New Year’s Day was not a day of rest for 10 NBA teams as they took to the parquet in the continued quest for league supremacy.
CJ shines as Blazers maul Wolves
CJ McCollum’s 43 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals helped the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 95-89. Mason Plumlee had 18 points and eight rebounds, while Evan Turner had 11 points and four blocks. Nigerian forward Al-Farouq Aminu had two points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Minnesota were led by Andrew Wiggins with 24 points and five rebounds, Zach LaVine had 13 points and three rebounds, Senegalese center Gorgui Dieng had 12 points and nine rebounds, and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with an 11-point and 13-rebound double-double.
Hawks stun Spurs in overtime
The Atlanta Hawks took care of home court and forced an OT to beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-112. Paul Millsap led ATL with a 32-point, 13-rebound double-double, Tim Hardaway Jr, who hit the 3-pointer that sent the game into overtime, had 29 points and five rebounds, while German-Gambian Dennis Schroder finished with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double. Swiss-South Africa Thabo Sefolosha had three points and two rebounds.
LaMarcus Aldridge had a double-double for the Spurs with 27 points and 13 rebounds, Tony Parker had 22 points, three rebounds and six assists, and Kawhi Leonard had 13 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Pistons douse Heat
The Detroit Pistons beat the Miami Heat 107-98 on the back of Reggie Jackson’s 27 points, Andre Drummond had a 25-point, 18-rebound double-double, while Kentavious Coldwell-Pope finished with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists.
The Heat were led by James Johnson with 20 points and seven rebounds, Wayne Ellington had 18 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Josh Richardson had 14 points and eight assists.
Pacers thump Magic
The Indiana Pacers beat the Orlando Magic 117-104. Myles Turner had a 23-point, 12-rebound double-double, Paul George had 19 points and five rebounds, Aaron Brooks had 14 points, while Jeff Teague had 12 points and nine assists.
Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double, Congolese forward Serge Ibaka had 17 points and six rebounds, Jeff Green also had 17 points, Aaron Gordon had 13 points and six rebounds, while DRC-born center Bismack Biyombo finished with nine points and six rebounds.
Raptors take down Lakers
The Toronto Raptors beat the Lakers 123-114 in Los Angeles. Kyle Lowry had 41 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, DeMar Derozan had 31 points, and Jonas Valanciunas had a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double. Cameroonian rookie Pascal Siacam grabbed 10 boards and also had three points and four blocks.
D’Angelo Russell led the Lakers with 28 points, four rebounds and five assists, Nick Young had 26 points, Julius Randle had 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while South Sudanese forward Luol Deng ended the game with two points, three rebounds and two assists.
By Kaunda Chama
