Clippers 126, Pelicans 103
Heat 125, Nuggets 105
Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each scored 22 points to help the Heat beat the Nuggets in the first restart game for both teams.
Kelly Olynyk scored all of his 20 points in the fourth quarter for the Heat, who shot 56% from the field.
It was a positive step for Miami after an 18-point loss to Memphis in its final scrimmage on Tuesday. The Heat broke away with a strong second half on both ends.
“I think we really locked in and got stops in the second,” Adebayo said. “It always helps to make shots, don’t get me wrong. But we started playing a lot harder in the second.”
Thunder 110, Jazz 94
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 19 points, Chris Paul added 18 and Oklahoma City rolled past Utah in their first game of the restart.
Steven Adams had 16 points and 11 rebounds, Danilo Gallinari added 15 points and the Thunder shot 53 percent from the field.
Donovan Mitchell scored 13 points for the Jazz but shot just 5 for 15. Utah shot 39 percent from the field and was just 8 of 31 on 3-pointers.
The teams were to meet on March 11 in Oklahoma City, but everything changed when Utah center Rudy Gobert’s COVID-19 test came up positive right before the tip. That night, the NBA announced it would shut down indefinitely.
Paul George made three straight 3pointers in the opening minutes and had eight overall for 28 points for the Clippers, who rode a team-record barrage of long-range shots to beat the faltering Pelicans.
The Clippers broke the franchise record by making 25 of 47 3-pointers. George made 8 of 11. The Clippers also tied the team record for 3-pointers made in a half and fell one short of the NBA record by hitting 16 of 24 in racing to a 77-45 halftime lead.
Los Angeles made its first six 3pointers to take a 20-6 lead. Patrick Beverley scored from behind the arc for L.A.’s first points and then George connected on three straight possessions for a 12-2 lead just 2:11 in.
— Associated Press