Eight games were on tap around the NBA on Thursday, but only three could get a mention in Rebanse’s daily NBA roundup. The three games in this list all featured some scoring milestones. Check them out:
Clippers Clip Pistons Behind James Harden’s 50-Piece
James Harden fired a season-high 50 points to power the Los Angeles Clippers (33-29) to a 123-115 victory over the Detroit Pistons (35-28) at Intuit Dome.
Harden went 14-for-24 from the field and was 16-for-20 from the stripe on his way to the 24th 50-point game of his career. He scored nearly half of them–23 in total—in the first quarter. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 23 points in his best game for the Clippers, while Ivica Zubac had 22 points and 11 boards.
Cade Cunningham had 37 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists for the Pistons, who had won 10 of their previous 11 games coming in.
Up next:
Clippers vs. New York Knicks on March 8
Pistons vs. Golden State Warriors on March 9
Bucks Decimate Mavs as Giannis Antetokounmpo Reaches 20K
Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists to lead the Milwaukee Bucks (36-25) to a 137-107 rout of the Dallas Mavericks (32-31) at Fiserv Forum.
Antetokounmpo needed only 25 minutes to do heavy damage as the Bucks raced out to a 19-point halftime lead and were never threatened by the injury-ravaged Mavs. With his 32 points, the Greek Freak became the 52nd NBA player to reach 20,000 points for his career. He came into the game needing just 22 more and is now at 20,010.
Damian Lillard topscored for Milwaukee with 34 points, while Kyle Kuzma had 17. Klay Thompson tried to carry the fight for the Mavs with 28 markers, followed by Naji Marshall’s 22. Brandon Williams came off the bench to add 14 for the overmatched Mavs.
Up next:
Bucks vs. Orlando Magic on March 9
Mavs vs. Memphis Grizzlies on March 8
Celtics Shoot Down Blazers Behind Career Games from Pritchard, White
Payton Pritchard and Derrick White put up career best performances to power the Boston Celtics (44-18) to a 128-118 triumph over the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden.
Pritchard came off the Boston bench to score a career-high 43 points on a career-best 10 triples, with all coming in the first three quarters. White added 41 points on nine triples—also career-highs—to help the Celtics fend off the Blazers even without Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday.
Anfernee Simons’ 30 led the Celtics, with Shaedon Sharpe added 25.
Up next:
Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers on March 7
Trail Blazers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder on March 8
