Williamson score 36 points to pace Pelicans
DETROIT — Zion Williamson scored 36 points and led the New Orleans Pelicans to a 114-101 victory over the short-handed Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
Williamson shot 13 for 14 from the floor and 10 for 14 from the line in 36 minutes. He added seven rebounds and six assists and received applause from the crowd at Little Caesars Arena when he left the game with 1:20 remaining.
CJ Mccollum scored 23 points for the Pelicans (44-27), who have won five of six.
The Pistons played without four of their five starters. Cade Cunningham (knee), Jalen Duren (back), Isaiah Stewart (hamstring) and Ausar Thompson (illness) missed the game, and sixth man Simone Fontecchio (toe) was also sidelined. Jaden Ivey was the only available player to have scored more than 500 points this season.
Chimezu Metu and Malachi Flynn each scored 17 points for Detroit (12-59), which lost its sixth straight. Ivey added 16 points and Buddy Boeheim had a career-high 13. The Pistons need four wins in their last 11 games to avoid exceeding the franchise record of 66 losses.
New Orleans led 57-41 after two periods and did just enough to keep the Pistons from mounting a significant rally in the second half.
Smith, Dunn ejected for fight
Houston forward Jabari Smith Jr. and Utah forward Kris Dunn were ejected five seconds into the second quarter of Houston's 147-118 win over the Jazz on Saturday night.
Both were assessed technical fouls for fighting. The two threw punches at each other after they got tangled up while the ball was being brought up the court. Players and officials got between them before the scuffle could escalate further.
Dunn said the two “exchanged a couple words, a couple pushes and the next thing you know we're ejected.”
“For me, I take responsibility for my actions and whatever the league decides for me, I have to respect that,” Dunn said of possible punishment.
Smith was not made available postgame.
Houston coach Ime Udoka said he thought the altercation was a carryover from when the teams played on Jan. 20 and both players got into it then and were issued technical fouls.
“I think Dunn hit him with a shot, and then, they got wrapped up and threw a few punches,” Udoka said. “Basically, nothing landed, but as soon as you throw a punch, you're going to be ejected.”
Vanvleet scored 23 points on seven 3-pointers, and Green had 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting in the first half as the Rockets built an 85-55 halftime lead.
Portland starts 5 rookies in loss
Reggie Jackson scored 23 points, Aaron Gordon had 22 points and 12 rebounds and the Denver Nuggets defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 114-111 on Saturday night.
The Nuggets won without their star duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray on a night when the Blazers became the second team to start five rookies since NBA box scores started tracking starters in the 1971-72 season.
Rookie Duop Reath led the Trail Blazers with 24 points. Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 overall pick in last year's draft, finished with 22 points and six assists as the Blazers dropped their sixth straight.
Saturday’s highlights
Jayson Tatum scored 26 points, Sam Hauser and Al Horford added 23 apiece, and the Nbaleading Boston Celtics won their ninth straight, over the Chicago Bulls . ... Deni Avdija scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, Kyle Kuzma made some big baskets down the stretch to compensate for a rough shooting performance and Washington topped Toronto.