Nets win at end of tumultuous week
NEW YORK » Spencer Dinwiddie scored 24 points, Caris LeVert and Joe Harris each added 23 and Brooklyn beat the Chicago Bulls 110-107 on Sunday, a day after the Nets parted ways with coach Kenny Atkinson.
Interim head coach Jacque Vaughn directed the Nets to their second straight victory. The team said Saturday morning that the team and Atkinson “mutually agreed to part ways.” That message was reiterated in a news conference later in the day with general manager Sean Marks.
“It was a little different,” LeVert said about playing without Atkinson, before adding, “I felt like (Vaughn) did a great job.”
DeAndre Jordan and Jarrett Allen each added 11 points, and Jordan had 11 rebounds.
Otto Porter Jr. led the Bulls with 23 points. Coby White added 21, Thaddeus Young had 17, and Lauri Markkanen 16.
LAKERS 112, CLIPPERS 103 LOS ANGELES » Anthony Davis scored 30 points,
LeBron James added 28 and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Clippers, snapping their Staples Center co-tenant’s six-game winning streak.
Avery Bradley added 24 points to help the Lakers won their fourth in a row and 11th in 12 games. They pulled away in the second half after the Clippers’ smothering defense helped them lead most of the first two quarters.
The Lakers recently clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2013, and it’s possible they could meet the Clippers in the postseason. The crowd made it feel like a playoff atmosphere, with a strong contingent of raucous Lakers fans on hand for what was a Clippers’ home game. They chanted “MVP! MVP!” when James completed a 3-point play that tied the Lakers’ largest lead of 12 points with 40 seconds to play.
Paul George scored 31 points, Kawhi Leonard added 27 and Montrezl Harrell had 20 for the Clippers. They lost to the Lakers for the first time in three games this season.