NBA Roundup: Thunder Triumphs Over Mavericks 126-119 in Luka Doncic’s Absence
In the latest NBA action, the Oklahoma City Thunder emerged victorious against the Dallas Mavericks, taking advantage of Luka Doncic’s absence due to left hamstring soreness.
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the visiting Dallas Mavericks 126-119 on Thursday night behind the 31-point performance of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Dallas’s winning run of four games came to an end.
Jalen Williams made a comeback after sitting out Tuesday’s Thunder game against the Indiana Pacers due to an ankle sprain. Williams scored 27 points in all, including a game-winning dunk in the last minute.
Kyrie Irving carried the Mavericks’ offense in the absence of Doncic, and he almost carried them to victory. Irving finished with 36 points, 12 assists, and four turnovers. Tim Hardaway Jr. contributed 23 points for Dallas off the bench, and guard Trayvon Martin finished with 15 rebounds, 19 points, and 8 of 11 shots.
ROCKETS 135, WIZARDS 119
Houston defeated Washington in a visitation game, winning six of the last seven games behind a season-high 37 points from Jalen Green.
Green pulled down eight rebounds, made five 3-pointers, and went 15 of 23 from the field. With six players scoring in double digits, including freshman Amen Thompson (20 points, 10 rebounds, three steals) and Fred VanVleet (27 points, nine assists), he was the center of a well-balanced offensive effort.
With 25 points, including 13 in the third quarter, Jordan Poole led Washington. Deni Avdija chipped in with 24 points (10 of 13 shooting), 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Kyle Kuzma added a point total of 23.
CELTICS 127, SUNS 112
With a victory over visiting Phoenix, Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 37 points and drained five 3-pointers to help Boston extend its winning streak to four games.
Boston, who made 25 of 50 shots from beyond the 3-point arc, added 26 points from Jayson Tatum. Al Horford finished with a season-high 24 points after making six 3-pointers. Jrue Holiday also contributed nine points and ten assists to the Celtics.
Bradley Beal scored 22 points for the Suns, while Kevin Durant and Grayson Allen each contributed 20 points. The most rebounds a single game by a Celtics opponent this year was 20 by Jusuf Nurkic.
BUCKS 114, 76ERS 105
Milwaukee defeated visiting Philadelphia thanks to the 32 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists that Giannis Antetokounmpo scored.
Damian Lillard scored 17 points and had a game-high nine assists, while Brook Lopez added 19 points for the Bucks. Off the bench, AJ Green scored a scorching 14 points. Milwaukee had dropped its last four games.
Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points on 12 of 23 shots to take the lead. Against his previous team, Tobias Harris scored 15, Cam Payne added 13, and Kyle Lowry added 12. It was the Sixers’ fifth defeat in as many games.
Also Read: Nikola Jokic Dominates as Nuggets Triumph Over Celtics
CLIPPERS 126, BULLS 111
Paul George and Kawhi Leonard both scored 28 points apiece to lead five players in double figures and help visiting Los Angeles defeat Chicago.
Chicago shot 47.7 percent, while Los Angeles shot 60 percent. George opened the scoring with an 11–12 performance, going 6 of 7 from three-point range. Leonard, who was dubious prior to the game after missing the last three quarters of Tuesday’s loss to Minnesota due to back spasms, finished the game 12 for 17.
Chicago was led by DeMar DeRozan, who scored 21 points. Alex Caruso finished with 17 points, including five three-pointers, while Nikola Vucevic scored 19. 15 points and 7 rebounds were delivered by Andre Drummond.
KNICKS 105, TRAIL BLAZERS 93
With 45 points from Jalen Brunson, New York easily defeated host Portland to win its third straight game.
Brunson scored 40 points in a regular season for the tenth time in his career, going 14 of 30 from the floor and 15 of 17 from the free-throw line. Donte DiVincenzo scored twelve points for New York, while OG Anunoby contributed twelve points and nine rebounds.
For the seventh time in his career, Deandre Ayton tallied 31 points and 14 rebounds to help the Trail Blazers, who finished 2-4 during their six-game homestand. For Portland, Scoot Henderson finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, while Dalano Banton contributed 16 points and four steals.
