Online Reporter
JALEN Green scored a game-high 33 points, Amen Thompson posted a double-double in his return from suspension and the Houston Rockets held on for a 119-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Green scored on consecutive possessions late in the fourth quarter after the Lakers closed to within 112-108 on two free throws from Anthony Davis. Thompson paired 23 points on 11-for-19 shooting with a career-high 16 rebounds after missing the previous two games.
The Lakers trailed by 22 points in the first half but were within four on Davis’ 3-pointer with 1:11 to play before cutting that deficit to 117-115 when LeBron James made a driving layup with eight seconds left. But Houston forced two turnovers inside the final six seconds, with Fred VanVleet stealing an inbounds pass intended for James before Davis was whistled for an offensive foul with 4.1 seconds left.
Davis totaled 30 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks while James (21 points, 13 rebounds) and Austin Reaves (21 points, 10 assists) also posted double-doubles. James added nine assists.
VanVleet finished with 15 points and three 3-pointers. Steven Adams added eight points and nine rebounds off the Houston bench.
Darius Garland scored 25 points and Jarrett Allen posted a double-double as the Cleveland Cavaliers won their 10th straight game with a 115-105 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
Allen paired 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting with 11 rebounds for Cleveland, which also got 19 points from Donovan Mitchell and 17 from Evan Mobley. Georges Niang chipped in 10 points off the bench as the Cavaliers continued to roll after completing a 4-0 road trip.
Even with its top two offensive players, LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, back in action, Charlotte was pummeled en route to its 10th straight loss. Ball and Miller finished with 24 points apiece in their first games since Dec. 26.
Miller drained six 3-point shots, while Ball was just 3-of-11 from long range even after making his final two attempts. Miles Bridges managed 11 points after leading the Hornets in scoring in each of their past three games. Mark Williams also scored 11 and Nick Smith Jr. supplied 18 off the bench.
Malik Monk and Domantas Sabonis each posted a double-double for the Sacramento Kings, who rode a dominant first half to a 129-99 win over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night in San Francisco.
Playing without De’Aaron Fox, out with a bruised right glute, the Kings dominated their Northern California rival from the opening tip. Monk had 16 points and 10 assists in the first half, while Sabonis bundled 18 points with nine rebounds and six assists to help Sacramento build a 75-51 lead at the break.
Even with Stephen Curry finishing off a 26-point performance for Golden State, the Kings controlled the final two quarters to improve to 4-1 under interim coach Doug Christie, who took over after Mike Brown was fired on Dec. 27.
Sabonis finished the game with 22 points, a team-high 13 rebounds and seven assists for Sacramento, which faced the Warriors for the first time since winning a Western Conference play-in game in April.
CJ McCollum scored a team-high 25 points to help lead the visiting New Orleans Pelicans to a 110-98 win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday.
Trey Murphy III added 22 points for the Pelicans, who won their second game over Washington in three days. Yves Missi had 16 points while Dejounte Murray collected 14 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. Herbert Jones chipped in 11 points in the win.
Kyle Kuzma led Washington with 28 points, followed by Alexandre Sarr’s 18 points and 11 rebounds. Jared Butler scored 17 off the bench, while Carlton Carrington had 16 for Washington, which dropped its fourth game in five tries. — Reuters.
