Wednesday was an action-packed night, featuring two triple-double milestones, as Russell Westbrook got his 23rd for the season to pass Larry Bird for fifth spot on the all-time list and LeBron James got his fifth of the season, his first back to back since 2009.
Thunder strike Pelicans
The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 114-105 on the back of Russell Westbrook’s 60th career triple-double with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Steven Adams had a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double, Enes Kanter also had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Nigerian-American guard Victor Oladipo finished with 15 points and four rebounds.
E’Twaun Moore led the Pelicans with 18 points and eight rebounds, Solomon Hill, Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans combined for 42 with 14 points apiece, and Terrence Jones ended the game with 12 points and four rebounds.
Kings conquer Cavaliers
The Sacramento Kings handed the Cleveland Cavaliers their third consecutive loss, beating them 116-112. DeMarcus Cousins had a 28-point, 11-rebound double-double, Darren Collison had 23 points and five assists, and Arron Affialo had 14 points and three assists.
The Cavs were led by LeBron James with his fifth triple-double of the season (24 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists), Kevin Love had a 21-point, 16 rebound double-double, and Kyrie Irving finished with 20 points and six assists.
Sixers stop Bucks
The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Bucks 114-109 in Milwaukee. Gerald Henderson had 20 points and four assists, Ersan Ilyasova and Dario Saric combined for 34 with 17 points apiece, while Narlens Noel finished with a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double.
Greg Monroe had 28 points and nine rebounds for the Bucks, Jabari Parker had 20 points and four rebounds, and Nigerian-Greek forward Giannis Antetokounmpo ended the game with a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Warriors swat Hornets
The Golden State Warriors beat the Charlotte Hornets 113-103 on the back of Kevin Durant’s 33 points, five rebounds and four blocks, Stephen Curry had 28 points and six assists, while Klay Thompson finished with 19 points and five rebounds.
The Hornets were led by Kemba Walker with 26 points and eight assists, Cameroonian-French guard Nicolas Batum had 16 points, six rebounds and eight assists, while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 15 points and nine rebounds.
Mavs kick Knicks
The Dallas Mavericks beat the New York Knicks 103-95 on the back of Harrison Barnes’ 23 points and five rebounds. Seth Curry had 20 points and five rebounds, while Dirk Nowitzki finished with 19 points and four rebounds.
Carmelo Anthony had 30 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks, Courtney Lee had 23 points and six rebounds, while Derrick Rose and Kristaps Porzingis combined for 26 with 13 points apiece.
The rest
Isaiah Thomas’ 38-point game helped the Boston Celtics defeat the Houston Rockets 120-109, Dion Waiters was back at it again and led the Miami Heat past the Brooklyn Nets 109-106, Jimmy Butler’s 40 points were not enough to save the Bulls from a 114-119 defeat by the Atlanta Hawks, Marc Gasol was in top form with a franchise-record-setting 42 points in the Memphis Grizzlies’ 109-99 victory over the Toronto Raptors, and the Los Angeles Lakers could not contain the Lillard–McCollum dynamic duo and lost 98-105 to the Portland Trail Blazers.
By Kaunda Chama
