LDN - Sports

NBA roundup: Rockets sink record 26 3-pointers

[December 20, 2018] James Harden continued his torrid scoring but received plenty of help as the Houston Rockets set an NBA single-game record by sinking 26 3-pointers in a 136-118 victory over the visiting Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

Harden scored 35 points on 10-of-18 shooting, including 6-of-11 success on 3-point attempts, to lead the Rockets to their fifth consecutive victory.

Houston shot 55.3 percent overall, drilling 26 of 55 3-point tries. With the outcome well in hand and Houston reserves on the floor, the partisan crowd begged for 3-pointers in the waning moments until Michael Carter-Williams sank the record-breaker with 31.1 seconds remaining.

With nine assists, Harden finished just shy of posting a double-double, a feat accomplished by teammates Clint Capela (20 points, 12 rebounds) and P.J. Tucker (11 points, 11 rebounds). Chris Paul added 21 points and eight assists. Bradley Beal led Washington with 28 points.

Jazz 108, Warriors 103

Rudy Gobert stopped a Golden State run with a late dunk, and Utah used superior 3-point shooting to record a victory in Salt Lake City.

Jae Crowder, Joe Ingles and Kyle Korver combined for 13 3-pointers, helping the Jazz outscore the Warriors 48-30 from beyond the arc en route to a win that evened the season series at a win apiece. The Jazz held the Warriors scoreless over the final 1:13, including a missed 3-point attempt by Kevin Durant that could have tied the score.

Ingles finished with a team-high 20 points, Crowder had 18, and Gobert and Donovan Mitchell added 17 apiece for the Jazz, who won their fourth straight at home. Stephen Curry put up a game-high 32 points and Durant added 30 for the Warriors, who had won their previous four road games.

Raptors 99, Pacers 96

Fred VanVleet made a 3-pointer with 25.9 seconds to play to give injury-depleted Toronto a one-point lead, and the Raptors overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat visiting Indiana.

Kawhi Leonard had 28 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals for the Raptors, who had lost their two previous games. Pascal Siakam had 17 points and seven rebounds, Greg Monroe added 13 points and eight rebounds and VanVleet had 11 points.

Victor Oladipo scored 20 points for the Pacers, who have lost two in a row after winning seven straight.

Thunder 132, Kings 113

Forced into an expanded role thanks to a pair of suspensions, Paul George turned in yet another big-time performance for Oklahoma City by scoring 43 points in a win at Sacramento.

While George started in his typical spot, he also served as the Thunder's backup point guard after the NBA levied one-game suspensions to Dennis Schroder and Raymond Felton earlier in the day. Russell Westbrook had his eighth triple-double of the season (19 points, 11 rebounds, 17 assists).

Buddy Hield scored a career-high 37 points for Sacramento, hitting seven 3-pointers. De'Aaron Fox added 28 points and 12 assists in the loss.

Suns 111, Celtics 103

Kelly Oubre Jr. bombed in a 3-pointer with 49.9 seconds left in his Phoenix debut, helping the Suns hold on to beat host Boston.

In running their winning streak to four games, the Suns fell immediately behind 11-2 before pulling ahead by as many as six in the second quarter and eight in the third. The win at Boston was Phoenix's first since November 2014.

Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with game highs in points (29) and assists (10).

Pistons 129, Timberwolves 123 (OT)

Blake Griffin poured in 34 points, Reggie Bullock had a career-high 33, and Detroit topped Minnesota at Minneapolis.

Reggie Jackson contributed 24 points and six assists for the Pistons while Andre Drummond supplied 16 points and 16 rebounds. Drummond's basket in the final second of regulation sent the game to overtime.

Derrick Rose had 33 points and seven assists to lead Minnesota. Robert Covington tossed in 22 points, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins added 16 apiece.

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Rockets guard James Harden (13) dunks the ball during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Bucks 123, Pelicans 115

Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help Milwaukee post a victory over visiting New Orleans.

Malcolm Brogdon added 16 points and seven rebounds, and Khris Middleton had 14 points for the Bucks, who won for the fifth time in the past six games.

Anthony Davis registered 27 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes for the Pelicans despite missing the second quarter and the first half of the third due to illness. Jrue Holiday had 25 points and 12 assists for New Orleans.

76ers 131, Knicks 109

Joel Embiid had 24 points and 10 rebounds for his 28th double-double this season, carrying host Philadelphia past New York.

Ben Simmons turned in his fourth triple-double of the season with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the Sixers, who improved to 15-3 at home. Simmons has 16 career triple-doubles, good for second place in franchise history behind only Wilt Chamberlain.

Tim Hardaway Jr. paced New York with 27 points while rookie Kevin Knox added 21. Enes Kanter had 15 for the Knicks, who have lost eight of their past nine games.

Hornets 110, Cavaliers 99

Kemba Walker snapped out of a recent slump with 30 points, and host Charlotte ended a two-game losing streak by beating Cleveland.

Walker erupted for 17 points in the third quarter, when the Hornets outscored the Cavs 41-29 to assume control. The Hornets scored only 41 points in the first half, a season low. Charlotte has won four of its past six.

The Cavaliers, who were playing the second night of a back-to-back after winning at Indiana on Tuesday night, were led by Jordan Clarkson's 20 points.

Trail Blazers 99, Grizzlies 92

Damian Lillard scored 24 points to lead Portland past visiting Memphis.

Meyers Leonard came off the bench to chip in 12 points and eight rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who won their third consecutive game.

Mike Conley scored 23 points and Marc Gasol had 14 points and nine boards for the Grizzlies, who lost their fourth straight game and fell for the sixth time in seven outings.

Nets 96, Bulls 93

Joe Harris hit the go-ahead basket with 43 seconds left as Brooklyn continued its surge with a win at Chicago.

Harris' driving layup off the glass provided the 23rd and final lead change in a gritty defensive battle that also featured 21 ties. The victory was the seventh straight for the Nets, who have the longest active winning streak in the NBA.

Spencer Dinwiddie scored a game-high 27 points and Jarrett Allen had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Nets. Dunn scored 24 points for the Bulls, who have lost two straight and 12 of 14.

Spurs 129, Magic 90

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting in just three quarters of play, and San Antonio stayed hot from 3-point territory while posting an easy victory at Orlando.

San Antonio has won two straight and six of seven. The loss snapped the Magic's two-game win streak and denied Orlando a season sweep of the Spurs.

Marco Belinelli scored 18 for San Antonio, while DeMar DeRozan and Bryn Forbes added 17 points each. The Spurs outshot the Magic 64.9 percent to 38.2 percent from the floor. D.J. Augustin led the Magic with 17 points.

--Field Level Media

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