Houston. Dec. 29 (UAE): LeBron James scored 30 doubles, triples and four scorers from 20 points with the Los Angeles Lakers, who cut five games with a 132-123 victory over its host Houston Rockets. Tuesday.
James finished 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his third hat-trick of the season but he’s had a huge boost. Russell Westbrook scored his seventh in a hat-trick (24 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) while Malik Monk added 25 points and Carmelo Anthony 24 off the Lakers’ bench, Reuters reported.
Rookie Galen Green scored 14 points out of 24 points from his team’s high in the fourth quarter for the Rockets, who lost their fifth game in a row. Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood scored 22 goals apiece for Houston, which edged out 48-30 and fell despite firing 53 percent overall.
76ers 114, Raptors 109
Joel Embiid scored 36 points, fired the green light before 51.3 seconds left, and got 11 rebounds in the match that included Philadelphia against Toronto.
Tobias Harris added a hat-trick of 76 with 19 points, the best 10 assists and 12 rebounds. He made four free throws in the last minute. George Niang scored eight of 19 points in the fourth quarter, helping Philadelphia win for the third time in four games.
Chris Boucher had 28 points and equaled his career best with 19 rebounds for the Raptors, who lost two consecutive points. Toronto also earned 28 points from Pascal Siakam who returned from safety and health protocols as well as Gary Trent Jr., who scored 19 points.
Pax 127, Magic 110
Giannis Anticonmo scored 28 points, Khris Middleton added 21 and visiting Milwaukee continued their mastery of Orlando.
Bobby Portes scored five three-pointers and scored 19 points for the Bucks, who won 10 consecutive games against the Magic. Jrue Holiday finished with 18 points and 10 assists, as the NBA champions won their fourth straight.
Orlando, who dropped to 2-12 at home, have lost three straight games since their first straight win this year. Magic rookie Franz Wagner scored 38 points, the highest level of his career, 10 points more than his previous best result.
Heat 119, processors 112
Reserve Tyler Herro scored a season-high and a game-high 32 points, and Jimmy Butler achieved a career high with 15 assists, leading the Miami host after Washington.
Butler added 25 points and eight rebounds. He twisted his right ankle 63 seconds before the end of the match but stayed in the match. Duncan Robinson scored 26 points, closed eight three-pointers, the highest level of the season, and Omar Yurtseven contributed 14 rebounds and 10 points.
The magicians were led by Spencer Dinwiddie, who had 24 points and 11 assists. Kyle Kuzma scored 22 points and Davis Bertans added 19.
96 Knicks, Timberwolves 88
Mitchell Robinson scored 14 points and 18 rebounds for New York, wasting a 17-point lead in the first half before gradually relinquishing to defeat manpower-strapped Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Julius Randle finished off the table with 13 points and 15 rebounds to give the Knicks their second straight win – their first winning streak in three games from Oct. 26-30. Novice Evan Fournier scored 13 points and 1 point, respectively, while Quentin Grimes added 11 points from the bench.
Malik Paisley scored 20 points for the Timberwolves whose top three scorers – Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell – remained on the sidelines. Towns and Russell are on COVID-19 protocols, while Edwards has been left out of the protocols but hasn’t played as he looks to get back in shape.
Pelicans 108, Cavaliers 104
Herbert Jones scored a season-high 26 points, and Garrett Temple scored all 17 of his points in the fourth quarter as the New Orleans host defeated Cleveland.
Graham scored in Devonte 18 points and Jonas Valanciunas returned from a two-game absence due to a disease not infected with the Covid virus, to get 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Pelicans. New Orleans won for the fifth time in six games despite trailing by 23 points late in the first quarter.
Ricky Rubio scored 27 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, Kevin Love scored 24 points and Evan Mobley 22 points for the Cavaliers, who lost two of the past three points.