The nine games in the NBA on Tuesday night produced a few surprise results as well as an outstanding night for Houston Rockets’ James Harden, who became the fourth player in the NBA to have back-to-back 40-point triple-doubles.
Sublime Harden in spotlight
James Harden led the Houston Rockets past the Charlotte Hornets 121-114 with his 40-point, 15-rebound and 10-assist triple-double. Trevor Ariza had 16 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Corey Brewer finished with 15 points and five rebounds.
The Hornets were led by Kemba Walker with 25 points and 10 rebounds, Frank Kaminsky had 22 points, while Marvin Williams and Spencer Hawes combined for 32 with 16 points apiece.
Jazz have Cavaliers singing the blues
The Utah Jazz beat the defending champions Cleveland Cavaliers 100-92. Gordon Hayward had 28 points and nine rebounds, Rodney Hood had 18 points, five rebounds and three assists, and Rudy Gobert ended the game with an 11-point, 14-rebound double-double.
LeBron James led the Cavs with 29 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals, Kyrie Irving had 20 points, four rebounds and four assists, and Tristan Thompson had a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double. Kyle Korver made his Cavs debut and scored two points and grabbed three rebounds off the bench.
Bucks trample Spurs as Giannis struggles
The Milwaukee Bucks beat the San Antonio Spurs 109-107 on the back of Michael Beasley’s 25 points, five rebounds and four assists off the bench. Jabari Parker had 22 points and seven rebounds, rookie Malcolm Brogdon had 17 points, six rebounds and six assists, Australian-Sudanese forward Thon Maker had five points and one assist, while Greek-Nigerian Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with two rebounds and two assists in only nine minutes of action. Antetokounmpo struggled with illness before and during the game.
San Antonio were led by Kawhi Leonard with 30 points and seven rebounds, Danny Green, Tony Parker and Jonathan Simmons combined for 42, all scoring 14 points apiece and David Lee finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Hawks savage Nets
The Atlanta Hawks beat the Brooklyn Nets 117-97. German-Gambian guard Dennis Schroder had a 19-point and 10-assist double-double, Dwight Howard had a 14-point, 16-rebound double-double and Paul Millsap had 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Swiss-South African Thabo Sefolosha finished with 10 points and four rebounds.
Brook Lopez led the Nets with 20 points, Bojan Bogdanovic had 16 points, six rebounds and four assists and Sean Kilpatrick ended the game with 14 points and five rebounds.
DeRozan demolishes Celtics
The Toronto Raptors beat the Boston Celtics 114-106. DeMar DeRozan had a 41-point, 13-rebound double-double, Kyle Lowry had 24 points, four rebounds and nine assists, while Jonas Valanciunas finished with 18 points and 23 rebounds.
Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics with 27 points and seven assists, Marcus Smart had 16 points, four rebounds, five assists and four steals, and Al Horford had 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
The rest
In other Tuesday night games, the Washington Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls 101-99, the Portland Trail Blazers thumped the Los Angeles Lakers 108-87, the Golden State Warriors got the better of the Miami Heat 107-95, and the Sacramento Kings beat the Detroit Pistons 100-94.
By Kaunda Chama
