With 22 teams in action last night, the NBA was not short of highlights. In the closely contested Houston Rockets-San Antonio Spurs matchup, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard both put up 39 points.
Spurs down Rockets
The San Antonio Spurs beat the Houston Rockets 112-110. Kawhi Leonard had 39 points, six rebounds and five assists, Tony Parker had 19 points and six rebounds, while LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 15 points, four rebounds and four assists.
James Harden led the Rockets with a 39-point, 12-assist, double-double, Trevor Ariza had 13 points and seven rebounds, and Patrick Beverly had an 11-point, 10 rebound double-double.
Jazz dazzle Pelicans
The Utah Jazz defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 88-83. Gordon Hayward had 23 points and seven rebounds, Rudy Gobert had a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double, and Joe Ingles ended the game with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Pelicans were led by Anthony Davis with 20 points and 12 rebounds, Jordan Crawford had 19 points, and DeMarcus Cousins had 15 points and eight rebounds.
Clippers hit Celtics
The LA Clippers beat the Boston Celtics 116-102 on the back of Blake Griffin’s 26 points and eight rebounds, Chris Paul had 23 points, five rebounds and four assists, Jamal Crawford had 19 points and five assists, and Cameroonian forward Luc Mbah a Moute had four points and three rebounds.
Isaiah Thomas had 32 points and five assists for the Celtics, Marcus Smart had 21 points, and Avery Bradley finished with 14 points.
Heat burn Cavs
The Miami heat beat the Cavaliers 106-98 in Cleveland. Dion Waiters had 29 points and five assists, Goran Dragic had 21 points and six assists, while Wayne Ellington finished with 18 points, four rebounds and four assists.
The Cavaliers were led by Kyrie Irving with 32 points, LeBron James had a 30-point, 17-rebound double-double, and Tristan Thompson had eight points and 13 rebounds.
Bucks kick Sixers
The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 112-98. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Tony Snell had 21 points and seven rebounds, and Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon combined for 26 with 13 points apiece.
Justin Anderson led the Philly with 19 points and six rebounds, Robert Covington had 15 points, and Dario Saric had 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The rest
A 20-point game by Courtney Lee gave the New York Knicks a 113-105 win over the Orlando Magic, the Golden State Warriors beat the Atlanta Hawks 119-111 on the back of Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala’s 48-point combination, in a good team effort the Detroit Pistons beat Chicago Bulls 109-95, the Brooklyn Nets stunned the Memphis Grizzlies 122-109, the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Indiana Pacers 100-88, and Wilson Chandler’s 36-point, 12-rebound double-double helped the Denver Nuggets beat the Sacramento Kings 108-96.
By Kaunda Chama
