Day two of March came with 11 exciting NBA matchups as 22 teams took to the court. Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic showed off his all-round skills and got his second consecutive triple-double.
Nuggets hit Bucks
The Denver Nuggets beat the Milwaukee Bucks 110-98. Danilo Gallinari had 22 points and five rebounds, Nikola Jokic had a 13-point, 14-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, Gary Harris had 14 points and Congolese guard Emmanuel Mudiay finished with nine points and four rebounds.
The Bucks were led by Khris Middleton with 21 points, five rebounds and five assists, Malcolm Brogdon had 17 points, and Nigerian-Greek forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Nets trap Kings
The struggling Brooklyn Nets defeated the Sacramento Kings 109-100. Brook Lopez had 24 points and eight rebounds, Jeremy Lin had 17 points and five assists, and Isaiah Whitehead finished with 14 points.
Buddy Hield led the Kings with 16 points, Ty Lawson had 15 points and nine assists, while Tyreke Evans ended the game with 15 points and five rebounds.
Timberwolves beat Jazz
The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Utah Jazz 107-80 on the back of Karl-Anthony Towns’ 21-point, 15-rebound double-double, Andrew Wiggins had 20 points, Shabazz Muhammad had 18 points and Senegalese center Gorgui Dieng had seven points and six rebounds.
The Jazz were led by Dante Exum with 15 points, Gordon Hayward had 13 points and Derrick Favors finished with a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Rockets strike Clippers
The Houston Rockets beat the LA Clippers 122-103. James Harden had 26 points and nine assists, Ryan Anderson had 23 points and seven rebounds, while Nene had a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double. Clint Capela and Patrick Beverly both finished with 14-point, 12-rebound double-doubles.
Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 17 points, four rebounds and five assists, Chris Paul had a 16-point, 11-assist double-double and Austin Rivers finished with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Spurs stop Pacers
The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Indiana Pacers 100-99 on the back of a great final play from Kawhi Leonard who finished with a 31-point, 10-rebound double-double, Pau Gasol had 18 points and four rebounds, and David Lee had 18 points and five rebounds.
The Pacers were led by Paul George with 22 points and six rebounds, CJ Miles had 19 points and six rebounds, and Myles Turner finished with 16 points and six rebounds.
The rest
An epic battle in the fourth quarter in Boston ended with the Celtics beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-99, the New Orleans Pelicans got their first post All-Star win and beat the Detroit Pistons 109-86, the Miami Heat beat the Philadelphia 76ers 125-98, Paul Millsap’s 18-point, 10-assist double-double helped the Atlanta Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks 100-95, the Washington Wizards beat the Toronto Raptors 105-96, and Kristaps Porzingis’ return blessed the New York Knicks with a 101-90 victory over the Orlando Magic.
By Kaunda Chama
