Tuesday saw six great games played in the NBA with notable performances from young talent such as Andrew Wiggins and Nikila Jokic.
Timberwolves dim Suns
Andrew Wiggins’ 31 points and six rebounds, which included the game-winning buzzer beater, helped the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Phoenix Suns 112-111. Karl-Anthony Towns had an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double and Senegalese center Gorgui Dieng ended the game one rebound short of a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds.
The Suns were led by Devin Booker with 26 points and four assists, Tyson Chandler had a 22-point, 17-rebound double-double, Eric Beldsoe had 18 points, and Alex Len finished with an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Nuggets silence Jazz
The Denver Nuggets beat the Utah Jazz 103-93 on the back of Nikola Jokic’s 23-point, 11-rebound double-double, Jameer Nelson had 17 points and seven assists, Darrell Arthur had 16 points and eight rebounds, and Kenneth Faried had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Derrick Favors led the Jazz with 18 points and five rebounds, George Hill had 17 points and five assists, and Senegalese-French center Boris Diaw finished with 16 points and three assists.
Sixers outdo Clippers
Even with two critical players (Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor) out due to knee injuries, the Philadelphia 76ers managed to get a 121-110 victory over the LA Clippers who are without injured star point guard Chris Paul. Narlens Noel had 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Sixers, Richaum Holmes had 18 points, Dario Saric had 16 points and eight rebounds, and Robert Covington had 14 points and eight rebounds.
Jamal Crawford, who claimed the sixth spot on the NBA’s all-time Three-Pointers Made list led the Clippers with 27 points, JJ Redick had 22 points, Austin Rivers had 20 points and Blake Griffin finished with 12-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Wizards stun Celtics
The Washington Wizards got their 14th consecutive home win after beating the Boston Celtics 123-108. Bradley Beal had 31 points and five assists, John Wall had 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Markieff Morris ended the night with a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double.
The Celtics were led by Isaiah Tomas with a 25-point, 13-assist double-double, Al Horford had 22 points and four assists, while Jae Crowder finished with 17 points and six rebounds.
Bulls gore Magic
Dwyane Wade had an impressive 21 points, seven rebounds and seven steals in the Chicago Bulls’ 100-92 victory over the Orlando Magic, Jimmy Butler had 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Christiano Felicio finished with a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 20 points and eight rebounds, Congolese forward Serge Ibaka had 16 points and eight rebounds, Aaron Gordon and Jeff Green combined for 26 with 13 points apiece and DRC-born center Bismack Biyombo had two points and four rebounds.
Spurs trample Raptors
The San Antonio Spurs took advantage of the absence of DeMar DeRozan and beat the Toronto Raptors 108-106. LaMarcus Aldridge had 21 points and seven rebounds, Patty Mills had 18 points, Davis Bertans had 12 points, and David Lee had 11 points and five rebounds.
The Raptors were led by Kyle Lowry with 30 points and five rebounds, Terrence Ross had 21 points, Norman Powell had 16 points and four rebounds, while Patrick Patterson finished with 12 points and four rebounds.
By Kaunda Chama
