Friday night witnessed some great performances in the NBA with Boston Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas putting up 38 points, Houston Rockets’ James Harden getting yet another 40-point game and Oklahoma City Thunder workhorse Russell Westbrook netting his 25th triple-double of the season.
Thunder strikes Grizzlies
Russel Westbrook continues with his triple-double blitz and got his 25th last night in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 114-102 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. He had 38 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, Steven Adams has 16 points and 13 rebounds, Joffrey Lauvergne had 16 points and eight rebounds, while Nigerian-American guard Victor Oladipo finished with seven points, three rebounds and three assists.
Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 31 points, four rebounds and eight assists, Mike Conley had 18 points, and Zach Randolph finished with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Nuggets hit Bucks
The Denver Nuggets beat the Milwaukee Bucks 121-117. Wilson Chandler had 23 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, Nikola Jokic had a 20-point, 13-rebound and 11-assist triple-double, a first for the team since Andre Iguodala in 2013, and Kenneth Faried finished with a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double.
The Bucks were led by Jabari Parker’s 27-point, 11-rebound double-double, Nigerian-Greek forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and John Henson had 16 points and five rebounds.
It was yet another 40-point game for James Harden as his 42-point,12-rebound double-double led the Rockets past the visiting Chicago Bulls 121-117 in Houston. Eric Gordon had 21 points and four assists, while Clint Capela had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Michael Carter-Williams led the Bulls with 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists, Taj Gibson had 20 points and six rebounds, and Dwyane Wade finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Mavericks trample Blazers
The Dallas Mavericks beat the Trail Blazers 108-104 in Portland. Yogi Farrell had 32 points and five assists, Wesley Matthews had 27 points and six assists, and Seth Curry finished with 19 points.
The Blazers were led by CJ McCollum with 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Evan Turner had 24 points and four rebounds, while Nigerian forward Al-Farouq Aminu ended the game with 14 points and eight rebounds.
Suns burn Kings
Devin Booker had 33 points including a game-winning buzzer beater in the Phoenix Suns 105-103 victory over the Sacramento Kings. TJ Warren had 21 points and five rebounds, and Eric Bledsoe had 20 points, six rebounds and four assists.
DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with a 22-point, 12-rebound and 12-assists triple-double, Darren Collison had 19 points and Ben McLemore and Ty Lawson combined for 36 with 18 points apiece.
The rest
The Orlando Magic beat the Toronto Raptors 102-94 on the back of Congolese forward Serge Ibaka’s 20-point, 12-rebound double-double; Paul George’s 24-point, 11-rebound double-double helped the Indiana Pacers beat the Brooklyn Nets 106-97; a 36-point game from Marcus Morris secured the Detroit Pistons’ 116-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Isaiah Thomas had a great game with 38 points in the Boston Celtics’ 113-107 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
By Kaunda Chama
