Mavs come out hot after wintry layoff
Lakers blow 17-point lead, fall to Wizards in OT; Finch takes over in Minnesota
DALLAS — Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20 of his 29 points while Dallas built a big first-half lead without much help from Luka Doncic, and the Mavericks returned from a weather-induced break with a 102-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.
Dallas was playing for the first time in eight days after two postponements because of a wintry weather blast in Texas. Kristaps Porzingis didn’t play after showing up on the injury report the day of the game with back stiffness.
Doncic scored 14 of his 21 points after halftime in his first game since the soon-to-be 22-year-old became the first Dallas player to be voted an AllStar starter in consecutive seasons. The Slovenian star’s franchise record of 14 consecutive games with at least 25 points ended.
Two nights after falling behind by 31 at halftime in a 31-point loss to Phoenix, the Grizzlies were down 23 in the second quarter after scoring a season low for any quarter and trailing 26-13 after the first.
WIZARDS 127, LAKERS 124 (OT): In Los Angeles, Bradley Beal scored six of his 33 points on three consecutive possessions late in overtime as Washington extended its longest winning streak in three years to five straight with a victory over Los Angeles.
Russell Westbrook scored six of his 32 points in overtime for the Wizards, who rallied from a 17-point deficit in the second half. Washington then took advantage of a missed free throw by LeBron James late in regulation and went on to its first win over the Lakers at Staples Center since March 2017.
SUNS 132, TRAIL BLAZERS 100: In Phoenix, Devin Booker scored 34 points, Deandre Ayton added 19 and Phoenix kept rolling with a lopsided win over visiting Portland.
It was the largest margin of victory this season for the Suns, who have won nine of 10.
Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 24 points.
JAZZ 132, HORNETS 110: In Salt Lake City, Donovan Mitchell had 23 points and eight assists as Utah enjoyed a recordbreaking performance from long range in a victory over Charlotte.
Utah set a franchise mark for 3-pointers with 28, including 19 off the bench — the most by any team’s backups in NBA history, according to STATS.
HEAT 108, THUNDER 94: In Oklahoma City, Duncan Robinson scored 22 points and made six 3-pointers, leading the Miami Heat to a victory over Oklahoma City in the finale of their seven-game road trip.
Kendrick Nunn added 20 points and nine assists.
BULLS 120, ROCKETS 100: In Houston, Coby White scored 24 points and Chicago used a big third quarter to pull away from short-handed Houston.
Zach LaVine scored 14 of Chicago’s 46 third-quarter points, finishing with 21, and the Bulls outscored the Rockets by 20 in the period to break open a tight game.
Note
MINNEAPOLIS — For the 10th time in the past 15 years, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a new head coach.
Toronto assistant Chris Finch was introduced Monday as the replacement for Ryan Saunders, who was fired the night before with the team carrying the NBA’s worst record.
“We have excellent pieces in place, and I can’t wait to get to work,” Finch said in a statement distributed by the Timberwolves.
Saunders, 34, went 43-94 after taking over on an interim basis on Jan. 6, 2019, when Tom Thibodeau was fired.