Leonard leads way in Clippers’ win
Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 35 points, going over 10,000 in his career, and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied to beat the visiting Chicago Bulls 130127 on Sunday.
Leonard reached the milestone on one of his five 3-pointers in the third quarter, when he scored 21 points. Leonard’s last 3-pointer in the quarter gave the Clippers their first lead since they scored the game’s first basket. In all, he had seven 3-pointers, tying his career high.
Paul George had 28 points, seven rebounds and nine assists for the Clippers, who avoided their first three- game losing streak of the season. Lou Williams added 21 points off the bench.
Zach LaVine led the Bulls with a season-high 45 points, and he made a season-best 10 3-pointers.
LAKERS 120, ROCKETS 102 >> Anthony Davis had 27 points, LeBron James added 18 and Los Angeles won for the sixth time in seven games.
It was a testy game that included five technical fouls, two flagrant fouls and the first-half ejections of the Lakers’ Markieff Morris and Houston’s DeMarcus Cousins.
Davis, who sat out on Friday with a groin strain, helped the Lakers finish with 62 points in the paint.
Christian Wood scored 23 points and James Harden had 20 for the Rockets.
JAZZ 96, PISTONS 86 >> Donovan Mitchell scored 13 of his 28 points in a decisive first quarter, and Utah held on for the road victory.
Detroit was coming off an overtime win over Phoenix on Friday night in which it rallied from a 23-point deficit, but it couldn’t climb out of another big hole. Utah scored the game’s first nine points and went on a 17- 0 run later in the first quarter.
Jerami Grant scored 28 points for the Pistons. NUGGETS 114, KNICKS 89 >> Nikola Jokic had 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and Denver reached the .500 mark for the first time this season. THUNDER 129, NETS 116 >> Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points as one of six players to finish in double-figure scoring for Oklahoma City, which won its third straight and beat Brooklyn for the fifth consecutive time.
Hamidou Diallo finished with 25 points and Al Horford had 22.
Kevin Durant scored 36 points to lead Brooklyn.
HEAT- CELTICS GAME POSTPONED >> The NBA postponed Sunday night’s game between the host Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. Due to ongoing COVID-19 contact tracing, the league said Miami did not have the required eight available players to proceed with the game.
The Heat announced earlier Sunday that guard Avery Bradley would miss the game due to the league’s pandemic health and safety protocols.
The Celtics, meanwhile, were preparing to play the game with the minimum eight players. Nine Boston players are out, including seven due to the COVID-19 protocols: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Javonte Green, Semi Ojeleye, Grant Williams, Robert Williams III and Tristan Thompson.
WIZARDS LOSE BRYANT TO TORN ACL >> The Washington Wizards likely will be without center Thomas Bryant for the remainder of the season because of a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He got hurt during the first quarter of the Wizards’ loss to the Heat on Saturday night.
Bryant has averaged 14.3 points and 6.1 rebounds on 65% shooting this season.
MAVS CLOSE FACILITY >> The Dallas Mavericks practice facility closed Sunday morning after forward Maxi Kleber tested positive for COVID-19, according to ESPN. It was the second positive test since Friday for the Mavericks.
Starters Dorian FinneySmith and Josh Richardson, along with key reserve Jalen Brunson, all are sidelined because of health and safety protocols after one of them tested positive. It is unknown which player returned a positive test.