LONZO WINS BALL BATTLE
Lonzo Ball has faced his brother LaMelo three times in the NBA, winning twice. That’s the only thing that matters to him.
Bulls 133, Hornets 119
“I play to win. I’m still the big brother at the end of the day,” Lonzo Ball said, “and I got to stack my wins.”
The Chicago Bulls took the latest battle of the Ball brothers, riding a stellar performance by Nikola Vucevic to a 133-119 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.
Chicago shot a seasonhigh 59.6 percent from the field and had five players score in double figures. Vucevic had a season-best 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points, and Zach LaVine, a game-time decision because of an illness, finished with 25.
With patriarch LaVar Ball watching and wearing a black hat that read “I Told You So,” Lonzo Ball helped the Bulls get back on track after dropping three of four. He had 16 points and eight assists, and LaMelo Ball had 18 points and 13 assists.
“I mean we’ve been talking about the NBA since we were little boys,” LaMelo said. “Just going out there and playing against him, always a dream come true, for real.”
The United Center crowd of 21,366 roared every time the Ball brothers matched up early on. But there was little sign from Lonzo or LaMelo that they were guarding someone they’d guarded since they were kids.
“Obviously we are brothers and it’s all love off the court,” Lonzo Ball said. “But on the court, like I said, he got a job he got to do, I got a job I got to do.”
Terry Rozier scored 31 points and Gordon Hayward had 22 for the Hornets, who dropped to 0-2 on their fourgame trip.
“Disappointed tonight in our defense,” Charlotte coach James Borrego said. “We just
got to correct it.”
Charlotte trimmed a 23point deficit down to four on Hayward’s cutting layup with 7:31 left, but Chicago responded with a 9-0 run.
Vucevic sparked the decisive stretch with a layup. The 6-foot-10 center also went 6 for 6 from 3-point range in his highest scoring game of the season — rounding into form after struggling in his return from COVID-19.
He averaged 12.3 points on 42 percent shooting in his previous three games.
“I felt like I was getting my rhythm, and then I got COVID and then I had to sit out,” Vucevic said. “But obviously tonight was a good game for me. Felt great to make some shots.”
Nuggets 120, Heat 111: Nikola Jokic returned and scored 24 points, Aaron Gordon added 20 and visiting Denver snapped its longest losing streak in nearly six years by beating Miami.
Bones Hyland scored 19 and Will Barton added 14 for the Nuggets, who had dropped six straight. Jokic hadn’t played in the last four of those because of a wrist injury but finished with 15 rebounds and seven assists.
Pelicans 123 Clippers 104: Jonas Valanciunas scored 39 points and Brandon Ingram added 27 to lead New Orleans past Los Angeles for its third road victory and sixth overall.
Paul George scored 27 points, but the Clippers were a minus-21 with him on the court.
Jazz 129, Trail Blazers 107: Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, Rudy Gobert had 21 points and 16 rebounds, and host Utah Jazz beat Portland.
Jordan Clarkson added 22 points for Utah.
76ers 101, Magic 96: Seth Curry scored 24 points, Tobias Harris had 17 and host Philadelphia needed free throws in the final minute to beat Orlando.
The Magic (4-18) showed grit in a fiery second half and rallied from 16 down to tie it 93-all on Mo Bamba’s dunk with 57 seconds left.
Timberwolves 100, Pacers 98: Karl-Anthony Towns scored 16 of his 32 points in the third quarter and Anthony Edwards added 21 as Minnesota rallied past visiting Indiana.
The Timberwolves trailed by 12 early in the third before Towns led a comeback that sent them to their seventh
win in eight games.
Rockets 102, Thunder 89:
Christian Wood had 24 points and a career-high 21 rebounds as host Houston won its third straight game by defeating Oklahoma City.
Kevin Porter Jr. contributed a triple-double of 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Garrison Mathews scored 19 for the Rockets.
Cavaliers 114, Mavericks 96: Jarrett Allen scored 28 points and Lauri Markkanen had 24, both season highs, as visiting Cleveland dominated Dallas.
Luka Doncic posted his second triple-double of the season with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Mavericks. Doncic made a season-high seven 3-pointers (7 of 11), while his teammates went 4 for 28 from behind the arc.
Spurs 116, Wizards 99:
Derrick White scored 24 points, Dejounte Murray had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and host San Antonio beat Washington to win consecutive games for the first time this season.
Murray also dished out eight assists for the Spurs, who had six players score in double figures.