Devin Booker and Chris Paul led the way for the Suns as they beat the Mavericks, despite Luca Doncic's best efforts; Jonas Valanciunas starred for the Pelicans as they saw off the Knicks; Keifer Sykes was the hero for the Pacers in their overtime win over the Warriors
Friday 21 January 2022 08:24, UK
We round up all of the action from Thursday's NBA matches as Phoenix Suns scored another win on the road, New Orleans Pelicans overcame New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers scored a thrilling overtime win against Golden State Warriors...
Devin Booker and Chris Paul played starring roles for the Phoenix Suns as they closed out a five-game road trip unbeaten with a victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Booker recorded 28 points and six assists and Paul added 20 points and 11 assists to help the Western Conference leaders to a ninth-straight win over the Mavericks.
Other key contributors for the Suns were Jae Crowder, who tallied 13 points, and Mikal Bridges with 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals.
The defeat marked the end of a four-game winning streak for the Mavericks and was only their second loss in 12 games, coming despite Luka Doncic registering 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Elsewhere for Dallas, Jalen Brunson scored 19 points, Kristaps Porzingis added 18 points and 11 rebounds and Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 11 points.
Jonas Valanciunas racked up 18 points and 10 rebounds as the New Orleans Pelicans scored their first win on the road since December 23 as they outlasted the New York Knicks.
The Pelicans led most of the way, pulled away in the third quarter and snapped a five-game losing streak in away matches. Valanciunas posted his 31st double-double to help New Orleans survive getting outrebounded 48-35.
Meanwhile, Josh Hart added 17 as New Orleans shot 50 percent and hit 11 three-pointers on a night when Brandon Ingram was held to 15 after the forward sprained his ankle late in the third quarter and missed the final 12 minutes.
Devonte' Graham contributed 12 of his 15 in the decisive third quarter while rookies Jose Alvarado and Herbert Jones chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively.
For the Knicks, Mitchell Robinson totalled 17 points and 15 rebounds, but the hosts got little else from their starters in a third-straight loss. RJ Barrett, who scored 35 in the first meeting with New Orleans, also added 17 but did not play in the fourth quarter as the Knicks attempted a comeback.
Keifer Sykes made the most of an extended run in the Indiana Pacers team with some crucial points as the visitors overcame the Golden State Warriors in an overtime tussle.
Sykes contributed five points to a 10-0 burst in overtime which allowed the short-handed Pacers to shock the Warriors.
After a Justin Holiday three-pointer with six seconds remaining in regulation forced the extra session, the Pacers prevailed despite the absence of regular starters Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert and Myles Turner.
Rookie Chris Duarte had a team-high 27 points for Indiana, who had seven players score in double figures too.
Stephen Curry produced 39 points and eight for the Warriors. He shot six-for-16 on three-point attempts, but his teammates combined to go just three-for-26 from long distance.
