Saturday was yet another great night of NBA action in which Russell Westbrook came two rebounds shy of another triple-double, while James Harden got his 19th of the season.
Rockets hit Nuggets
James Harden got his seventh 40-point triple-double, 19th for the season and saw the Houston Rockets past the Denver Nuggets 109-105. He had 40 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, Clint Capela had 16 points and eight rebounds, while Nene finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
The Nuggets were led by Gary Harris with 17 points and six rebounds, Nikola Jokic had 16 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Jameer Nelson had a 15-point, 11-assist double-double.
Thunder strike Kings
OKC was victorious in Oklahoma defeating the young Sacramento Kings 110-94 on the back of Russell Westbrook’s 28-point, 10-assist double-double, Doug McDermott had 21 points and five rebounds, and Steven Adams finished with a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double.
Georgios Papagiannis led the Kings with a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, Skal Labissiere had 13 points and four rebounds, while Darren Collison and Anthony Tolliver combined for 20 with 10 points apiece.
Inspired Warriors slay Bucks
Reigning regular-season MVP Stephen Curry’s 28 points, four rebounds and four assists helped the Golden State Warriors beat the Milwaukee Bucks 117-92, Klay Thompson had 21 points, and Andre Iguodala had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists.
The Bucks were led by Malcolm Brogdon with 18 points, four rebounds and four assists, Greg Monroe and Tony Snell combined for 24 with 12 points apiece, and Nigerian-Greek forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had a slow night and finished with nine points, three rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
Grizzlies bite Spurs
The Memphis Grizzlies held home court and beat the San Antonio Spurs 104-96. Mike Conley had 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Zach Randolph had 18 points and seven rebounds, while Marc Gasol finished with 16 points, five rebounds and seven assists.
Kawhi Leonard had 22 points and seven rebounds for the Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge had 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists, and Johnathan Simmons had 14 points.
Blazers singe Hawks
The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Hawks 113-97 in Atlanta. Damian Lillard had 27 points, five rebounds and five assists, CJ McCollum had 22 points, six rebounds and five assists, Allen Crabbe had 16 points and Nigerian forward Al-Farouq Aminu had eight points and seven rebounds.
The Hawks were led by Ersan Ilyasova with 23 points and four rebounds, Tim Hardaway Jr had 22 points, and Dwight Howard had a 14-point, 10 rebound double-double.
The Rest
The LA Clippers took advantage of a depleted Cleveland Cavaliers and beat them 108-78, a great team effort helped the Charlotte Hornets defeat the Washington Wizards 98-93, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Utah Jazz 95-86 on the back of Jimmy Butler’s 23 points.
By Kaunda Chama
