Williamson debuts in defeat
NEW ORLEANS >> Zion Williamson capped his longawaited NBA debut by scoring 17 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and stirring the crowd into a frenzy — only to see his team come up short.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 32 points and 14 rebounds, DeMar DeRozan added 20 points, and the San Antonio Spurs withstood Williamson’s late surge for a 121-117 victory over New Orleans on Wednesday night.
After spending the past three months rehabilitating from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, Williamson struggled to find his shot during the first three quarters, during which he played a little less than 12 minutes. When the fourth quarter began, he had just five points, four rebounds, an assist and four turnovers. HAWKS 102, CLIPPERS 95 >> John Collins scored 33 points and got a big assist from two-way player Brandon Goodwin as Atlanta, playing without Trae Young, rallied from a 21-point deficit to stun short-handed Los Angeles.
Goodwin chipped in with 19 points — all in the fourth quarter — and dished off to De’Andre Hunter in the corner for a 3-pointer that gave the Hawks a 99-93 lead with 1:43 remaining.
The Clippers seemingly seized control with a 20-0 run in the first quarter, despite missing starters Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Patrick Beverly. RAPTORS 107, 76ERS 95 >> Pascal Siakam had 18 points and 15 rebounds, Fred VanVleet scored 22 and Toronto extended its winning streak to five games with a win over
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson goes to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Trey Lyles in the first half Wednesday.
Philadelphia.
Norman Powell added 18 points, Marc Gasol shot 7 for 7 and finished with 17 points, and Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka each scored 16 as the Raptors won their 15th straight home meeting with the 76ers. LAKERS 100, KNICKS 92 >> LeBron James scored 19 of his 21 points to quickly cut into Kobe Bryant’s shrinking lead over him for the No. 3 scoring spot in NBA history, and Los Angeles beat the Knicks.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 28 points in his second game back after a five-game absence, after the Western Conference leaders were handed their worst loss of the season Monday in his return. HEAT 134, WIZARDS 129, OT >> Tyler Herro scored 25 points, Jimmy Butler scored nine of his 24 points in overtime and Miami wasted a 21-point lead before beating Washington. CELTICS 119, GRIZZLIES 95 >> Jayson Tatum scored 23 points before leaving the game in the third quarter with a groin injury as Boston routed Memphis. THUNDER 120, MAGIC 114 >> Dennis Schroder scored 31 points and Oklahoma City shot 60.5% against one of
the NBA’s better defenses and beat Orlando.
Schroder came off the bench with 13-for-18 shooting and added nine assists for the Thunder, who won for the eighth time in nine road games.
ROCKETS 121, NUGGETS 105 >> Russell Westbrook had 28 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists, James Harden added 27 points and Houston snapped a four-game losing streak with a victory over shorthanded Denver.
Harden scored 20 points in the first half. He connected on 13 of 15 from the free throw line. Houston shot 47%, including 13 of 29 on 3-pointers.
BULLS 117, TIMBERWOLVES 110 >> Zach LaVine scored 25 points, Lauri Markkanen added 21 and Chicago overcame a big performance by Karl-Anthony Towns to beat Minnesota.
LaVine had seven points in the final 2:25 to help Chicago pull out the win after letting a 19-point lead in the second quarter slip away.
PACERS 112, SUNS 87 >> T.J. Warren scored 25 points in his return to Phoenix, Domantas Sabonis added 24 and Indiana rolled to a victory over Phoenix.