It was all action in the NBA on Sunday night with six fantastic games played. James Harden was the man of the moment as the Houston Rockets were impressive and he claimed another triple-double.
Harden helps Rockets shoot down Cavaliers
The Houston Rockets edged the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-112 in Texas as James Harden put on a show. ‘The Beard’ was in full flow and recorded his 16th triple-double of the season as he maintained the form that had him mentioned as a potential NBA MVP. Harden scored 38 points, dished 11 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds in the win. Ryan Anderson scored 16 points, with Patrick Beverley and Eric Gordon both scoring 13 points each. Angolan/Congolese-Swiss center Clint Capela had eight points and 11 rebounds in the game.
LeBron James finished with 30 points and seven rebounds, while Kyrie Irving scored 28 points and had eight assists. Richard Jefferson was the only other double-digit scorer for Cleveland with 16 points.
Celtics demolish Bulls
The Celtics hosted the Chicago Bulls and tore into them in Boston. The gamed ended 100-80 to the Celtics as Isaiah Thomas had another impressive game. Thomas scored 22 points in the contest. Avery Bradley finished the game with 17 points and six rebounds and Al Horford and Marcus Smart both contributed 12 points each.
The Bulls shot 37.9 percent from field-goal range in the loss. Robin Lopez and Denzel Valentine both scored 13 points apiece in the game, while Bobby Portis added 12 points to the score. Dwyane Wade only had eight points on the night and Jimmy Butler managed five points of his own.
Sixers beat Lakers in LA
It was a very tight game in Los Angeles as the Philadelphia 76ers edged the Lakers 118-116. Dario Saric continued to perform as he top scored for the Sixers with 29 points, also pulling down seven rebounds and dishing five assists. Jahlil Okafor weighed in with 23 points and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarro added 18 points to the Sixers’ score.
Jordan Clarkson had a big night for the Lakers in the loss as he ended the contest with 30 points off the bench. Julius Randle recorded a double-double as he scored 21 points and claimed 12 boards. Brandon Ingram added 12 points to the score while D-League graduate Nigerian-American David Nwaba scored six points.
Pacers pour cold water on Heat
Paul George was the main man for the Indiana Pacers as they beat the Miami Heat 102-98; he claimed a 28-point, 10-rebound double-double. Miles Turner scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Thaddeus Young contributed 13 points and Jeff Teague ended the game with 12.
The Heat saw another massive performance from the impressive Hassan Whiteside who added another double-double to the record books. Whiteside finished the game with 26 points and 21 rebounds. Dion Waiters fired in 20 points and Wayne Ellington ended the contest with 19 points off the bench.
The Rest
In other games that took place on Sunday, the Brooklyn Nets shot down the New York Knicks 120-112 with Brook Lopez scoring 25 for the Nets and Carmelo Anthony adding 27 points to the Knicks’ score. The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Phoenix Suns 110-101 as Damian Lillard ran riot, scoring a whopping 39 points, and Devin Booker top scored for the Suns with 28 points in the losing cause.
By Cyrus Rogers
