One of the highlights of last night’s NBA schedule was the battle of the Los Angeles franchises. The Clippers took the matchup by 11 points and won in more ways than one.
Clippers take Los Angeles
The LA Clippers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 115-104 and gave Doc Rivers his 800th victory as a coach. Blake Griffin, who became the second Clipper to reach 10,000 career points, led Lob City with 36 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Chris Paul had a 29-point, 12-assist double-double and JJ Redick finished with 19 points and five rebounds.
The Lakers were led by rookie David Nwaba with 19 points and six rebounds, rookie Brandon Ingram had 18 points and five rebounds, Thomas Robinson had 16 points and nine rebounds.
Bulls trample Hawks
Great performances by Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo gave the Chicago Bulls a much-needed 106-104 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Butler had 33 points, five rebounds and eight assists, Rondo a 25-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Denzel Valentine 13 points.
Gambian-German Dennis Schroder led Atlanta with 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Tim Hardaway Jr had 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Dwight Howard finished with a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Nets trap Magic
The Brooklyn Nets beat the Orlando Magic 121-111 on the back of Brook Lopez’s 30 points and seven rebounds, Trevor Booker had 23 points and eight rebounds, and Sean Kilpatrick ended the game with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Orlando were led by Nikola Vucevic with a 27-point, 11-rebound double-double, Aaron Gordon also had a double-double with 22-points and 15 rebounds and Elfrid Payton now has five more triple-doubles that any other Magic player in franchise history after finishing with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Kings surmount Timberwolves
The Sacramento Kings beat the Timberwolves 123-117 in Minnesota. Buddy Hield had 22 points and four rebounds, Ty Lawson had a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Langston Galloway had 17 points.
Andrew Wiggins led Minnesota with 32 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had a 26-point, 11-rebound double-double, Ricky Rubio had a double-double with 11 points and 13 assists, and Senegalese center Gorgui Dieng had 11 points and eight rebounds.
Blazers scorch Suns
A 31-point game from Damian Lillard helped the Portland Trail Blazers get a 130-117 victory over the Phoenix Suns. He also had five rebounds and seven assists, CJ McCollum 29 points, five rebounds and seven assists, Liberian-American Noah Vonleh a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double, and Nigerian forward Al-Farouq Aminu finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
Devin Booker led Phoenix with 31 points and seven assists, TJ Warren had 25 points and five rebounds, and Marquese Chriss ended the game with a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double.
By Kaunda Chama
