NBA fans were spoilt for choice on Wednesday night with 13 games, 11 of which featured teams with African players.
Pelicans’ winning run continues
The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-96. Anthony Davis put up a monster double-double with 45 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 63 percent from the field. Terrence Jones had 17 points and seven rebounds, while E’Twaun Moore and Tim Frazier combined for 23 with 12 and 11 points respectively.
The Timberwolves were led by back-to-back slam dunk champion Zach LaVine with 26 points, Andrew Wiggins had 13 points and Senegalese Gorgui Dieng finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Jazz bury Nuggets
The Utah Jazz beat the visiting Denver Nuggets 108-83. Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 22 points, five rebounds and seven assists, George Hill also had 22 points with five rebounds and three assists, while Rudy Gobert finished with a 19-point and 13-rebound double-double.
Rookie Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 23 points, four rebounds and three assists, Wilson Chandler was one rebound short of a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds, Kenneth Faried had eight points and 10 rebounds, while Congolese guard Emmanuel Mudiay had a slow night, finishing with three points and one assist.
Clippers can’t lose
The LA Clippers remain solid as they defeated the Dallas Mavericks 124-104. Austin Rivers led the Clippers with 22 points, Chris Paul had 18 points, three rebounds, four assists and four steals. Marreese Speights had a 16-point 12-rebound double-double, while Cameroonian Luc Mbah a Moute ended the night with three points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and a block.
Dallas were led by Harrison Barnes with 22 points, four rebounds and two assists, Wesley Matthews had 18 points, four rebounds and two assists, while Tunisian Salah Mejri finished with one point, three rebounds, one assist and a steal.
Raptors get the better of Rockets
The Toronto Raptors beat the Rockets 115-102 in Houston. DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 24 points, five rebounds and nine assists, Jonas Valanciunas had a 15-point, 16-rebound double-double, DeMarre Carroll had 20 points, while Cameroonian rookie Pascal Siakam finished the game with two points, one rebound and one assist.
James Harden led Houston with a 29-point 15-assist double-double, Patrick Beverly had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Swiss-Congolese centre Clint Capela finished with 12 points, six rebounds and five blocks.
Grizzlies slay Sixers in double OT
The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Philadelphia 76ers 104-99. Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 27 points, four rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals, Mike Conley had 25 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, while JaMychal Green had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double.
There were three double-doubles in the Sixers’ squad – Ersan Ilyasova had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Robert Covington had 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Cameroonian centre Joel Embiid finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, one steal and three blocks.
Warriors dominate Lakers
The LA Lakers missed the presence of D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle and were victims of a 43-point blowout, losing 149-106 to the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors were led by MVP Stephen Curry with 31 points, five rebounds and nine assists. Kevin Durant had 28 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Klay Thompson finished with 26 points, two rebounds and two assists.
Rookie Brandon Ingram, Lou Williams and Jordan Clarkson combined for 48 with 16 points apiece, Timofey Mozgov had 12 points and four rebounds, while South Sudanese forward Luol Deng finished with eight points, seven rebounds and two assists.
The rest
In other games, the Detroit Pistons beat the Miami Heat 107-84, the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 111-92, the Atlanta Hawks beat the Indiana Pacers 96-85, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 137-125, the Phoenix Suns beat the Orlando Magic 92-87, the San Antonio Spurs beat the Charlotte Hornets 119-114 and the Sacramento Kings beat OKC 116-101.
By Kaunda Chama
