Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook on form as Lakers cruise past Rockets; Donovan Mitchell takes over for Jazz as they hand Bucks a third straight defeat; LaMelo Ball bounces back with commanding performance for Hornets against Blazers
Monday 1 November 2021 10:20, UK
Kevin Durant scored 23 points before being ejected for a flagrant foul late in the third quarter as the host Brooklyn Nets comfortably beat the Detroit Pistons 117-91 on Sunday night.
Durant was thrown out of the game with 3:23 remaining in the third quarter after his right forearm and elbow hit Kelly Olynyk's face during an off-ball tussle just outside the paint. He had shot 10-13 from the field before getting ejected.
Olynyk made the two free throws after the flagrant 2 foul, and Cory Joseph hit a basket, but the Nets ended the third period on an 11-2 run and led 96-74 heading into the fourth.
James Harden produced his 59th career regular-season triple-double with 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in only three quarters as the Nets led by as many as 30. It was also Harden's 13th triple-double during his short time with the Nets.
To make matters worse for the Pistons, the Nets shot a franchise-record 65.3 percent from the field, making 47 of 72 attempts. Their previous high was 65.2 percent on April 17, 1982, also against Detroit.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field (after getting his 20,000th career point on Friday night), DeAndre Bembry scored 15 points and Joe Harris had 12 as Brooklyn won consecutive games for the first time this season in commanding fashion.
Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points and Russell Westbrook added 20 points, nine assists and eight rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers routed the visiting Houston Rockets 95-85.
LeBron James put up 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Lakers, who led by as many as 28. The teams meet again at the Staples Center on Tuesday night.
Anthony made 5 of 8 attempts from three-point range in 25 minutes and is averaging 25 points over his last three home games. Anthony Davis recorded 16 points and 13 rebounds after starting at center for the first time this campaign.
Eric Gordon scored 17 points for Houston and Christian Wood chipped in 16 points and 13 rebounds, but the Rockets committed a season-high 25 turnovers while shooting just 21.4 percent (6 of 28) from beyond the arc.
Los Angeles have won two straight since blowing a 26-point lead in a 123-115 loss to Oklahoma City last Wednesday. The Rockets, meanwhile, have now lost four on the bounce.
Donovan Mitchell scored 28, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and Mike Conley Jr. netted 20 points in his return to the line-up as the visiting Utah Jazz defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 107-95.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but Milwaukee still fell at home for the third time in their three-game homestand. Khris Middleton did not play because of a non-COVID-19 illness.
Utah led for most of the game -- and never trailed -- but the Bucks got within four points late in the fourth quarter after being down by as many as 17. Grayson Allen's hot hand played a big role in that rally, as the former Jazz player scored seven of his 18 points in the final minutes.
Allen, who replaced Giannis Antetokounmpo late in the game, sandwiched a pair of threes around a Thanasis Antetokounmpo dunk as Milwaukee clawed back to make it a four-point game, 99-95, with 1:39 remaining.
Mitchell padded the Jazz's lead to six with an eight-foot shot, and Royce O'Neale made a huge defensive play by blocking an Allen three-point attempt to all but end the Bucks' comeback effort.
The victory was the fifth in six games for Utah, who suffered its first loss of the season in Chicago on Saturday night. The defending champion Bucks, meanwhile, dipped below .500 after their third-straight loss.
Luka Doncic stalled a late Sacramento Kings rally with a ridiculous three-pointer to cap a game-high 23-point performance as the host Dallas Mavericks rebounded from an embarrassing loss at Denver two days earlier for a 105-99 victory.
Doncic also found time for a game-high 10 assists and team-high-tying eight rebounds for the Mavericks, who shot 44.4 percent from the field after having been held to 29.5 percent in the 106-75 loss to the Nuggets on Friday.
Richaun Holmes recorded a 22-point, 13-rebound double-double for the Kings, who had their two-game winning streak snapped.
After leading by as many as 15 in the first half and still up 12 with just 8:13 to play, the Mavericks found themselves in a one-possession game before Doncic nailed his first three-pointer in six tries - a 36-foot dagger with the shot clock about to expire - for a 95-89 lead with 4:03 to go.
The Kings got no closer than six after that, with Tim Hardaway Jr. saving four of his 16 points for the final 2:27. Despite Doncic's struggles from long range - he wound up 1-for-7 - Dallas outscored Sacramento 36-21 from deep.
Harrison Barnes finished with 15 points while De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton had 14 apiece for the Kings.
LaMelo Ball scored 27 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 26 off the bench to lift the host Charlotte Hornets to a 125-113 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Ball also had nine rebounds and seven assists to highlight a performance that was in stark contrast to his previous two games. The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year totalled just 13 points on 5-of-28 shooting from the floor in a win over Orlando on Wednesday night and a loss to Miami on Friday night.
Oubre made six three-pointers while Ball and a returning Terry Rozier each sank four for Charlotte, who made 20 of 42 shots from beyond the arc (47.6 percent). Rozier had missed the previous four games with a sprained ankle.
C.J. McCollum scored 25 points and Anfernee Simons added 19 off the bench for the Trail Blazers, who saw their modest two-game winning streak come to a halt.
Damian Lillard collected 14 points and 12 assists, while Jusuf Nurkic had 13 points and 14 rebounds in the losing effort.
