home games for the first time since December 2014. On Saturday night, he scored a season-high 16 points and played 27 minutes, his second-highest total of the season.
“He gets us organized,” Popovich said. “He hasn’t been with us so much this season. He’s just a stability factor, and that was a big help.”
The Spurs improved to 5-0 on the road, where they have outscored opponents by an average of 12.8 points.
James Harden had a triple-double for a second straight game against the Spurs, finishing with 25 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, but also added seven costly turnovers. A deep 3-pointer by Eric Gordon cut the lead to four with 2 minutes remaining, but Houston struggled to make stops down the stretch.
“Just messed up coverages,” Harden said. “They’re a really good team. They make you mess up.”
Clippers 119, Timberwolves 105 — At Minneapolis, Blake Griffin had 20 points and 11 rebounds and DeAndre Jordan had 18 points and 16 boards to lead Los Angeles to its sixth straight victory. Chris Paul had 19 points and eight assists for the Clippers (9-1), who have the best record in the NBA.
Raptors 118, Knicks 107 — At Toronto, DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points, Norman Powell added 19 and the Toronto beat New York for the fourth straight time. DeRozan, the NBA’s leading scorer, had his eighth 30-plus-point game in nine starts this season.
Bulls 106, Wizards 95 — At Chicago, Jimmy Butler scored 37 points, and Chicago beat short-handed Washington, which was without guards John Wall and Bradley Beal. Butler also hit all 14 of his free throws, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out a season-high nine assists.
Celtics 105, Pacers 99 — At Indianapolis, Isaiah Thomas scored 23 points, including Boston’s final eight, and Celtics handed Indiana its first home loss of the season. Thomas scored 19 points over the final 14 minutes and hit several clutch shots.
Pistons 106, Nuggets 95 — At Denver, Tobias Harris scored 19 points, Marcus Morris had 17 and Detroit picked up its first road win of the season. Andre Drummond and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope each scored 14 points apiece for the Pistons.
Jazz 102, Heat 91 — At Miami, Gordon Hayward scored 25 points, Rodney Hood added 17 and Utah handed Miami a fourth consecutive loss. Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Jazz, who used a 15-0 run midway through the game to pull away.
Lakers 126, Pelicans 99 — At New Orleans, Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points, Lou Williams added 21 and Los Angeles won for the fifth time in six games. The Lakers shot 55.3 percent (52 of 94) overall and made 16 of 30 3-pointers.
Hawks 117, 76ers 96 — At Atlanta, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20 points, Kent Bazemore added 17 and Atlanta won its fourth straight. Dwight Howard, the NBA’s active leader in double-doubles, had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks.
Bucks 106, Grizzlies 96 — At Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points and Michael Beasley added a season-high 19 to help Milwaukee win its fourth game of the season. The Bucks closed the game on a 7-0 run.
Nets 122, Suns 104 — At Phoenix, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, leading Brooklyn to its first road victory of the season. The Nets held a 102-100 lead with 4:16 to play but scored the next 17 points.