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Tag: NBA basketball

  • Keegan Murray makes 12 3-pointers, scores career-high 47 points to lead Kings past Jazz, 125-104

    Keegan Murray makes 12 3-pointers, scores career-high 47 points to lead Kings past Jazz, 125-104

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    Keegan Murray made 12 3-pointers, two shy of the NBA record, and scored a career-high 47 points to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 125-104 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Keegan Murray made 12 3-pointers, two shy of the NBA record, and scored a career-high 47 points to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 125-104 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.

    Murray scored a franchise-record 26 points in the third quarter and had Klay Thompson’s NBA record of 14 3-pointers in his sights after making 12 of his first 13 attempts. But the second-year forward missed his final two attempts from behind the arc while becoming the seventh different player to make 12 or more 3s in a game.

    Domantas Sabonis added 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, his seventh straight double-double and 20th this season.

    The Kings shot 22 of 45 from the 3-point line, the third time this season Sacramento made at least 20.

    Colin Sexton scored 28 points and Lauri Markkanen had 18 for the Jazz.

    Sacramento took control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Jazz 44-26. Murray broke the franchise record of 25 points in a quarter, set by Mitch Richmond in the fourth period against Houston on Dec. 15, 1995.

    The Kings took their biggest lead of the game after Murray hit his 12th 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the third quarter with a 106-76 lead.

    Murray scored 19 points in the first half as Sacramento led 62-50 going into the intermission.

    Sacramento starting point guard De’Aaron Fox was out with right shoulder irritation. Utah guard Jordan Clarkson missed his third straight game with a right hamstring strain and John Collins missed his fourth straight game with an illness.

    UP NEXT:

    Kings: Face the Wizards at home on Monday

    Jazz: Play the Nets at home Monday

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  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar falls and breaks hip at Los Angeles concert

    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar falls and breaks hip at Los Angeles concert

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    LOS ANGELES — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was undergoing surgery for a broken hip Saturday after falling at a concert in Los Angeles.

    The NBA Hall of Famer was attending a show Friday night when he was injured. Paramedics at the undisclosed venue responded and the 76-year-old was taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

    His business partner, Deborah Morales, declined to provide a further update Saturday and referred only to a statement posted on Abdul-Jabbar’s social media.

    “We are all deeply appreciative of all the support for Kareem,” it said.

    Abdul-Jabbar was a key player on the Los Angeles Lakers’ teams during their “Showtime” era in the 1980s, leading them to five NBA championships. He was a six-time NBA MVP.

    The 7-foot-2 center was the NBA’s career-scoring leader until being passed by current Laker LeBron James in February. Abdul-Jabbar owned the mark for 39 years.

    He starred at UCLA, when he was known as Lew Alcindor and was a three-time national player of the year under coach John Wooden.

    Abdul-Jabbar disclosed in 2020 that he had prostate cancer. In 2009, he said he had been diagnosed the previous year with chronic myeloid leukemia, a blood cancer.

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  • Two-time All-Star Ja Morant knows he can only convince people he's learned with action, not words

    Two-time All-Star Ja Morant knows he can only convince people he's learned with action, not words

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    MEMPHIS, Tenn. — MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Two-time All-Star Ja Morant said Friday being suspended by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver for the first 25 games of the season has been tough with “some horrible days” as he worked to focus on himself away from basketball.

    Morant also knows talking about being a better leader for the Memphis Grizzlies won’t be enough.

    “I can’t, you know, make nobody believe me outside of my actions,” Morant said Friday. “So me answering this question with just words probably won’t mean nothing to nobody.”

    Morant said basketball has been his therapy during his life and that taking the game away made things tougher. He credited his family, the Grizzlies and others, including therapy, for helping him since Silver handed down Morant’s second suspension in a four-month span in mid-June.

    The guard first told reporters after the Los Angeles Lakers ousted Memphis in six games to start the playoffs in April that he had to make better decisions, knowing off-the-court issues affected the Grizzlies’ season.

    Only two weeks later, Morant was singing with friends in a vehicle when caught holding up a handgun during a livestream video. Silver weighed the situation and announced a second suspension along with other steps for Morant to take.

    Morant was smiling and joking with his teammates at Friday morning’s shootaround, pointing out when one of his shots would’ve gone in if not for someone else’s ball knocking his attempt away from the bucket.

    Under the terms of his suspension, Morant has been allowed to practice and travel with the Grizzlies and take part in morning shootarounds. But then he has had to leave and not be at the arena while Memphis plays.

    That has left him to be a cheerleader on social media in the only role available to him the first 25 games.

    Morant said he’s counting down the days until he’s able to make his season debut Tuesday night in New Orleans.

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  • Oklahoma City voters approve sales tax for $900 million arena to keep NBA’s Thunder through 2050

    Oklahoma City voters approve sales tax for $900 million arena to keep NBA’s Thunder through 2050

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    OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City voters on Tuesday approved a 1% sales tax for six years to help fund a new downtown arena for the NBA’s Thunder that is expected to cost at least $900 million.

    The Oklahoma State Election Board reported that 71% of the city’s voters approved the plan.

    The vote is an example of the connection between the team, fans and the community, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.

    “We are grateful to the people of Oklahoma City for the confidence they have shown in both the Thunder and the NBA as we embark on a new era of global sports and entertainment,” Silver said.

    Under the deal, the Thunder agree to stay in Oklahoma City through at least 2050.

    The Thunder’s ownership group will contribute $50 million toward construction of the new arena. The deal also calls for $70 million in funding from a sales tax approved by voters in 2019 for upgrades to the existing Paycom arena.

    The proposal was strongly endorsed by Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and officials from the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, who argued that keeping the Thunder is an integral part of the city’s growth and economic development.

    “We told the nation, we told the world, that Oklahoma City is and shall remain a Big League City,” Holt said in a written statement following the vote.

    The sales tax will begin April 1, 2028, when the current sales tax ends, so the city’s sales tax rate will remain unchanged. An exact location hasn’t been determined, but the deal calls for the arena to open in time for the 2029-2030 NBA season.

    The group Oklahoma Progress Now, which opposed the proposal, said the outcome “though not what we hoped for, reflects the democratic voice of Oklahoma City.”

    Council members Nikki Nice and JoBeth Hamon also opposed both the proposed sales tax and the letter of intent with the Thunder owners.

    “This deal was negotiated from a position of fear and scarcity, which benefits those who are wealthy, while the benefits never trickle down to regular folks,” Hamon wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

    A group of more than 25 local economists also urged a “no” vote on the arena, arguing that it came without price caps and would not have a meaningful impact on economic growth.

    The NBA franchise — which used to be the Seattle SuperSonics — moved to Oklahoma City in 2008.

    ___

    Associated Press sports writer Cliff Brunt and writer Ken Miller in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

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  • Oklahoma City voters approve sales tax for $900 million arena to keep NBA’s Thunder through 2050

    Oklahoma City voters approve sales tax for $900 million arena to keep NBA’s Thunder through 2050

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    OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City voters on Tuesday approved a 1% sales tax for six years to help fund a new downtown arena for the NBA’s Thunder that is expected to cost at least $900 million.

    The Oklahoma State Election Board reported that 71% of the city’s voters approved the plan.

    The vote is an example of the connection between the team, fans and the community, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.

    “We are grateful to the people of Oklahoma City for the confidence they have shown in both the Thunder and the NBA as we embark on a new era of global sports and entertainment,” Silver said.

    Under the deal, the Thunder agree to stay in Oklahoma City through at least 2050.

    The Thunder’s ownership group will contribute $50 million toward construction of the new arena. The deal also calls for $70 million in funding from a sales tax approved by voters in 2019 for upgrades to the existing Paycom arena.

    The proposal was strongly endorsed by Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and officials from the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, who argued that keeping the Thunder is an integral part of the city’s growth and economic development.

    “We told the nation, we told the world, that Oklahoma City is and shall remain a Big League City,” Holt said in a written statement following the vote.

    The sales tax will begin April 1, 2028, when the current sales tax ends, so the city’s sales tax rate will remain unchanged. An exact location hasn’t been determined, but the deal calls for the arena to open in time for the 2029-2030 NBA season.

    The group Oklahoma Progress Now, which opposed the proposal, said the outcome “though not what we hoped for, reflects the democratic voice of Oklahoma City.”

    Council members Nikki Nice and JoBeth Hamon also opposed both the proposed sales tax and the letter of intent with the Thunder owners.

    “This deal was negotiated from a position of fear and scarcity, which benefits those who are wealthy, while the benefits never trickle down to regular folks,” Hamon wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

    A group of more than 25 local economists also urged a “no” vote on the arena, arguing that it came without price caps and would not have a meaningful impact on economic growth.

    The NBA franchise — which used to be the Seattle SuperSonics — moved to Oklahoma City in 2008.

    ___

    Associated Press sports writer Cliff Brunt and writer Ken Miller in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

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  • Bulls overcome Wembanyama's big night to to hand Spurs 16th straight loss, 121-112

    Bulls overcome Wembanyama's big night to to hand Spurs 16th straight loss, 121-112

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    SAN ANTONIO — Having played for San Antonio under Gregg Popovich, Chicago Bulls All-Star DeMar DeRozan knows the Spurs should eventually be OK.

    But for now, the Spurs are suffering another historic skid even as No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama continues to shine.

    Colby White had 24 points and the Chicago Bulls overcame Wembanyama’s big night to hand the Spurs their franchise record-tying 16th straight loss, 121-112 on Friday.

    Wembanyama had 21 points and 20 rebounds as the Spurs matched the franchise record they set last season. At 19, Wembanyama is the youngest player in league history with 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game.

    “They’ve got everything else,” DeRozan said. “Experience really becomes a critical thing late in the game and in certain key moments throughout the game. That goes a long way for a young team like that. They’re going to have it. They’re going to get it. The experience that they’re gaining. I know it sucks for them right now losing, but with that you gain experience and understanding of what it takes to be winners and what it takes to close out games.”

    Nikola Vucevic added 21 points and 16 rebounds for Chicago. DeRozan had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Patrick Williams also had 20 points and Torey Craig finished with 16 points to help the Bulls win their fourth straight and snap a seven-game road skid.

    Keldon Johnson had 20 points for the Spurs. Tre Jones added a season-high 18 for San Antonio, which has not won since Nov. 2 in Phoenix.

    “Well, we’ve been here before,” Popovich said. “They competed their butts off. A lot of good things, but fourth quarter people up their defense and we have trouble scoring. So, we just didn’t keep up the scoring in that regard.”

    Wembanyama had 10 points and 11 rebounds in the first half for his 10th double-double of the season and first in a first half. He made a spin move away from Andre Drummond to the rim for a two-handed dunk off an inbounds pass from Jones.

    “It’s a little bit unfair how he rebounds (with) us around him,” Vucevic said. “There was some rebounds, I was just … there was nothing I could do. Granted, I’m not a high jumper or anything, but still.”

    Wembanyama had two blocks in each half, including an early one on DeRozan.

    “Man, hey listen, I didn’t know where he was coming from, even if wasn’t by me,” DeRozan said. “He’s going to be a scary defender just affecting people’s shots down there, even if he doesn’t get a hand on them. Just the way he affects everybody coming down there, coming out of nowhere. The first layup, I didn’t know where he came from, and he blocked it. You definitely have to be aware.”

    Wembanyama was 8 for 20 from the field, but 0 for 4 on 3-pointers.

    The Spurs altered their starting lineup for the second consecutive game, with Malaki Branham joining Wembanyama, Johnson, Jeremy Sochan and Devin Vassell. They had shared the floor together only six possessions this season prior to Friday.

    White’s 3-pointer gave the Bulls a 69-68 lead with 6:41 remaining in the third quarter. Chicago outscored San Antonio 35-20 in the third in taking an 87-83 lead.

    “It’s been a combination of things,” Jones said. “Turnovers, I think is something that’s consistent tonight. (Offensive) boards throughout the entire game, but obviously in the third quarter as well. We stopped hitting shots as well and they just picked up their physicality and ended up getting to the free throw line as well.”

    UP NEXT

    Bulls: At Milwaukee on Monday night.

    Spurs: At Houston on Monday night.

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  • Derrick White's 30 points carries Celtics past Knicks 133-123; Boston's Brown ejected with 2 Ts

    Derrick White's 30 points carries Celtics past Knicks 133-123; Boston's Brown ejected with 2 Ts

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    BOSTON — Derrick White scored 30 points and Kristaps Porzingis had 21 in his return to the lineup after missing four games with a strained left calf to lead the Boston Celtics to a 133-123 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.

    Jayson Tatum added 25 points, six rebounds and five assists for Boston, which improved to 10-0 at home. Celtics forward Jaylen Brown scored 17 points before he was ejected after getting two technical fouls midway into the final quarter.

    “To be honest with you I don’t know,” Brown said when asked why he was tossed. “For my first career ejection, I thought some guy would punk it up, go to the ground and not some over-emotional ref who had a bad day.”

    Boston coach Joe Mazzulla seemed bothered by the quick ejection.

    “I’ve been on the sidelines for five years and I’ve seen players act and say things that are way more disrespectful than that,” he said.

    Brown felt it was overreaction on the second T by official Jason Goldenberg, who whistled him for both.

    “I’m on the bench, talking from the sideline, he can’t even hear anything I’m saying,” Brown said. “He called a tech from across the court. … To have to deal with somebody that has emotions that’s too involved with whatever else is going. … I ain’t going to comment on officiating in general, but I am going to comment on this guy in particular tonight. I thought that was (expletive).”

    Crew chief Mark Lindsay told a pool reporter that “the second technical foul was called for a wave off directed at the official, which under the respect of the game guidelines is considered an overt gesture and an unsportsmanlike act.”

    RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 23 points apiece. Julius Randle added 20 and Immanuel Quickley had 17 for New York, which dropped its second straight.

    Porzingis wasted little time getting going offensively, scoring Boston’s first eight points with a dunk and consecutive 3-pointers.

    The Celtics and TD Garden crowd had a brief scare late in the second quarter when Tatum made a breakaway dunk, landed awkwardly and went to the floor on the baseline. But he got up quickly.

    The Celtics shot 58.3% and led 74-65 at halftime. The Knicks shot 53.5% in the first half.

    Boston started hot in the third quarter, connecting on nine of its initial 13 attempts — including five 3-pointers — and pushing the lead to 99-79 on Brown’s 3 from the top of the key.

    Criticized by coach Tom Thibodeau for their weak defense after a blowout loss to Milwaukee in the NBA’s In-Season Tournament quarterfinals earlier in the week, the Knicks gave up 109 points through three quarters on Friday.

    “It’s problematic. We’ve got to fix our defense,” he said. “It starts individually, containment of the ball, better ball pressure, better challenging the shots in every aspect.”

    Brunson sustained an undisclosed injury late in the game. Thibodeau didn’t have any word from the medical staff.

    Boston’s strong ball movement led to numerous open looks on 3s and when it wanted to get the ball inside, New York offered little resistance.

    After Brown was tossed, the Knicks sliced their deficit to 119-112 before Boston went back up by 11 points on a basket and two free throws by White.

    UP NEXT

    Knicks: Host the Toronto Raptors on Monday night.

    Celtics: Host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.

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  • Donovan Mitchell scores 27, Cavaliers use pair of 15-0 runs to top Heat 111-99

    Donovan Mitchell scores 27, Cavaliers use pair of 15-0 runs to top Heat 111-99

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    MIAMI — Donovan Mitchell had 27 points and 13 rebounds, Darius Garland shook off early foul trouble to score 18 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 111-99 on Friday night.

    Georges Niang scored 13 and Max Strus added 11 in his first road game against his former team. The Cavaliers are now 7-3 on the road this season — tied with Oklahoma City and Minnesota for the best such mark in the NBA.

    “We keep talking about the same thing,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Every night, we can control whether or not we’re the best team on the floor. Are we the most competitive? Are we the most selfless? And when the guys do that, the talent rises.”

    Cleveland is 13-3 this season when holding teams under 120 points. The Cavs are 0-6 when teams score at least 120.

    Josh Richardson and Kyle Lowry each scored 17 points for the Heat, who have lost five of their last seven. Jimmy Butler scored 16, Caleb Martin added 15, former Cavaliers forward Kevin Love had 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. also scored 12 for Miami.

    The Cavaliers outrebounded Miami 51-37 — and held a 2-1 lead in 15-0 runs.

    Miami scored 15 consecutive points early on the way to building a 16-point lead, and the Cavaliers had two 15-0 stretches later in the game.

    Mitchell had the last basket of the first half to give Cleveland a 53-52 lead at the break, and then the Cavs got the first 13 points of the third quarter — with Mitchell scoring 11 of those to put his team on top for good.

    “The third quarter kind of set that tone,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got to keep doing this.”

    Miami has lost four games this season after leading by at least 16 points. It was the biggest deficit Cleveland has successfully overcome this season.

    “I thought there was some decent things defensively throughout the course of the game,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But not even scoring 100 points — granted, they’re a good defense — but that’s not going to get it done.”

    Miami was again without Bam Adebayo (hip), Haywood Highsmith (back) and Tyler Herro (ankle). Adebayo has missed five of Miami’s last eight games, Herro has missed 14 straight games with a sprain and Highwood has basically missed three consecutive games; he sat out Miami’s last two and the last 45 minutes of a Monday loss to Indiana.

    Cleveland played without Evan Mobley, who was held out with left knee soreness. It was Mobley’s first game missed this season and only the fourth he’s missed in Cleveland’s last 111 games, including playoffs.

    Garland was whistled for three fouls in the game’s first 5:21 and the Heat got rolling when he had to go to the bench. The night’s first 15-0 run put Miami up 23-12; the lead eventually reached 39-23. Cleveland’s first 15-0 run immediately followed that stretch.

    Miami got within nine in the fourth, but no closer and fell to 0-5 when not scoring at least 100 this season.

    UP NEXT

    Cavaliers: Visit Orlando on Monday.

    Heat: Visit Charlotte on Monday.

    ___

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  • Cavs guard Max Strus returns to Miami and picks up an Emmy award

    Cavs guard Max Strus returns to Miami and picks up an Emmy award

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    Max Strus didn’t win a Larry O’Brien Trophy during his time in Miami

    ByThe Associated Press

    December 8, 2023, 8:16 PM

    Cleveland Cavaliers’ Max Strus, left, tries to get past Philadelphia 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey during the first half of an NBA basketball in-season tournament game, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

    The Associated Press

    MIAMI — Max Strus didn’t win a Larry O’Brien Trophy during his time in Miami.

    He won an Emmy instead.

    Strus, who left the Heat for the Cleveland Cavaliers last summer as a free agent, received his Emmy statuette for being part of a show detailing his path to the NBA and Miami.

    The program called “Inside the Heat — Max Strus” was one of two in the “Sports Program — Post-Produced or Edited Series” division that earned Emmy wins for the Heat at the Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards show last weekend; a show centered on Heat executive vice president and general manager Andy Elisburg also won.

    “We really enjoyed our time with Max and his family,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We got to know his family really well.”

    Strus joked this week that he didn’t know if Miami would do a red-carpet welcome as part of his Emmy prize. He settled for a small ceremony about an hour before Friday’s game — and yes, he made a speech.

    “Never thought I would have gotten one of these,” Strus told the Bally Sports crew after being presented with his statuette. He then thanked them for their work, saying “this is all you guys. I was just in the video. You guys made this happen.”

    Strus entered Friday averaging 14.5 points this season for the Cavaliers, who gave him a $64 million, four-year contract. Strus spent three seasons in Miami and was a starter for the team’s runs to the 2022 Eastern Conference finals and 2023 NBA Finals.

    The Emmy awards were announced Dec. 2. Elisburg received his statuette Monday, and Friday was the first opportunity for the Heat to present Strus with his.

    The Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences covers television markets in all of Florida and Puerto Rico, plus some parts of Louisiana, Georgia and Alabama.

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  • LeBron James scores 30 points, Lakers rout Pelicans 133-89 to reach tournament final

    LeBron James scores 30 points, Lakers rout Pelicans 133-89 to reach tournament final

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    LAS VEGAS — LeBron James scored 30 points in less than three quarters and the Los Angeles Lakers steamrolled the New Orleans Pelicans 133-89 on Thursday night to reach the championship game in the NBA In-Season Tournament.

    The Lakers will play the surprising Indiana Pacers on Saturday night for the inaugural NBA Cup. Indiana advanced with a 128-119 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the other semifinal. Unlike the other tournament games, the championship game will not count in the regular-season standings.

    Los Angeles’ run to the title game, James said, is indicative of the team’s potential. He was particularly pleased with the defense, which held New Orleans to 35.8% shooting, and the Lakers also had a 59-42 rebounding advantage.

    “I think we are starting to get a feel for what we need to become a team for us to win basketball games, to be consistent,” James said. “Defensively, we’re really, really starting to tap into that like, OK, we’ve got to defend every single night. When we defend, we give ourselves a chance to win every night.”

    Austin Reaves scored 17 points for Los Angeles, Anthony Davis had 16 points and 15 rebounds and Taurean Prince finished with 15 points.

    Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 14 points. Zion Williamson had 13 points and Herbert Jones 10.

    Pelicans coach Willie Green said he credited his team in the locker room with making the semifinals, “but tonight was a total letdown. We’re all disappointed in our competitive spirit against the Lakers. You’ve got to give them credit. They came out and dominated. … But tonight we took a step in the wrong direction.”

    New Orleans led 30-29 after the first quarter, but James opened the second scoring the Lakers’ first 11 points, and suddenly a one-point deficit was a 40-33 lead.

    During that stretch, James made three 3-pointers in a row. The last two came from the league and tournament logo, firing up the pro-Lakers crowd. The nearly 39-year-old superstar even took three charges.

    “Any time your best player sacrifices his body, takes three charges in the first half, especially with Zion coming down the paint, it sets a tone,” Reaves said. “That shows to everybody else how locked in he is to win this, and how locked in he is every game.”

    By halftime, James had 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting. He went to the bench midway through the third quarter, which should give him plenty of energy for the championship against a Pacers team like that likes to push, well, pace.

    “They are young,” Davis said. “They are scrappy. They get out and run, and they play the right way. So it’s going to be a test for our defense for sure.”

    Los Angeles has won three consecutive games and four of its past five. Coach Darvin Ham said the focus, aggressiveness and unselfishness during this recent span make the Lakers “damn near unstoppable.”

    “It’s a beautiful thing to see this early,” Ham said. “I think the intensity that this tournament brings reveals that because it’s not just a regular-season game. It doesn’t feel like that. The stakes are way higher and you see people in those delicate moments what they are truly made of, at least the beginning stages.”

    UP NEXT

    Pelicans: Host Minnesota on Monday night.

    Lakers: Face Indiana on Saturday night in Las Vegas in the title game.

    ___

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  • Clippers overcome Jokic's triple-double to beat Nuggets 111-102 and snap 8-game skid against champs

    Clippers overcome Jokic's triple-double to beat Nuggets 111-102 and snap 8-game skid against champs

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    Paul George scored 25 points and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied to beat Denver 111-102 on Wednesday night and snap an eight-game skid against the defending NBA champion Nuggets

    ByBETH HARRIS AP sports writer

    December 7, 2023, 12:31 AM

    Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) drives against Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

    The Associated Press

    LOS ANGELES — Paul George scored 25 points and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied to beat Denver 111-102 on Wednesday night and snap an eight-game skid against the defending NBA champion Nuggets.

    Denver won 113-104 last week in Los Angeles as former Clipper Reggie Jackson scored 35 points with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon all sidelined. That trio of starters was back for the rematch.

    Murray scored 23 points. Jokic had a triple-double with 22 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Michael Porter Jr. had 18 points and nine rebounds, making 7 of 8 from the floor and hitting four 3-pointers.

    It was Denver’s first loss to the Clippers since Jan. 11, 2022. The Nuggets fell to 5-8 on the road after blowing a 15-point lead in the opening quarter.

    The Clippers led by one when James Harden and Kawhi Leonard combined to score 11 in a row for a 103-97 lead. Ivica Zubac blocked Jokic, whose shooting was off in the fourth.

    Harden added 20 points and 11 assists, Leonard had 17 points and Norman Powell had 17 points off the bench as the Clippers got back to .500 at 10-10.

    Jokic scored six straight to open the third and Jackson scored four in a row to close it with Denver leading 82-79.

    The Clippers outscored the Nuggets 40-21 in the second, led by Powell with 11 points and Harden with nine. After tying the game at 46-all on Kobe Brown’s 3-pointer, the Clippers ran off 11 in a row while their improved defense forced Jokic into repeated misses and two turnovers. He was held to four points in the quarter, when the Clippers led 61-57 at halftime.

    The Nuggets came out firing, hitting eight 3-pointers in the first including three by Porter. They shot 58% from the floor and led by 15 points.

    UP NEXT

    Nuggets: Host Houston on Friday night.

    Clippers: At Utah on Friday night.

    ___

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  • Bridges scores 42 points, 26 in first quarter, as Nets snap Magic's nine-game winning streak

    Bridges scores 42 points, 26 in first quarter, as Nets snap Magic's nine-game winning streak

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    Mikal Bridges scored 42 points, including 26 in the first quarter, and the Brooklyn Nets snapped the Orlando Magic’s nine-game winning streak with a 129-101 victory Saturday night

    ByThe Associated Press

    December 2, 2023, 9:42 PM

    Brooklyn Nets’ guard Cam Thomas, second from left, dribbles during an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

    The Associated Press

    NEW YORK — Mikal Bridges scored 42 points, including 26 in the first quarter, and the Brooklyn Nets snapped the Orlando Magic’s nine-game winning streak with a 129-101 victory Saturday night.

    The Magic were hoping for the first 10-game winning streak in franchise history but had little hope after Bridges outscored them by himself as the Nets ran out to a 43-22 lead after 12 minutes.

    It was Magic’s first loss since Nov. 14, when the Nets beat them 124-104 in their previous trip to Barclays Center.

    Bridges shot 12 for 20 from the field and 15 for 18 from the free throw line, falling three points shy of his career high.

    Spencer Dinwiddie added 22 points, Cam Thomas had 20 and Dennis Smith Jr. finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets, who have won four of their last five games.

    Franz Wagner scored 20 points and Cole Anthony chipped in 20 off the bench for the Magic.

    Brooklyn led by as many as 25 points in the first half due to Orlando’s shooting struggles, but the Magic trimmed the lead to single digits in the third quarter on a layup by Moritz Wagner that made it 89-80 with 2:37 left.

    Dinwiddie answered by outscoring the Magic 9-5 to extend the Nets’ lead to 98-85 heading into the final quarter.

    Bridges put Brooklyn back up by 20 with a three-point play that made it 114-94 with 4:24 left in regulation. He missed his next shot, a 3-pointer that would have tied his career high of 45 points, which he equaled in a loss at Atlanta on Nov. 22.

    Bridges had 34 points in the first half to help Brooklyn take a 73-51 lead at the break. The Nets shot 50% from the field and 8 for 18 beyond the 3-point line.

    He was 8 for 11 in the first quarter. Bridges’ 26 points were the most in the opening period of an NBA game since the 2021-22 season, when Dallas’ Luka Doncic had 28 against the Los Angeles Clippers.

    UP NEXT

    Magic: Visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.

    Nets: Visit the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

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  • Nikola Jokic has 21 points, 16 assists, Nuggets hold off Suns 119-111

    Nikola Jokic has 21 points, 16 assists, Nuggets hold off Suns 119-111

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    PHOENIX — Nikola Jokic looked content to spend most of his Friday night facilitating, setting up baskets with passes left and right as the Denver Nuggets built a big first-half lead.

    By late in the fourth quarter, that advantage had nearly vanished. That’s when the two-time MVP went back to scoring.

    Jokic had 21 points and 16 assists, including a difficult layup in traffic with 24.1 seconds left, and the Nuggets held off the Phoenix Suns 119-111 for a hard-fought victory.

    “That’s another night of just incredible, unselfish basketball,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Everyone playing for the man next to them, making the right play.”

    Down 17 in the first half, the Suns — on a night Kevin Durant moved into 10th place on the NBA’s career scoring list — cut Denver’s lead to 94-91 entering the fourth.

    Phoenix tied it three times early in the fourth and the game stayed within one possession for much of the period, but Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. were among multiple players who made clutch buckets to keep the Nuggets ahead.

    Denver has won four straight. All five starters — including Jokic, Jackson, Porter, Justin Holiday and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — scored at least 15 points. Jackson finished with 20. The Nuggets had 38 assists and just nine turnovers.

    “That’s our play style,” Jokic said. “When we make shots like that, it’s much easier for us to have a good game. I think we create open looks — it’s just a matter of if we’re going to make it or not.”

    Jusuf Nurkic led the Suns — playing without Devin Booker — with a season-high 31 points but fouled out after being called for a charge with 45 seconds remaining, which was upgraded to a Flagrant 1, meaning Jokic got to shoot two free throws. He made one of two for a 115-111 lead and Denver retained possession.

    Jokic followed with his tough layup, finishing over three Suns defenders, to put the game away.

    “They’re a good team,” Nurkic said. “Give them credit, they got the win.”

    Durant added 30 points but shot just 8 of 25 from the field, including 0 for 10 in the second half. Nurkic made 13 of 22.

    Durant moved in 10th place on scoring list late in the second quarter, driving the baseline for a layup to pass Moses Malone. Durant finished the game with 27,423 career points. Malone had 27, 409 in the NBA after starting his professional career with two seasons in the ABA.

    Denver jumped out to a 41-30 lead going into the second quarter after shooting 79.2% (19 of 24) from the field. The Nuggets settled for a 70-63 advantage at halftime.

    “We didn’t play with nearly enough toughness and attention to detail in the first half,” Vogel said. “It was one of our worst defensive halves. But you’ve got to credit the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic — that’s why he’s one of the best in the world. He can take any four teammates and create great looks for those guys. He’s really special.”

    Both teams were missing key pieces. The Suns were playing without Booker (ankle) and Bradley Beal (back) while the Nuggets were without Jamal Murray (ankle) and Aaron Gordon (heel).

    UP NEXT

    Nuggets: At Sacramento on Saturday night.

    Suns: Host Memphis on Saturday night.

    ___

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  • With Wembanyama out for San Antonio, Pelicans extend Spurs' skid to 14 games

    With Wembanyama out for San Antonio, Pelicans extend Spurs' skid to 14 games

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    NEW ORLEANS — With Jonas Valanciunas asserting himself near the basket and Trey Murphy hitting timely 3-pointers in his first appearance of the season, the New Orleans Pelicans didn’t need big games from usual top scorers Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

    It also helped that their opponent was the reeling San Antonio Spurs, who haven’t won a game in weeks and were without top overall draft choice Victor Wembanyama.

    Valanciunas had 24 points and 12 rebounds, Murphy hit four second-half 3s to finish with 18 points and the Pelicans beat San Antonio 121-106 on Friday night to send the Spurs to their 14th straight loss.

    “It’s a blessing to have the guys available that can come in a produce right away,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said, adding that “getting Trey back was huge,” and that the Spurs “didn’t have an answer” for Valanciunas in the paint.

    “I was just physical, going for offensive boards, crashing, doing my stuff as I usually do,” Valanciunas said after his eighth double-double this season.

    The 7-foot-3 Wembanyama was held out because of right hip tightness. San Antonio’s losing streak is now its second-longest. The Spurs lost 16 in a row last season, when they finished 22-60 and won the NBA draft lottery.

    CJ McCollum scored 19 points and Herb Jones added 17 points and three steals for New Orleans, which won its second straight.

    Murphy missed New Orleans’ first 19 games while rehabilitating from arthroscopic surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee.

    His first basket of the season was an end-to-end layup in transition. The 2023 All-Star Dunk contest runner-up later highlighted his return with a driving, soaring, tomahawk jam.

    “Just seeing an open lane, I just had to get up there and show people I still got my athleticism,” said Murphy, who also went 4 of 10 from 3-point range.

    Ingram scored 14 points, Williamson had 12 points and the pair had seven assists apiece as they took on more of a facilitator role than usual.

    Wembanyama ’s absence came a night after he had 21 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots in a 137-135 loss to Atlanta in San Antonio.

    The 7-foot-3 Frenchman missed a game for the first time after starting San Antonio’s first 18 games, during which he averaged 19.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks.

    Devin Vassell led the Spurs in New Orleans with 14 points. Jeremy Sochan scored 13 points and Charles Bassey grabbed 11 rebounds.

    “Great back-to-back effort, but the same bugaboos keep cropping up,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, adding that his team’s 19 turnovers “really put us behind the 8 ball, and we had a lot of undisciplined fouls.”

    The issues with turnovers and fouls “are two things they just got to figure out,” Popovich added.

    Most of the game was played with just two officials on the court after Scott Wall limped off in the first quarter, leaving Ed Malloy and Aaron Smith to carry on without him.

    UP NEXT

    Spurs: At Minnesota on Wednesday night.

    Pelicans: At Chicago on Saturday night.

    ___

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  • Adelson adding NBA team to resume of casino mogul, GOP power broker, US and Israel newspaper owner

    Adelson adding NBA team to resume of casino mogul, GOP power broker, US and Israel newspaper owner

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    LAS VEGAS — Miriam Adelson is one of the richest women in the world, a U.S. and Israel newspaper publisher and political powerbroker who, after selling $2 billion in stock to buy the Dallas Mavericks, will still be the majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands Corp., the casino company her late husband built.

    A company statement on Wednesday confirmed the deal on behalf of the Adelson and the Dumont families — referring to relatives of her son-in-law, Sands company president and board member Patrick Dumont.

    The transaction could close in less than five weeks, the statement said, if it gets approval from the NBA board of governors. It could take longer; typically the NBA vetting process takes a month or two to complete, and there is no set timeframe.

    The $3.5 billion purchase from team owner Mark Cuban would make Adelson one of a few female owners of a U.S. professional sports franchise, and one of the wealthiest overall. Her net worth, including family trusts, was reported by Forbes at about $32 billion, ranking her fifth-richest among women in the U.S. and 35th-richest billionaire in the world.

    Las Vegas Sands and Adelson and Dumont families representative Ron Reese declined Wednesday to comment. Adelson, a physician, rarely gives interviews; in 2021, she told Las Vegas television station KNTV about her work with people fighting addictions.

    “Send me people who are sick. I can help them,” Adelson said in that interview. “I’m not for profit. It’s all philanthropy. And I would like to help to save more lives.”

    Cuban was honored by the Adelson family at their annual Pursuit of Excellence gala in Las Vegas in 2017 for his work in technology, one of the top priorities of the Adelsons’ educational programs for children.

    Miriam Adelson spoke highly of Cuban at that event.

    “A good person with good values, though he is totally opposite of us in his political views,” she told the Las Vegas Review-Journal then. The Adelson family owns that newspaper.

    Adelson, 78, was born in Israel in 1945, the year World War II ended, and later moved to New York City where her medical work focused on addiction treatment.

    In 1991, she married Sheldon Adelson, the son of Jewish immigrants raised in a Boston tenement who went on to build the Las Vegas Sands empire. His first marriage ended in divorce in 1988. Sheldon Adelson died in 2021.

    The publicly traded company they headed, based in Las Vegas, bought the historic Sands hotel on the Las Vegas Strip and imploded it in 1996 to build the Venetian and Palazzo resorts.

    In 2022, less than a year after Sheldon Adelson’s death, the company sold the Venetian, Palazzo and adjacent Venetian Expo Center for $6.25 billion to a private equity firm and a real estate investment trust. It now only has casino operations abroad, including five properties in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau and one in Singapore.

    The Adelsons became major Republican Party donors in the U.S., and established family philanthropic foundations with goals “to strengthen the State of Israel and the Jewish people” and to focus on healthcare including drug addiction treatment clinics in Tel Aviv and Las Vegas.

    The Adelsons were top financial backers of former President Donald Trump before, during and after his term in the White House, and helped pay legal expenses of Trump aides during former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of whether the president’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russia.

    In 2018, Trump awarded Miriam Adelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor the nation reserves for a civilian. Cuban is a longtime critic of Trump.

    “Miriam, I want to thank you very much for saving so many lives and helping so many people to get back to a normal way of life,” Trump said that day at the White House before presenting Adelson with her medal. “You’ve been incredible. I know the work you’ve done. And you have been truly incredible.”

    Trump has also cited Adelson’s influence in other decisions he made regarding pardons, like the one he gave to financier Michael Milken, the “junk bond king” who served two years in prison in the early 1990s after pleading guilty to violating U.S. securities laws.

    Miriam Adelson has remained a major party donor and benefactor for the Republican Jewish Coalition, which hosted Republican candidates in Las Vegas in October. But she has vowed to stay neutral in the 2024 U.S. presidential primary.

    The Adelson family purchased the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada’s largest newspaper, in 2015, and owns the company that is the primary shareholder in Israel Hayom, a widely distributed Hebrew-language free daily newspaper that is seen as friendly to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    In an Israel Hayom opinion column published last week and referring to the Oct. 7 surprise attacks on Israel by Hamas militants out of Gaza, Miriam Adelson wrote that “foreign fans of Hamas are our enemies, the ideological enablers in the West of those who would go to any length to eradicate us from the Middle East. And, as such, they should be dead to us.”

    Miriam Adelson has no corporate role with Las Vegas Sands, but the Securities and Exchange Commission filing that disclosed the $2 billion stock sale said she will retain 51.3% of company shares afterward.

    Before Sheldon Adelson died, he helped spur efforts to lure the NFL’s Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas but then pulled out of a $650 million pledge toward a $2 billion, 60,000-seat stadium that in 2020 became home to the team.

    In recent years, the city once shunned by pro sports leagues has become a tourism, entertainment and sports capital home to championship franchises with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights and WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, and recently hosted its first Formula One race, the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

    Major League Baseball owners recently voted to let the Oakland Athletics relocate to Las Vegas, and the city is frequently mentioned as a possible home for an NBA team.

    But a move by the Mavericks to Las Vegas is unlikely because Cuban will retain responsibility over basketball operations in Dallas, where he has expressed interest in partnering with Las Vegas Sands to open a casino and sports arena complex.

    The Mavericks share an arena in Dallas with the NHL’s Dallas Stars. The hockey team’s president, Brad Alberts, told The Dallas Morning News this week that he’s excited about the prospects of the sale.

    “I’m not surprised at all on this,” Alberts told the newspaper. “Mark’s desire to work towards a casino is obviously all well-known by everyone, including us.”

    It was unclear if Miriam Adelson will be seen courtside with Cuban at Mavericks games. The expectation is that Dumont will likely take the seat that the family would be entitled to on the NBA’s board of governors once the sale is complete.

    ___

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  • Jokic’s triple-double lifts Nuggets past Rockets 134-124 in Murray’s return

    Jokic’s triple-double lifts Nuggets past Rockets 134-124 in Murray’s return

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    DENVER — Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds, Michael Porter Jr. scored a season-high 30 points and the Denver Nuggets rolled past the Houston Rockets 134-124 on Wednesday night in Jamal Murray’s return from a hamstring injury.

    Murray scored 16 points after missing Denver’s past 11 games. After starting 6-1 with Murray available, the Nuggets were just 6-5 without their point guard.

    His presence led Denver to one of its best offensive outings of the season, with 19 made 3-pointers and 37 assists to just three turnovers.

    “One of the security guards said, ‘Hey, great win tonight.’ I said it was a great outcome,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “I wouldn’t call it a great win. It was a great outcome.”

    It was the third consecutive win for the NBA champion Nuggets, who had lost four of five before their current streak.

    Jokic, who was sidelined with a lower back injury in a win Monday at the Los Angeles Clippers, recorded his seventh triple-double of the season. Entering the night, all other NBA players had combined for just eight triple-doubles.

    “This is pretty easy basketball when you’ve got someone that good with the floater, but also that good at passing,” said Porter, who had 10 rebounds and made seven of his 12 3s.

    Denver had lost twice to the Rockets in November, including a 19-point loss in Houston five days earlier. The Nuggets improved their NBA-best home record to 9-0 while dropping the Rockets to 0-7 on the road.

    While Murray returned, Denver was without forward Aaron Gordon, who missed his third consecutive game with a strained right heel.

    Welcomed with a roaring “He’s back!” from the public address announcer and a hearty ovation from the home crowd before tip-off, Murray injured his ankle after he came down awkwardly on a missed contested shot at the rim two minutes into the game and walked gingerly back to the bench after a Nuggets timeout. He immediately returned out of the timeout and finished with 22 minutes played, though he described his ankle injury as “frustrating.”

    “The hamstring’s fine,” Murray said. “I’ve worked enough to get it back to strength. Now, it’s just another thing. I’ve got to work on that and hopefully I’ll be ready.”

    After that initial scare, his team had little reason to worry the rest of the night.

    Led by 12 points from Porter, the Nuggets scored a season-high 41 points in the first quarter and led by as many as 19 in the period. Denver never trailed and led by double digits for all but the opening 4:16 against a Houston team that was playing the second night of a back-to-back after a loss Tuesday night at the Dallas Mavericks.

    “We just woke up pretty late,” Rockets guard Jalen Green said. “If we started off a little bit better, it would have been a different story.”

    Green paced the Rockets with 26 points, including 18 in a third quarter in which he made all six of his field goals and all four of his 3s. Alperen Sengun added 22 points for Houston, which lost for the fifth time in seven games following a surprise 6-3 start.

    The Rockets were without guard Fred VanVleet, the team’s third-leading scorer and $130 million offseason acquisition, who was sidelined with a sprained left thumb.

    UP NEXT

    Denver: At Phoenix on Friday.

    Houston: At Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.

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  • Raptors end Suns’ winning streak at 7, spoiling Kevin Durant’s return

    Raptors end Suns’ winning streak at 7, spoiling Kevin Durant’s return

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    TORONTO — Scottie Barnes scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, Pascal Siakam finished with 22 and the Toronto Raptors beat Phoenix 112-105 on Wednesday night to end the Suns’ winning streak at seven.

    Kevin Durant scored 11 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter for Phoenix after missing two games because of a sore foot, while fellow star Devin Booker had only eight points. The Suns lost for the first time since a Nov. 12 loss at home against Oklahoma City.

    Durant made 11 of 30 attempts and shot 2 for 8 from beyond the arc. He has scored 30 or more points in six straight games, the longest active streak in the NBA.

    “I don’t feel like I’m ever out of rhythm,” Durant said. “I just missed shots.”

    Booker hobbled to the bench early in the second half after stepping on Dennis Schroder’s foot, but was able to return.

    “I don’t know if it got stiffer but I wasn’t going to spend the rest of the night trying to beat people off the dribble,” Booker said.

    Booker, who beat New York on Sunday night with a 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left, missed a 3 that would have tied it with 50 seconds remaining.

    “I knew that one was left a bit,” Booker said.

    Booker shot 2 for 12, going 0 for 4 on 3-pointers.

    Phoenix coach Frank Vogel said he wasn’t sure whether Booker would be able to play when the Suns host the defending NBA-champion Denver Nuggets on Friday night.

    “We’ll see how it responds overnight,” Vogel said. “You never know with ankles.”

    Jusuf Nurkic had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Suns, who shot 7 for 26 from 3-point range, matching their fewest made 3-pointers this season.

    “I just think the lid was on the basket tonight,” Durant said. “I feel like we got good looks, we just didn’t finish.”

    Eric Gordon and Josh Okogie each scored 10 points but Phoenix lost despite outsourcing Toronto 28-14 on second-chance points.

    Barnes made four field goals in the fourth quarter, one more than he’d made through the first three quarters combined.

    “Scottie Barnes is a winner,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “When you coach him, you just feel that energy, you feel him on the bench the way he’s energizing the whole team.”

    Schroder had a season-high 12 assists to help the Raptors win for the first time in three games. Precious Achiuwa had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Jakob Poeltl scored 17 points, and O.G. Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. each had 13.

    The Raptors, who lost at Brooklyn on Tuesday night, were delayed flying home from New York and didn’t land in Toronto until 4 a.m., but showed no ill effects from their short night of rest.

    “We have to understand that we have to start the game better than we started today,” Nurkic said. “They played last night. We should be starting the game better.”

    UP NEXT

    Suns: Host Denver on Friday night.

    Raptors: Host New York on Friday night.

    ___

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  • Monk’s late basket leads the Kings past the Warriors 124-123 to win In-Season Tournament group

    Monk’s late basket leads the Kings past the Warriors 124-123 to win In-Season Tournament group

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    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Malik Monk hit a fadeaway with 7 seconds left and the Sacramento Kings rallied late to beat the Golden State Warriors 124-123 on Tuesday night and advance to the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament.

    The Kings won their group with a 4-0 record and will host New Orleans next week in the quarterfinals. Sacramento needed a win or a loss by 11 points or fewer but ended up with the victory thanks to a furious comeback fueled by two late turnovers by the Warriors.

    Andrew Wiggins’ tip-in put Golden State up by five with 59 seconds left. But De’Aaron Fox hit a free throw and Monk hit a 3-pointer following a turnover by Stephen Curry.

    Draymond Green turned it over on the next possession, setting the stage for Monk’s go-ahead shot. The Warriors had no timeouts left and Curry missed a 3 at the buzzer to give Sacramento its first win in three tries against Golden State this season.

    Fox led the way with 29 points, with Monk and Kevin Huerter adding 21 apiece.

    Curry and Wiggins each scored 29 for the Warriors, who have lost eight of 10 games.

    Golden State got Green back from a five-game suspension for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold and he was greeted by loud boos during introductions and whenever he touched the ball. He also got called for a technical foul for demonstratively arguing for a carry violation in the fourth quarter.

    The technical riled up the crowd and sparked a 13-3 Sacramento run that turned a nine-point deficit into the Kings’ first lead since the first quarter.

    Moses Moody helped turn the tide with back-to-back 3-pointers for Golden State before the Warriors collapsed down the stretch.

    Even with Green’s return, Golden State wasn’t at full strength for long, with Chris Paul leaving in the first quarter with lower left leg soreness and Gary Payton II leaving in the third quarter with an injured right calf.

    Paul’s absence didn’t have much impact early, as the Warriors used big first halves from Klay Thompson and Wiggins to build the lead to 24 points in the second quarter before Sacramento cut the deficit to 72-55 when Kevin Huerter hit a layup just before the first-half buzzer.

    UP NEXT

    Warriors: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.

    Kings: Host the Clippers on Wednesday night.

    ___

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  • Former Clippers Jackson and Jordan carry Nuggets past Los Angeles 113-104 without Jokic

    Former Clippers Jackson and Jordan carry Nuggets past Los Angeles 113-104 without Jokic

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    LOS ANGELES — The Denver Nuggets were undermanned, on the road and playing the second night of a back-to-back without Nikola Jokic.

    Tell that to Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan, a couple of former Clippers who light up when facing their former team.

    Jackson had 35 points and 13 assists, and Jordan added 21 points and 13 rebounds in the Nuggets’ 113-104 victory over Los Angeles on Monday night.

    “Definitely one of the sweeter ones,” Jackson said. “We got our main guys out and it was really great for the team, a resilient group, the way we came together. I was just proud of the way we kept battling.”

    Jackson and Jordan ran the pick-and-roll to near perfection, with Jordan soaring above the rim for vicious dunks.

    “I might have been the one that was the recipient of the points,” Jackson said, “but my old head DJ getting on the rim, being back in this building looking like young Lob City a little bit. He drew all the defense in and everybody was open on the weak side.”

    The duo combined for 20 points in the fourth, when the Nuggets trailed by 11 to start. Jackson began and ended a 22-6 spurt with 3-pointers that put the Nuggets ahead 99-94. In between, he fed Jordan for two slams.

    “Tonight the lob was there. We made them pay on different things,” Jordan said.

    The Nuggets were missing starters Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, who average a combined 58.2 points. Jokic sat out the second game of a back-to-back because of low back pain. Murray has a right hamstring strain and Gordon has a right heel strain.

    “When you can win games like this with some of your best players out, that speaks to your depth but also the belief in one another,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Tonight was special.”

    Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 31 points and Ivica Zubac had 23 points and 14 rebounds. Paul George picked up his fourth and fifth fouls early in the fourth. He finished with six points on 2-of-13 shooting.

    “It’s a frustrating loss,” George said. “The guys stepped up over there, but a lot of the stuff we could have prevented. I thought just the energy there wasn’t well enough to compete.”

    The Clippers were limited to four field goals in the fourth, when they went 8 of 12 from the free throw line. Russell Westbrook airballed a free throw with the Clippers trailing 102-98. James Harden had two turnovers in the final minutes and George shot an airball in the closing seconds as the Clippers lost their eighth in a row to the Nuggets.

    “Reggie just did a great job putting pressure on in the pick-and-roll, and DeAndre is one of the best still at getting out slipping and playing above the rim. They just had it working tonight,” George said.

    The defending NBA champion Nuggets improved to 4-6 on the road.

    The Clippers outscored Denver 32-19 in the third. Tied 72-all, Zubac scored six in a row to spark a 17-5 run that was capped by Westbrook’s four straight points and sent the Clippers into the fourth leading 88-77.

    The Clippers’ reserves gave them an 11-point lead to open the second. Then Jackson took over, scoring 14 points in the quarter, including a free throw that sent the Nuggets into halftime leading 58-56.

    Jackson and Jordan teamed for several scores in the game, reminding the home crowd of days gone by. Jordan converted Jackson’s alley-oop pass into a dunk and he scored on a reverse dunk off a feed from Jackson in the first half.

    The Clippers’ Norman Powell hit a free throw in the second quarter that gave him 6,000 career points.

    UP NEXT

    Nuggets: Host Houston on Wednesday.

    Clippers: Visit Sacramento on Wednesday to begin a two-game trip to Northern California.

    ___

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  • Darius Garland scores 24 points as the Cavaliers defeat the Raptors 105-102

    Darius Garland scores 24 points as the Cavaliers defeat the Raptors 105-102

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    CLEVELAND — Darius Garland had 24 points and eight assists and Max Strus scored his 20 points in the third quarter, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 105-102 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.

    The Cavaliers took their largest lead at 89-77 early in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer by Garland, then held off a furious comeback attempt led by Dennis Schroder, who scored seven points in the final 95 seconds.

    Toronto had a chance to force overtime on its last possession, but Gary Trent Jr. stepped out of bounds in the corner before getting off a potential tying shot. Cleveland ran out the clock and snapped its two-game losing streak.

    “I’m glad we started to get it back together tonight,” Garland said. “We just had to bring the energy, and the crowd picked us up a little bit. I’ve also been telling Max to shoot the ball and he finally did.”

    Strus hit four 3-pointers and made 8 of 10 field goal attempts in the third as the Cavaliers rallied from 10 down. He missed all six of his shots in the other three quarters, and finished with 11 rebounds and five assists.

    Raptors center Jakob Poeltl set season highs of 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Pascal Siakam had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Scottie Barnes had 15 points and eight rebounds as Toronto fell to 1-5 on the road against Eastern Conference teams.

    “I feel like we were in control for most of the game, but we gave them that one stretch in the third that gave them life,” said Poeltl, who has made 34 of 39 shots over the last six games. “We gave up some offensive rebounds and made some sloppy mistakes. That’s how you lose a close game.”

    Jarrett Allen scored 18 points and Evan Mobley had 12 points and 14 rebounds for Cleveland, which is 1-2 on its five-game homestand. The Cavaliers lost to the Lakers 121-115 on Saturday night.

    Garland, who sat out the second half of the game against the Lakers with a neck strain caused by striking his head on the knee of Max Christie, played a game-high 41 minutes.

    “Guys love to play with him because when the ball is in Darius’ hands, everybody is an option,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He does things creatively and unselfishly.”

    Schroder scored 15 points and Trent added 13 off the bench for Toronto, which had won two in a row.

    Donovan Mitchell scored 10 points for the Cavaliers in his second game back after missing four straight with a right hamstring strain. The four-time All-Star has made just 8 of his 35 field goal attempts since returning.

    Cleveland did not commit a foul in the first quarter, preventing Toronto from making its first free throw until midway through the second. The Cavaliers attempted one foul shot in the first 29 minutes.

    UP NEXT

    Raptors: Visit the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.

    Cavaliers: Host the Atlanta Hawks in an In-Season Tournament game on Tuesday night.

    ___

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