Rockets outduel Clippers
Lakers too strong for Warriors
WASHINGTON, Nov 14, (RTRS): James Harden poured in a game-high 47 points and served as the closer down the stretch of the Houston Rockets’ 10293 win over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
After Kawhi Leonard provided the Clippers an 86-85 lead with a fade-away jumper in the paint, Harden converted a driving layup and then drilled a 3-pointer as Houston reclaimed a 90-86 advantage. With just over 90 seconds to play, Harden nailed a dagger 3 for a 95-88 lead.
Clippers coach Doc Rivers was ejected immediately thereafter. Houston extended its winning streak to five games. Harden shot 7 of 13 on 3-point attempts, grabbed six boards and had seven assists.
Rockets guard Russell Westbrook added 17 points, despite 6-for-20 shooting, while center Clint Capela posted his third consecutive 20-rebound game, pairing 12 points with 20 boards. Leonard paced the Clippers with 26 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
Kemba Walker led a balanced Celtics attack with 25 points as Boston defeated visiting Washington to extend its winning streak to nine.
Seven Celtics scored in double figures, including a career-high 18 off the bench from rookie Carsen Edwards. It marked the first time the Celtics have scored 140 points since Nov 25, 1992, when they beat the then-Washington Bullets 150112.
Bradley Beal led all scorers with 44 points, who have lost six of seven. Isaiah Thomas, making his first start in Boston since the Celtics traded him in 2017, scored 18 points and dished out seven assists.
Rookie guard Ja Morant scored on a drive to the basket with 0.7 seconds left to give Memphis a victory against hosts Charlotte.
Terry Rozier (33 points) missed
Portland Trail Blazers forward Nassir Little (right), dives for the ball against the Toronto Raptors during the second
half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore on Nov 13. (AP)
on a potential winning 3-point attempt for Charlotte on the game’s last shot.
Morant got back in the groove offensively and scored 23 points, as the Grizzlies recovered from two sluggish second-half stretches. That helped Memphis win its second game in a row, both on the road.
Andrew Wiggins scored 30 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 28 points and 11 rebounds as Minnesota waltzed past visiting San Antonio in Minneapolis.
Jeff Teague added 18 points for the Timberwolves, with Jake Layman scoring 16, Jarrett Culver contributing 12 points and Robert Covington hitting for 10 points. Josh Okogie pulled down 10 rebounds for Minnesota, which has won two in a row and three of its past four contests.
DeMar DeRozan led San Antonio with 27 points while LaMarcus Aldridge scored 23. The loss was the third straight for San Antonio and fifth in its past six games. The Spurs will play five of their next six games on the road.
LeBron James had 23 points, 12 assists and six rebounds in three quarters, and Los Angeles coasted over visiting Golden State.
Los Angeles center JaVale McGee finished with 18 points, 17 rebounds, including five on the offensive end, three blocks and three steals against his former team. Dwight Howard added 15 points and eight boards for the Lakers, who won for the ninth time in their last 10 games.
Kyle Kuzma scored 22 points while starting for Los Angeles in place of Anthony Davis, who was rested since he is dealing with shoulder and rib soreness. D’Angelo Russell scored 21 points for Golden State, which has lost five in a row.
Led by 36 points from Pascal Siakam and 30 points from Fred VanVleet, short-handed Toronto picked up a road victory over Portland.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Terence Davis added 15 points for the Raptors, who earned their fourth win in five games.
Damian Lillard struggled for Portland, scoring a season-low nine points on 2-of-12 shooting. Rodney Hood led the Blazers with 25 points, hitting 5 of 10 3-point attempts. Portland lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Nikola Vucevic collected 25 points and 12 rebounds as hosts Orlando pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat Philadelphia.
Aaron Gordon added a doubledouble of his own with 18 points and 13 rebounds, along with seven assists, for Orlando, which outscored Philadelphia by a 32-15 margin in the fourth quarter.
Terrence Ross and Evan Fournier each had 13 points as Orlando had seven players score in double figures to post just its second win in the last seven outings. Josh Richardson led the 76ers with 19 points.