Leonard-led Clippers roll over Warriors
KAWHI Leonard scored a game-high-tying 23 points in 25 minutes Tuesday night, helping the visiting Los Angeles Clippers repeat their Chase Center opening night performance with a 131-107 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
The win was the Clippers' seventh in their last eight games, the only loss in the run coming 112-103 against the rival Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Dragan Bender matched Leonard's total with 23 points for Golden State, which snapped a 10-game home losing streak in its previous game, a 118-114 win over Philadelphia on Saturday.
Like in the Clippers' first visit, when they helped raise the curtain on the new San Francisco Arena by scoring the first 14 points of the game back in October, the visitors bolted from the gate and never looked back.
Paul George, who missed the earlier meeting while rehabbing offseason shoulder surgeries, had three hoops -- including a 3-pointer -- in a 14-4, game-opening burst.
The Clippers went on to lead by as many as 13 in the first quarter, 28 at halftime and 30 in the first minute of the third period before coasting home to their third straight win over the Warriors this season.
In clinching their first season-series win over Golden State since 2006, the Clippers have averaged a 17.3-point margin of victory in the three wins.
The 131-point total was the fifth-most for a Golden State visitor this season, 10 fewer than the Clippers put up in their 141-122 win in the Warriors' opener, a night on which LA shot an arena-record 62.5 percent. The 141 points have since been matched by Dallas.
The Clippers finished at an even 50.0 percent in the rematch.
Leonard, who helped close down Oracle Arena in Oakland with a championshipclinching win in Game 6 of the NBA Finals last June, hit nine of his 14 shots.
On a night when Lou Williams was given the game off, six other Clippers scored in double figures, with Reggie Jackson going for 16, George and Patrick Beverley 15 apiece, Montrezl Harrell 14, JaMychal Green 13 and Landry Shamet 10.
Ivica Zubac had four points to go with a game-high 12 rebounds.
Andrew Wiggins had 21 points for the Warriors, who once again were without Stephen Curry, out with the flu.
Jordan Poole totaled 17 points, Eric Paschall 12 and Ky Bowman 11, while Marquese Chriss recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Dinwiddie, Nets shock Lakers
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 23 points and hit the go-ahead basket, and Caris LeVert added 22 points as the Brooklyn Nets surprised the host Los Angeles Lakers 104102 on Tuesday night.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot had 13 points, Joe Harris finished with 12 and Chris Chiozza added 11 for the Nets, who have won four of their past five.
LeBron James had 29 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists for the Lakers, who had their four-game win
ning streak snapped. Anthony Davis scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds but missed a game-winning 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
Kyle Kuzma chipped in 14 points for Los Angeles, and Avery Bradley had 10.
Lillard, Ariza lead Portland Trail Blazers past Phoenix Suns
Damian Lillard registered 25 points and seven assists to help the Portland Trail Blazers notch a 121-105 victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.
Trevor Ariza registered season highs of 22 points and five 3-pointers as Portland won for just the fourth time in the past 12 games. The Trail Blazers are 3 1/2 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies in the battle for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
CJ McCollum also scored 22 points and Hassan Whiteside had 16 points and 14 rebounds for Portland, which shot 50.6 percent from the field and was 17 of 35 from 3-point range.
Devin Booker recorded 29 points and nine assists
for the Suns, who fell six games behind Memphis in the playoff hunt. Dario Saric contributed 24 points and 11 rebounds while Ricky Rubio had 21 points and nine assists.
Phoenix’s Aron Baynes had just seven points on 3-of14 shooting, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range. Baynes established career bests of 37 points and nine 3-pointers in last Friday’s 127-117 home win over the Trail Blazers.
Celtics edge Pacers, 114-111
Jayson Tatum scored 30 points, Gordon Hayward recorded a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds, and the visiting Boston Celtics recovered after giving up a late lead to beat the Indiana Pacers, 114-111, on Tuesday night.
Hayward scored 13 points in the opening quarter, leading the Celtics to a 30-22 spread after the period.