NBA roundup: Lakers rally past Rockets

[February 22, 2019]  The Los Angeles Lakers rallied from 19 points down in the third quarter to defeat the visiting Houston Rockets 111-106 on Thursday night.

LeBron James had 29 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who avoided their second-ever season sweep against the Rockets. Brandon Ingram finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds, Kyle Kuzma scored 18 points, Reggie Bullock had 14 points and JaVale McGee finished with 11 as all five starters scored in double figures for Los Angeles.

The Rockets were back to full strength for the first time in two months. James Harden got into early foul trouble before he finished with 30 points for his 32nd consecutive 30-point game. He fouled out with 1:24 left and Houston trailing 105-99.

Houston's Chris Paul had 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and Clint Capela had 12 points and 11 rebounds in his return after missing 15 games due to a thumb injury. Paul also missed 17 games from Dec. 22 to Jan. 25.

Bucks 98, Celtics 97

Giannis Antetokounmpo recovered from a slow start to score 30 points and grab 13 rebounds as Milwaukee slipped past visiting Boston.

Khris Middleton scored 15 points for the Bucks, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 32.5 seconds remaining, and Malcolm Brogdon also finished with 15 points. The Bucks improved their NBA-best record to 44-14 while winning for the 15th time in their past 17 games.

Kyrie Irving scored 22 points and Al Horford added 21 for the Celtics. Irving had missed the last two games before the break with a knee strain, although he did play 25 minutes Sunday in the All-Star Game. Irving made a layup with 27.5 seconds left to cut Boston's deficit to one, but he missed a wild left-handed shot for the win at the buzzer.

Warriors 125, Kings 123

Stephen Curry bombed in 10 3-pointers in a 36-point performance at Oakland, Calif., allowing Golden State to complete a season-series sweep of Sacramento.

The four-game sweep was the Warriors' fourth in the past six seasons over their Northern California rival, but it was hard-earned. There was just a 12-point total margin of victory in the four wins, after the Warriors had earned earlier one-, five- and four-point triumphs.

Kevin Durant chipped in with 28 points and seven blocks while DeMarcus Cousins recorded 17 points and 10 rebounds for Golden State. Marvin Bagley III led the Kings with 28 points to go with a game-high 14 rebounds.

Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots to score a basket against the Houston Rockets during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

76ers 106, Heat 102

Tobias Harris scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Ben Simmons scored 21 points as host Philadelphia held off Miami.

Boban Marjanovic had 19 points and 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double this season while Jimmy Butler added 18 points for Philadelphia. JJ Redick contributed 13 as the Sixers won without injured All-Star center Joel Embiid and reserve forward Furkan Korkmaz.

Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 19 points, Dion Waiters added 18 and Kelly Olynyk had 15.

Trail Blazers 113, Nets 99

Jusuf Nurkic collected 27 points and 12 rebounds as Portland opened a season-high, seven-game road trip with a win at Brooklyn.

Portland pulled away down the stretch on a night when All-Star Damian Lillard had a quiet scoring performance. Lillard finished with 13 points on 5-of-21 shooting but added eight assists to go along with eight rebounds. CJ McCollum scored 21 points for Portland.

Reserve Allen Crabbe led the Nets with 17 points, but Brooklyn shot 39.1 percent from the field, missed 29 of 36 3-point attempts and lost for the seventh time in 10 games.

Cavaliers 111, Suns 98

In his third game back since missing 50 games this season, Kevin Love scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Cleveland to victory over visiting Phoenix.

Cedi Osman led Cleveland with 19 points. Ante Zizic finished with a double-double, scoring 15 and grabbing 12 rebounds.

The loss was the 16th straight for the Suns, a franchise record. Devin Booker led Phoenix with 30 points, and Kelly Oubre Jr., who got his first start with the Suns since a December trade from Washington, added 23 points.

--Field Level Media

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