12/31 – LeBron James celebrates his 38th birthday with a season-high 47 points as the visiting Los Angeles Lakers close a 15-point deficit, trailing the Atlanta Hawks 130-121 on Friday Did.
James made a season-high 18 field goals and went 4-6 on 3-point attempts. He added 10 rebounds and nine assists to fall just short of his first triple-double of the season. I played
Los Angeles also had 19 points and a season-high 17 rebounds from Thomas Bryant, 14 points and 11 assists from Russell Westbrook, and 12 points and 9 assists from Dennis Schroeder. The Lakers didn’t have a Lonnie Walker IV (coccyx contusion).
Trae Young, who missed the game with a left calf contusion, returned and had eight assists to lead the Hawks with 29 points. Dejounte Murray scored his 20th and he added nine assists, while Onyeka Okongwu scored his 17th, eight rebounds and three blocks his shot. It was a three-game losing streak for Atlanta.
Wizards 119, Magic 100
Kristaps Porzingis scored 30 points, 13 rebounds and blocked 4 shots while Monte Morris had 12 points and 10 assists, giving Washington an almost complete lead over hosts Orlando.
After winning four in a row and winning five of six games, Washington never looked back as they continued their 16-2 run midway through the second quarter. For the Wizards, Kyle Kuzma had 23 points and Rui Hachimura had 16 points and seven rebounds.
Franz Wagner led the Magic with 28 points and eight assists, while Paolo Banchero scored 21. Magic lost three straight.
Kings 126, Jazz 125
Kevin Harter scored 15 of a team-high 30 points in the fourth quarter. That included his 3-pointer that gave him the win with 9.2 seconds remaining, giving Sacramento the lead past Utah’s visit.
Lauri Markkanen topped all scorers for the Jazz with 36 points, but his attempt at the buzzer was off. This was his third straight road loss for Utah.
Domantas Sabonis went 12-for-12 from the field, scoring 28 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and giving the Kings eight assists in their second straight one-point victory. De’Aaron Fox scored 24 points.
Bucks 123, Timberwolves 114
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 43 points and 20 rebounds as Milwaukee went on a four-game losing streak with a win over Minnesota.
Bobby Portis Jr. had 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Joe Ingles had season highs with 14 points and 10 assists.
Minnesota lost five straight games despite an effort by Anthony Edwards who scored 30 points, rebounded 10 and stole four bases. Luca Garza, Jalen Nowell and Naz Reid each added 16 points.
Bulls 132 Pistons 118
Zach LaVine scored 18 of a season-high 43 points in the first quarter, pushing hosts Chicago, who have dropped 14 of their last 18 games, to Detroit.
LaVine made 15 of 20 shots from the floor, including 5 of 9 shots from 3-point range. He also sank all eight attempts from the free-throw line and recorded six assists. With 22 points from DeMar DeRozan and 19 points and nine rebounds from Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls won five of six games overall and won 12 straight games against the Pistons.
With 22 points from rookie Jaden Ivey, 20 from Bojan Bogdanovic and 19 from Alec Burks, the Pistons played without Killian Hayes and Hamidou Diallo.
Warriors 118, Trail Blazers 112
Jordan Poole exploded with 41 points and teamed up with Klay Thompson and Donte DiVincenzo for a 3-point shot to end the game 16-2.
Thompson had seven 3-pointers and scored 31 points for Golden State. Draymond Green tallied his 10 points and tallied his 11 rebounds for a game tie, and Kevon his Looney also scored his 11 boards. The Warriors took advantage of Portland big man Yusuf Nurkic’s absence due to his non-COVID illness.
Damian Lillard led the team with 34 points at Homecoming in the San Francisco Bay Area. Anfernee Simons has returned from a horrific fall to give Portland his 22 points in his fourth loss in the last five games.
Pelicans 127, 76ers 116
CJ McCallum scored a season-high 42 points and set a franchise record and his own career-high 11 3-pointers as hosts New Orleans defeated Philadelphia.
McCollum made 13 of 20 field goal attempts, including 11 of 16 from long range, while Zion Williamson made 13 of 19 shooting from the field and 10 of 16 free throws. added 36 points in the innings. Willie Hernangomez scored his 13 points in the Pelicans’ fifth straight win.
Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 37 points, James Harden with 20 points and 10 assists, Tobias Harris with 14 points and Deanthony Melton with 11 points.
Nugget 124, Heat 119
Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season as hosts Denver closed by eight points in the fourth quarter to beat Miami.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 20 points on a 7-7 shooting for the Nuggets’ ninth victory in 11 games. Bones Hyland scored his 16 points and Vlatko Cancar in Denver where he scored 15 points. Aaron Gordon (right shoulder injury), Jamal Murray (left knee management) and Bruce Brown (right ankle sprain) are back in the lineup after missing out on Wednesday’s Denver loss in Sacramento.
Tyler Herro had 26 points and 10 rebounds in the Heat’s two-game winning streak. Bam Adebayo scored 22, Max Strass scored 19 and Jimmy Butler scored 17.
Raptors 113, Suns 104
Gary Trent Jr. had a season-high 35 points in the 3rd quarter, scoring 18 as Toronto beat Phoenix’s visit.
Pascal Siakam added 26 points and 6 assists for the Raptors to their third overall win in their last 11 games, ending a five-game home losing streak. OG Anunoby scored 16 points for the Raptors and Scotty Barnes scored 11.
Mychal Bridges scored 21 points for the Suns, who have lost five in their last six games. Chris Paul had 20 points and 12 assists, Torrey Craig had 13 points and Duane Washington Jr. had 11 points.
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