Struggling Pistons snap Celtics winning streak
James, Ball have triple-doubles
CHARLOTTE, NC, Dec 16, (AP): LeBron James and Lonzo Ball gave the Lakers multiple triple-doubles in a game for just the second time, and Los Angeles routed the Charlotte Hornets 128-100 on Saturday night for its third win in four games.
James had 24 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, while Ball had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the only other Lakers to accomplish that feat in the same game, doing so on Jan 22, 1982.
James continued his dominance over Charlotte, improving to 27-1 in his last 28 games.
He was unstoppable throughout on penetration, helping the Lakers outscore the Hornets 40-17 in the third quarter and build a 30-point lead with his second triple-double of the season and 75th of his career. He did not play in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.
Pistons 113, Celtics 104 In Detroit, Blake Griffin scored 27 points and Andre Drummond added 19 points and 20 rebounds to help Detroit beat Boston, snapping the Celtics’ eight-game winning streak.
Detroit also ended its own sixgame skid with a solid 48-minute effort. The Pistons took control with a 13-0 run in the third quarter and played well at the start of the fourth as well.
Kyrie Irving led Boston with 26 points.
Both teams shot over 60 percent from the field in the first quarter, and the game was still tight at halftime, with Detroit up 57-56. Drummond punctuated his team’s 13-point run in the third with a dunk that put the Pistons ahead 76-66.
Rockets 105, Grizzlies 97 In Memphis, Tenn, James Harden had 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his second consecutive triple-double, and Houston held off a fourth-quarter burst to beat Memphis.
Harden, who had 50 points in a triple-double in the Rockets’ victory over the Lakers on Thursday, was 9 of 14 from the field, including 3 of 7 from outside the arc as Houston won its third straight.
Clint Capela finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Gerald Green scored 17 points.
Mike Conley led Memphis with 22 points and six assists, while Marc Gasol added 17 points and nine rebounds. JaMychal Green had 13 points.
Magic 96, Jazz 89 In Mexico City, Evan Fournier scored 24 points, Terrence Ross came off the bench to add 10 of his 19 in the fourth quarter, and Orlando rallied from an 11-point deficit to beat Utah and sweep its two-game homestand in Mexico City.
Ross shot 8 of 9 from the field and Nikola Vucevic added 15 points and a season-high 19 rebounds for the Magic (13-15), who beat the Chicago Bulls 97-91 on Thursday.
Orlando won despite 22 turnovers, 15 in the first half, and is in second place in the Southeast Division behind the Charlotte Hornets.
Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points and Derrick Favors added 21 for the struggling Jazz (14-15), who lost for the third time in their last four games.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball (2) dunks against Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller (left), in the second half of an NBA basketball game in
Charlotte, NC on Dec 15. (AP)
Chicago Bulls forward Bobby Portis (5) drive to the basket against San Antonio Spurs center Jakob Poeltl (25) during the second half of an NBA basketball
game on Dec 15 in San Antonio. San Antonio won 98-93. (AP)