|
 HOUSTON -- James Harden poured in a career-high 50 points and added
10 rebounds as the Houston Rockets claimed a 118-108 victory over
the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night at Toyota Center.
Harden shot 12-for-27 from the floor but matched his career high
with 25 free-throw attempts, making 22. He drilled a 3-pointer with
37.5 seconds left to record his first 50-point game as Houston
(46-22) closed to within one game of the first-place Memphis
Grizzlies in the Southwest Division.
Rockets forward Trevor Ariza added 17 points and six rebounds, while
reserve forward Josh Smith scored 12 points. Houston guard Patrick
Beverley paired 10 points with seven assists. Houston hit 12 of 30
3-point attempts, with Harden going 4-for-12 from long distance.
Forward Wilson Chandler and guard Randy Foye paced six Nuggets in
double figures with 23 points apiece. Center Kenneth Faried (19
points, 12 rebounds) and guard Ty Lawson (12 points, 10 assists)
recorded double-doubles for the Nuggets (26-43), who dropped a
second consecutive game following a four-game winning streak.
Timberwolves 95, Knicks 92 (OT)
Rookie guard Zach LaVine made four free throws in the final 10
seconds of overtime, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 95-92
win over the New York Knicks on Thursday night at Madison Square
Garden in New York.
LaVine finished with 20 points for Minnesota, which snapped a
six-game losing streak. Still, the Timberwolves (15-53) have lost
eight of 10.
Wolves guard Kevin Martin led all scorers with 22 points. Minnesota
forward Andrew Wiggins and center Gorgui Dieng finished with 20 and
19 points, respectively.
The Timberwolves swept the season series. Minnesota routed the
Knicks 115-99 on Nov. 19 at Target Center.
New York fell to a league worst 15-53 with the loss. The Knicks will
visit the 76ers on Friday night. Philadelphia's 16-52 mark is third
worst in the NBA. Minnesota is off until Sunday, when it plays host
to the Charlotte Hornets.
Guard Langston Galloway led New York with 21 points, and guard
Alexey Shved finished with 20. Center Andrea Bargnani had 14, but he
missed all six shots he took in the fourth quarter and overtime,
including a last-gasp attempt at the end of overtime. Guard Shane
Larkin added 10 points.
With Minnesota trailing 92-91 and 10.7 seconds left in overtime,
LaVine was fouled by Galloway. The rookie made the two free throws
to put the Wolves ahead 93-92. After Shved missed a layup, LaVine
was fouled by Galloway, and he again made two free throws to seal
the win.
[to top of second column] |
Suns 74, Pelicans 72
PHOENIX -- New Orleans guard Tyreke Evans missed a floater with
three seconds to play, helping Phoenix win on Thursday despite
shooting 35 percent and going 2-of-22 from 3-point range.
Considering the status of Kevin Durant's foot injury remains a
question in Oklahoma City, the two teams behind the Western
Conference's eighth-place Thunder had plenty to fight for at U.S.
Airways Center. With the win, the Suns (36-33) pulled within 1.5
games of the Pelicans (37-31) and 2.5 games of the Thunder (38-30),
who were idle Thursday.
It helped Phoenix that the Pelicans were without All-Star forward
Anthony Davis, who earlier Thursday turned his left ankle during New
Orleans' shootaround.
Leading the scoring for the Suns, who were without center Alex Len
and guard Brandon Knight to ankle injuries, was Markieff Morris, who
had nine points and shot 2-for-10 through three quarters. He
finished with 17 points as the Suns held off the charge in the
fourth. Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe likewise struggled, finishing
with five points on 2-for-15 shooting.
Jazz 80, Lakers 73
LOS ANGELES -- Forward Gordon Hayward scored 18 of his 22 points in
the second half, and backup point guard Trey Burke had 17 points,
leading Utah to a victory over Los Angeles at Staples Center.
Hayward made five of 10 shots from the floor and 11 of 13 free
throws. Forward Derrick Favors added 14 points and seven rebounds as
the Jazz (31-37) won for the 10th time in the last 12 games. Favors
scored in double digits in 24 straight contests.
Center Tarik Black scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead
the Lakers (17-50), who dropped their fourth in a row. Forwards
Wesley Johnson and Carlos Boozer had 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Los Angeles lost 50 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time
in franchise history.
-----------------------------------------------
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
