Surging Clippers dominate Pelicans
George, Leonard split load for L.A.
Paul George made six 3pointers and scored 24 points, Kawhi Leonard added 19 points and nine rebounds, and the surging Los Angeles Clippers beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 111-95, on Friday night.
James Harden had 13 assists and eight points in 29 minutes for the Clippers, who led by as many as 31 points in the fourth quarter and won for the 14th time in 16 games.
Jonas Valanciunas had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Pelicans, whose fourgame winning streak was snapped. Jordan Hawkins also scored 13 points in just seven minutes off the bench.
The Clippers played suffocating defense against New Orleans’ top two scorers, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, each of whom was held to 12 points. Williamson left the game in the third quarter with a right leg contusion. The Clippers took control by outscoring the Pelicans 30-15 in the second quarter, holding New Orleans to 5-of24 shooting. Los Angeles closed the first half on a 24-7 run and led 56-41 at the break, holding the Pelicans to their fewest points in a half this season.
Other games
Pacers 150, Hawks 116:
Tyrese Haliburton had 18 of the Pacers’ franchise-record 50 assists and host Indiana routed Atlanta for its sixth straight victory. Haliburton, the NBA assists leader at 12.8 per game, also had 10 points and eight rebounds in just more than 25 minutes. Myles Turner led Indiana with 27 points, Bennedict Mathurin had 18, Bruce Brown 17 and Andrew Nesmith 15.
Celtics 126, Jazz 97:
Jayson Tatum scored 30 points and hit five 3-pointers to help Boston run past Utah as the Eastern Conference leaders earned its seventh win in eight games. Boston never trailed, led by as many as 36 points in the first half and made 17 3s for the night.
Knicks 128, 76ers 92:
Jalen Brunson hit four 3-pointers and scored 29 points to lead New York to a victory against host Philadelphia for its third straight win. Quentin Grimes added 19 points and Isaiah Hartenstein had 17 to help the Knicks. Donte DiVincenzo also made four 3s and scored 14 points.
Nets 124, Thunder 115:
Spencer Dinwiddie and Nic Claxton each scored 23 points and Brooklyn beat visiting Oklahoma City to snap a five-game losing streak. Cam Thomas broke out of a 0-for-20 shooting slump with 19 points, including 16 in the Nets’ most dominant first half of the season. They led 75-47 at the break and by 32 in the third quarter before a late push by the Thunder made it close.
Cavaliers 114, Wizards 90:
Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Jarrett Allen had his sixth straight double-double and host Cleveland rolled to their second easy win in three nights over Washington. The Cavs had a little tougher time against the Wizards than in their 140-101 blowout Wednesday, when Cleveland reached season highs in points, rebounds, assists and 3-point percentage.
Bulls 104, Hornets 91:
Coby White had 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and Chicago welcomed back Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic with a victory against Miles Bridges and visiting Charlotte as the Hornets have won just one game out of the last 13. DeMar DeRozan added 17 points for Chicago, which had lost three of four. Andre Drummond grabbed 10 rebounds in his sixth consecutive game with double-digit boards.
Timberwolves 122, Rockets 95:
Anthony Edwards scored 24 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 and Western Conference-leading Minnesota beat host Houston to end a two- game slide. Edwards had a relatively quiet game considering he entered the night averaging 36.3 points in his previous four games. He had scored at least 25 points in 10 straight games but went 8 for 17 from the field in 32 minutes.
Mavericks 139, Trail Blazers 103:
Kyrie Irving scored 24 points with fellow All-Star Luka Doncic sidelined by a sore ankle, and Dallas swept a two-game home set against the Trail Blazers by beating Portland as the Mavericks have won three out of their last four games. The Mavericks were missing six other players besides Doncic. But they led from the middle of the first quarter on, two nights after never trailing in a 29-point win over the Blazers.