The seven games played in the NBA on Monday night provided a lot of great highlights, including another triple-double for Oklahoma City Thunder workhorse Russell Westbrook.
Jazz have Timberwolves singing the blues
The Utah Jazz beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-103 in an exciting Western Conference matchup. The Jazz were led by George Hill with 24 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Gordon Hayward had 24 points, five rebounds and two assists, while Rudy Gobert finished with a 16-point, 17-rebound double-double.
Zach LaVine led the Wolves with 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, Karl-Anthony Towns had a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double, Andrew Wiggins had 13 points, while Senegalese Gorgui Dieng ended the game with 11 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Hornets get the better of the Grizzlies
The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Grizzlies 104-85 in Memphis. Jeremy Lamb led the Hornets with 21 points and nine rebounds, Kemba Walker also had 21 points with three rebounds and three assists, while French-Cameroonian Nicolas Batum finished with a slower than usual night, ending with six points, two rebounds and four assists.
Marc Gasol led Memphis with 19 points and eight rebounds, Mike Conley had 14 points and five assists while Jarell Martin finished with an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Russell takes over in Thunder win
Russell Westbrook had another big triple-double (27 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists) as OKC beat the New York Knicks 112-103. Enes Kanter had a 27-point, 10-rebound double-double, Steven Adams also had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Nigerian-American Victor Oladipo ended the night with eight points, three rebounds and four assists.
The Knicks were led by Derrick Rose with 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Kristaps Porzingis had 21 points, five rebounds and five blocks, while Carmelo Anthony finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Raptors rip up Sixers
The Toronto Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 112-96. Kyle Lowry had 24 points, four rebounds and eight assists, Terrence Ross had 22 points and three rebounds, DeMar DeRozan had 14 points, five rebounds and five assists, Jonas Valenciunas had a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Cameroonian rookie Pascal Siakam finished with 11 points, two rebounds, one steal and a block.
Robert Covington led the Sixers with 20 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, Nigerian-American Jahlil Okafor had 15 points and five rebounds, while Ersan Ilyasova, Sergio Rodriguez, Nik Stauskas and Richaun Holmes combined for 44, all scoring 11 points each. Cameroonian Joel Embiid was rested for the game.
Warriors overcome Hawks challenge
The Golden State Warriors made a dramatic comeback in the fourth quarter to beat the Atlanta Hawks 105-100. Kevin Durant had a 25-point, 14-rebound double-double, Steph Curry also had 25 points with three rebounds and three assists, while Klay Thompson finished with 20 points and four rebounds and two assists.
The Hawks were led by German-Gambian Dennis Schroder, who had 24 points and six assists, Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard both had double-doubles (14 points and 14 rebounds for Millsap and 14 points and 16 rebounds for Howard), while Swiss-South African Thabo Sefolosha ended the game with nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The rest
In other Monday night games, the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat 112-103 and the Washington Wizards beat the Sacramento Kings 101-95.
By Kaunda Chama
