Monday was another night of great results in the NBA with the Houston Rockets’ James Harden getting his ninth triple-double of the season and the Chicago Bulls’ Jimmy Butler having his second 50-point game of his career.
Harden claims ninth triple-double of season
The Houston Rockets beat the Washington Wizards 101-91. Eric Gordon had 31 points and James Harden added another triple-double to his tally with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Montrezl Harrell had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Bradley Beat led the Wizards with 27 points, John Wall had an 18-point, 12-assist double-double, and Marcin Gortat also finished with a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Butler scores 52 against Hornets
The Chicago Bulls beat the Charlotte Hornets 118-111 on the strength of Jimmy Butler’s 52 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Nikola Mirotic had 12 points, Doug McDermott had 11 points and Michael Carter-Williams finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
The Hornets were led by Kemba Walker with a 34-point, 11-rebound double-double. French-Cameroonian Nicolas Batum had 19 points, five rebounds and six assists, while Jeremy Lamb had 15 points and six rebounds.
Warriors slay Nuggets
The Golden State Warriors beat the Denver Nuggets 127-119. Klay Thompson had 25 points and five rebounds, Stephen Curry had 22 points and five assists, Kevin Durant had 21 points, while Draymond Green finished with a 15-point, 10-rebound and 15-assist triple-double.
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with a 21-point, 13-rebound double-double, Wilson Chandler had 21 points and four rebounds, Danilo Gallinari had 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists and Congolese guard Emmanuel Mudiay ended the game with eight points, two rebounds and four assists.
Magic down Knicks
The Orlando Magic beat the New York Knicks 115-103. Jodie Meeks had 23 points, Aaron Gordon had 22 points, six rebounds and six assists, Congolese forward Serge Ibaka also had 22 points and six rebounds, while Nikola Vucevic had a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double. DRC-born centre Bismack Biyombo had two rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
The Knicks were led by Carmelo Anthony with 19 points and seven rebounds, Derrick Rose had 18 points, three rebounds and four assists, and Courtney Lee ended the night with 14 points and three rebounds.
Giannis inspires Bucks to beat Thunder
The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 98-94. Greek-Nigerian forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had a 26-point, 10-rebound double-double, Jabari Parker had 19 points and six rebounds, while Greg Monroe finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Russell Westbrook led OKC with 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Steven Adams had 20 points and eight rebounds while Nigerian-American guard Victor Oladipo ended the game with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists.
The rest
In other Monday night games, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 90-82, the Utah Jazz thumped the Brooklyn Nets 101-89 and the LA Clippers overpowered the Phoenix Suns 109-98.
By Kaunda Chama
