James scores 37 points as Lakers get best of Bucks
Baynes’ career night carries Suns past Blazers
LOS ANGELES: LeBron James had 37 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 113-103 on Friday in a matchup of clubs with the NBA’s best records. Anthony Davis scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half for the Lakers, who won their third in a row and 10th in the past 11 contests. Davis also had nine rebounds. Kyle Kuzma added 11 points and eight rebounds. James hit 12 of 21 shots from the floor but missed six of his seven 3-point attempts. He also had three steals. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Bucks, who lost for the second time in three games. Donte DiVincenzo scored 17 off the bench while Brook Lopez contributed 13 points before fouling out with 1:11 left. Khris Middleton had an off night, scoring 12 points on 5-for-19 shooting. Eric Bledsoe finished with 11 points.
PHOENIX SUNS 127 PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS 117
Short-handed Phoenix rode the hot hand of backup center Aron Baynes to end a four-game losing streak with a win over visiting Portland. Baynes, starting in place of Deandre Ayton (ankle), made a career high nine 3-pointers — five in first quarter — and scored a career-high 37 points with 16 rebounds. Baynes’ previous career bests were 26 points and four 3-pointers. CJ McCollum’s 25 points led the Blazers, who got 23 points and 20 rebounds from Hassan Whiteside. Damian Lillard added 24 points for Portland.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 126 NEW YORK KNICKS 103
Danilo Gallinari scored a game-high 22 points to lead six Oklahoma City players in double figures during a win at New York. Chris Paul had 21 points and 12 assists for the Thunder, who won for the seventh time in nine games. Steven Adams finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 18 points. Elfrid Payton (18 points, nine rebounds, eight assists) flirted with a triple-double for the Knicks, who have lost eight of 10. RJ Barrett had 17 points while Julius Randle finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.
UTAH JAZZ 99 - BOSTON CELTICS 94
Mike Conley scored 25 points on a hot 3-point shooting night as visiting Utah overcame a poor performance from Donovan Mitchell to beat banged-up Boston. Jordan Clarkson added 17 points off the bench as the Jazz won their fourth straight despite Mitchell scoring just 11 on 3of-15 shooting. Mitchell had torched the Celtics for 37 points in a 114-103 loss at Utah last week. Marcus Smart had 29 points on his 26th birthday, and Jayson Tatum added 18 as the Celtics lost for the third time in four games and for the third straight time at home. Gordon Hayward (knee) and Jaylen Brown (hamstring) sat out for Boston.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS 110 - MIAMI HEAT 104
Josh Hart had a double-double and Brandon Ingram made two clutch jumpers in an otherwise poor shooting night as host New Orleans ended a three-game losing streak by defeating Miami. Hart came off the bench to score 19 points and grab 12 rebounds for the Pelicans. Jrue Holiday led the way with 20 points, and rookie Zion Williamson scored 17, breaking his string of 13 straight games with at least 20 points. Lonzo Ball added 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Jimmy Butler scored 28 for Miami, Duncan Robinson scored 24 on 8-for-14 3point shooting, Goran Dragic scored 15 and Andre Iguodala had 10 for the Heat, whose four-game winning streak ended.
ORLANDO MAGIC 132 MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES 118
Nikola Vucevic recorded 28 points and 12 rebounds to help Orlando end a three-game losing streak with a win over Minnesota in Minneapolis. Markelle Fultz added 24 points on 11-for-14 shooting for Orlando, which shot 60.7 percent from the field. Magic coach Steve Clifford left the court in the third quarter due to illness and was taken to a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with dehydration before being discharged. Assistant Ty Corbin ran the team for the rest of the game. Malik Beasley scored a seasonbest 29 points on 14-for-21 shooting for Minnesota, which had its two-game winning streak snapped. D’Angelo Russell had just five points on 2-for-14 shooting.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS 118 ATLANTA HAWKS 112
Bradley Beal continued his torrid offensive streak, scoring 35 points to lead host Washington past Atlanta, which was playing without All-Star guard Trae Young. Beal hit 13 of 21 shots from the field, including 7 of 10 from 3-point range, for his 30th game of 30-plus points this season. He torched the Hawks for 40 points on Jan. 26. Beal has scored 25-plus points in 21 straight games, the longest such streak in team history. Atlanta was led by Cam Reddish with 28 points and John Collins with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Huerter contributed 14 points and 11 assists. Young, the Hawks’ leading scorer at 29.6 points per game, was sidelined with flu-like symptoms.
BROOKLYN NETS 139 - SAN ANTONIO SPURS 120
Caris LeVert pumped in 27 points, grabbed 11 rebounds
League debut. Even if all three were available, Lampard might well have stuck with Gilmour after his virtuoso effort against Liverpool. Gilmour, who stands just 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) tall, had no doubts about his ability to mix it with the Premier League’s best after surviving a bruising encounter with Manchester United defender Harry Maguire.
Recalling how the burly Maguire tried to intimidate him during a League Cup tie earlier this season, Gilmour said: “Basically he was saying I’m a wee guy. He was pushing me off, gripping me by the throat, and that’s something I have to deal with.
“I won’t let that happen again, that’s for sure. That was a lesson. “He is going to try and bully young ones and that’s where I need to learn in the game — how to be stronger.
“I’ve been working on that. That was a learning curve, when he gripped me up in the box. I remember that really well.”
The sight of Gilmour holding his own was no surprise to Lampard, who has been aware of the freshfaced Scot since he swapped Glasgow Rangers for the Chelsea youth academy in 2017. “I’ve got absolute trust in Billy. I remember when he first came in against Sheffield United, we drew the game and people questioned this kid who looks like a 15-yearold. I remember someone individually saying that to me,” said Lampard. and distributed 10 assists to lead seven teammates in double-figure scoring as Brooklyn built a huge first-half lead and romped to a win over San Antonio in New York City. The Nets led 41-22 after the first quarter — with that output the most by Brooklyn in an opening period this season — and never allowed San Antonio to get closer than 15 points the rest of the game. The Nets scored just 79 points in all four quarters in a home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. The triple-double was the first in LeVert’s four-year career, and he entered the game with just three career double-doubles. Joe Harris contributed 20 points for the Nets. DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs with 24 points on 10-for-13 shooting, adding nine assists.
INDIANA PACERS 108 - CHICAGO BULLS 102
Domantas Sabonis scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Indiana held on for a win at Chicago. Victor Oladipo finished with 16 points for the Pacers while Myles
“But I’ve no problem with him because if he’s small in stature he’s huge in personality, and also huge in talent. “The reason he moved from the academy to the first team building recently, to train with us all the time, is because of the quality of player he is.”
And former England midfielder Lampard recognises the potential in the down-to-earth Scotland Under-21 international, who modelled his game on Cesc Fabregas after watching footage of the Spanish playmaker at Chelsea.
“For a midfield player I have lots of questions. Do you want to receive the ball in all positions, in all moments? Yes, he does,” Lampard said. “Do you want to make angles, can you pick the right pass? Yes, he generally does. Will you put your foot in? Yes, he does. “He does all the right things, and he’s humble. He performed like a top-class player going up against top-class players.”
Ross Barkley, who shone alongside Gilmour against Liverpool, knows the perils of being a teen star after bursting onto the scene with Everton before struggling for much of his time at Chelsea.
Asked if Gilmour can maintain his rapid rise, Barkley said: “It is about being ready in training, putting the extra yards in and being ready for your chance. “Billy was ready for his chance against Liverpool and he took it.” — AFP
Turner contributed 15. Indiana completed a four-game season sweep of the Bulls and won for the fifth time in its past six games. Coby White led the Bulls with 26 points off the bench. Shaquille Harrison added 25 points on 9-for-14 shooting for Chicago, which lost for the 12th time in its past 14 games.
DALLAS MAVERICKS 121 MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES 96
Kristaps Porzingis contributed six of his game-high 26 points to a 25-6 flurry that opened the second half, and host Dallas ran away from Memphis en route to a victory. Porzingis added a game-high-tying 11 rebounds, and Luka Doncic complemented a team-high six assists with 21 points, helping the Mavericks post a second straight win. Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas recorded a 14-point, 11rebound double-double. Dillon Brooks added 15 points, and Ja Morant had 11 to go with a game-high eight assists for Memphis. —Reuters
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