The Association’s nine-game slate on Monday saw a few teams continuing their winning ways. The Sacramento Kings, for instance, scored their seventh straight victory with a win over the Chicago Bulls, while the Phoenix Suns had their third straight victory at the expense of the Charlotte Hornets. The league’s longest active winning streak, though, got snapped on Monday, and that game leads today’s notables:
Lakers, Clippers Have Contrasting Results in Return to Action
The NBA’s two Los Angeles teams—the Lakers and Clippers—returned to action after some of their home games were postponed due to the wildfires in California.
Both teams also played at home but saw contrasting results, with the Lakers losing to the San Antonio Spurs, 126-102, at crypto.com Arena and the Clippers beating the Miami Heat, 109-98, at Intuit Dome.
The Lakers (20-17) actually took a 62-53 lead at halftime behind the strong play of Anthony Davis. However, the Spurs (19-19) took control in the second half, outscoring the Lakers 36-27 in the third before dominating the fourth, 37-13. Davis led the Lakers with 30 points and 13 rebounds. Victor Wembanyama spearheaded the Spurs’ domination with 23 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, while Devin Vassell and Stephon Castle each had 23 as well.
The Clippers (21-17), on the other hand, used their own explosive third quarter to handle the Heat. James Harden scored 13 of his 26 points in the Clips’ 36-point third to turn a 48-41 halftime deficit into a 77-68 lead going to the fourth. Uno added 11 assists and 5 boards. Norm Powell topscored for the Clippers with 29 points on top of 3 steals, while Ivica Zubac had 21 points and 20 rebounds. Tyler Herro led the Heat (20-18) with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Up next:
Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies on January 16
Clippers vs. Brooklyn Nets on January 16
Lakers vs. Heat on January 16
Steph Curry Reaches Scoring Milestone in Warriors Loss to Raptors
Steph Curry fired 26 points for the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, but his efforts went for naught as the Dubs fell to the Toronto Raptors, 104-101, at Scotiabank Arena.
Curry (24,371 career points in the regular season) added 7 rebounds and 7 assists as he passed Allen Iverson (24,368 points) for 28th in the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Andrew Wiggins chipped in 20 for the Warriors (19-20), who saw Buddy Hield miss the potential game-tying trey.
Scottie Barnes led the way for the Raptors (9-31) with 23 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Chris Boucher, a former Warrior, added 18 points and 7 boards off the bench.
Up next:
Raptors vs. Boston Celtics on January 16
Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves on January 16
Rockets Repeat Over Grizzlies Behind Jalen Green’s Big Night
Jalen Green scored a career-high-tying 42 points to lead the Houston Rockets (26-12) to a 120-118 triumph over the Memphis Grizzlies (25-15) at Toyota Center.
Green, who had 3 boards and 4 dimes, also scored the go-ahead lay-in to give the Rockets a 116-115 lead after the Rockets clustered together five quick points to turn a 114-110 deficit into a one-point advantage. Two free throws each from Amen Thompson and Fred VanVleet sealed the victory for Houston—its second over Memphis in a span of a week.
Thompson finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 5 blocks, while VanVleet added 9 points and 9 dimes. The Grizzlies got 29 points and 4 dimes from Ja Morant and 25 points and 2 steals from Desmond Bane.
Up next:
Rockets vs. Denver Nuggets on January 16
Grizzlies vs. Spurs on January 16
