Sunday night saw eight NBA matchups that delivered drama and spectacular plays, with LeBron James again one of the standout performers.
Mavericks trample Pelicans
The Dallas Mavericks beat the New Orleans Pelicans 91-81 on the back of Harrison Barnes’ 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Wesley Matthews had 21 points, three assists and three rebounds, while Justin Anderson finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Anthony Davis had a 36-point, 13-rebound double-double for the Pelicans, Jrue Holiday had 17 points, four rebounds and six assists, while Solomon Hill ended the game with nine points and four rebounds. Tunisian Salah Mejri did not play.
LA’s wings clipped by Pacers
The impressive LA Clippers suffered their second loss in a row after losing 91-70 to the Indiana Pacers. Myles Turner led the Pacers with a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double, Glenn Robinson III also had 17 points with six rebounds, while Al Jefferson finished the game with 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
The Clippers were led by forward Blake Griffin with 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists, Chris Paul had 13 points, four rebounds and four assists, while Jamal Crawford had 12 points and two assists. Cameroonian forward Luc Mbah a Moute finished with five points and one steal.
Bucks take down Magic
The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Orlando Magic 104-96. John Henson led the Bucks with 20 points and seven rebounds, Greek-Nigerian Giannis Antetokounmpo had 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while Malcolm Brogdon (12 points) and Michael Beasley (13) combined for 25. Australian-Sudanese Thon Maker did not play.
Algerian-American Even Fournier led the Magic with 27 points, six rebounds and seven assists, Congolese Serge Ibaka had 19 points and six rebounds, while Nikola Vucevic finished with a 17-point and 16-rebound double-double. DRC’s Bismack Biyombo had four points, four rebounds and two assists.
Nuggets strike gold in Phoenix
The Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 120-114. Wilson Chandler led the Nuggets with 25 points and eight rebounds, Jameer Nelson had 21 points, Congolese guard Emmanuel Mudiay had 19 points, four rebounds and six assists, while Nikola Jokic finished with a 13-point 11-rebound double-double.
The Suns were led by Eric Bledsoe with 35 points, six rebounds and six assists, Devin Booker had 30 points, three rebounds and four assists, while PJ Tucker ended the game with 21 points and eight rebounds.
King James reigns supreme
The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 112-108. LeBron James got his 45th career triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. Kyrie Irving was the Cavs’ leader in scoring with 39 points, while Kevin Love had a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Cameroonian Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists, Ersan Ilyasova and Gerald Henderson combined for 26 with 13 apiece, while Jahlil Okafor finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Rockets beat Trail Blazers
The Houston Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 130-114. James Harden had a 38-point, 11-assist double-double, Swiss-Congolese Clint Capela had 21 points and nine rebounds, while Trevor Ariza finished the game with 18 points, two rebounds and three assists.
CJ McCollum led Portland with 28 points and seven assists, Damian Lillard had 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Maurice Harkless ended the game with 18 points. Al-Farouq Aminu, Festus Ezeli and Noah Vonleh did not play.
Lakers get back to winning ways
The LA Lakers came back from an early deficit to beat the Atlanta Hawks 109-94. Lou Williams led the Lakers with 21 points, four rebounds and three assists, Jordan Clarkson had 18 points, four rebounds and three assists. Larry Nance Jr had a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Sudanese forward Luol Deng finished with four points and four rebounds.
Kent Bazemore led the Hawks with 21 points, Dwight Howard had 19 points and nine rebounds. German-Gambian Dennis Schroder had 11 points, four rebounds and eight assists while Swiss-South African Thabo Sefolosha finished with two points, five rebounds and one assist.
The rest
In Sunday night’s other game, the Sacramento Kings beat the Brooklyn Nets 122-105.
By Kaunda Chama
