Los Angeles Times - 24.02.2020

D4 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2020 LATIMES.COM/SPORTS

NBA

Standings have been arranged to reflect how the teams will be deter-
mined for the playoffs. Teams are ranked 1-15 by record. Division
standing no longer has any bearing on the rankings. The top eight
teams in each conference make the playoffs, and the top-seeded
team would play the eighth-seeded team, the seventh team would
play the second, etc. Head-to-head competition is the first of several
tiebreakers, followed by conference record. (Western Conference di-
visions:S-Southwest; P-Pacific; N-Northwest; Eastern Conference di-
visions: A-Atlantic; C-Central; S-Southeast).

WESTERN CONFERENCE Team W L PCT GB L10 Rk.

LAKERS 43 12 .782 7-3 P1

Denver 39 18 .684 5 7-3 N1

CLIPPERS 37 19 .661 61 ⁄ 2 5-5 P2

Houston 36 20 .643 71 ⁄ 2 7-3 S1

Utah 36 20 .643 71 ⁄ 2 4-6 N2

Oklahoma City 35 22 .614 9 7-3 N3

Dallas 34 23 .596 10 5-5 S2

Memphis 28 28 .500 15^1 ⁄ 2 6-4 S3

Portland 26 32 .448 3 5-5 N4

New Orleans 25 32 .439 31 ⁄ 2 7-3 S4

San Antonio 24 32 .429 4 4-6 S5

Sacramento 23 33 .411 5 6-4 P3

Phoenix 23 34 .404 51 ⁄ 2 3-7 P4

Minnesota 16 39 .291 11^1 ⁄ 2 1-9 N5

Golden State 12 45 .211 17^1 ⁄ 2 2-8 P5

EASTERN CONFERENCE Team W L PCT GB L10 Rk.

x-Milwaukee 48 8 .857 8-2 C1

Toronto 42 15 .737 61 ⁄ 2 9-1 A1

Boston 39 17 .696 9 8-2 A2

Miami 36 20 .643 12 4-6 S1

Philadelphia 35 22 .614 13^1 ⁄ 2 5-5 A3

Indiana 33 24 .579 15^1 ⁄ 2 3-7 C2

Brooklyn 26 29 .473 21^1 ⁄ 2 7-3 A4

Orlando 24 32 .429 24 3-7 S2

Washington 20 35 .364 31 ⁄ 2 5-5 S3

Chicago 20 38 .345 5 2-8 C3

Charlotte 19 37 .339 5 4-6 S4

Detroit 19 40 .322 61 ⁄ 2 2-8 C4

New York 17 39 .304 7 5-5 A5

Atlanta 17 41 .293 8 5-5 S5

Cleveland 15 41 .268 9 3-7 C5
x-clinched playoff spot

STANDINGS

Kyle Lowry and the Toronto
Raptors tuned up for their show-
down with Milwaukee by pounding
the visiting Indiana Pacers.
Lowry had 16 points and 11 as-
sists, extending his career-best
streak of double-doubles to six,
and Toronto hammered Indiana
127-81 on Sunday, the most lop-
sided victory in Raptors history.
Indiana’s 81 points were the fewest
by a Toronto opponent this season.
Pascal Siakam scored 21 points
and Serge Ibaka had 15 points and
a season-high 15 rebounds as To-
ronto won for the 17th time in 18
games and extended its home win-
ning streak to nine.
That streak will be tested when
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the
Bucks come north of the border
Tuesday night, the first of three
meetings between the teams down
the stretch. The NBA leaders have
won seven of eight and became the
first team to clinch a playoff spot.
“They’re a well-coached team,
they’re a well-oiled machine,”
Lowry said. “All we can do is worry
about ourselves.”
Pacers guard Victor Oladipo
sat out because of back spasms.
Oladipo left Friday’s road win over
the New York Knicks after three
quarters because of a sore back,
and he didn’t practice Saturday.

at Chicago 126, Washington 117:
Coby White scored 33 points to join
Michael Jordan as the only Bulls
rookies with consecutive 30-point
games, and Chicago overcame
Bradley Beal’s career-high 53
points to snap an eight-game los-
ing streak. Zach LaVine added 32
points and set the franchise record
for three-pointers in a season (177).

at Oklahoma City 131, San Anto-
nio 103: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
had 22 points and 13 rebounds, and
the Thunder won for the 12th time
in 15 games.

at Portland 107, Detroit 104: CJ Mc-
Collum had 41 points, a career-high
12 assists and nine rebounds,
Carmelo Anthony scored a season-
high 32 points, and the Trail Blaz-
ers rallied without Damian Lillard.

New Orleans 115, at Golden State
101 : Zion Williamson had 28 points,
Jrue Holiday scored 11 of his 23
points in the fourth quarter, and
the Pelicans won for the fifth time
in six games. It’s Williamson’s
eighth consecutive game with 20 or
more points, the longest stretch by
a rookie this season.

at Denver 128, Minnesota 116: Paul
Millsap scored a season-high 25
points, and the Nuggets bounced
back from their first loss in the
Northwest Division.

at Lakers 114, Boston 112
— associated press

RESULTS

Raptors rout Pacers

to tune up for Bucks

TORONTO 127, INDIANA 81

Chicago 126, Washington 117 WASHINGTON Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Bonga ........15 1-3 0-0 1-2 0 3 2 Hachimura ..28 4-8 2-2 0-8 4 3 10 Mahinmi.......8 0-0 1-2 0-0 1 1 1 Beal...........3915-27 18-202-5 4 5 53 Smith.........27 3-5 2-3 0-3 5 2 10 Bertans ......377-15 3-3 1-4 1 6 22 Brown Jr. ....21 3-4 1-2 1-1 3 3 7 Napier........16 1-1 0-0 0-0 4 1 2 Robinson ....16 1-5 0-0 1-4 0 1 2 Wagner.......15 0-2 4-4 0-2 2 1 4 Bryant........14 2-2 0-0 1-5 0 1 4 Payton II .....00 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 37-73 31-36 7-34 24 27 117 Shooting: Field goals, 50.7%; free throws, 86.1% Three-point goals: 12-30 (Beal 5-11, Bertans 5- 11, Smith 2-3, Bonga 0-1, Hachimura 0-1, Payton II 0-1, Robinson 0-1, Wagner 0-1). Team Rebounds:

Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 3 (Beal,
Smith, Wagner). Turnovers: 24 (Beal 7, Bertans 6,
Hachimura 4, Napier 3, Brown Jr. 2, Bonga, Smith).
Steals: 15 (Napier 4, Beal 2, Brown Jr. 2, Smith 2,
Bertans, Bryant, Hachimura, Mahinmi, Robinson).
Technical Fouls: Bryant, 4:04 second
CHICAGO
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Satoransky..39 6-10 2-4 0-3 13 1 15
Young.........308-14 2-3 0-6 2 4 23
Gafford.......21 5-6 0-4 1-2 0 5 10
Arcidiacno ..21 1-5 2-2 0-3 5 1 5
LaVine........3611-20 4-6 1-4 3 4 32
White.........3311-18 6-7 1-6 2 2 33
Felicio ........23 2-3 2-2 3-6 0 4 6
Mokoka ......18 0-2 0-0 1-2 2 4 0
Harrison .....15 1-3 0-0 3-5 0 3 2
Totals 45-81 18-28 10-37 27 28 126
Shooting: Field goals, 55.6%; free throws,
64.3%
Three-point goals: 18-37 (LaVine 6-12, Young
5-7, White 5-9, Satoransky 1-3, Arcidiacono 1-4,
Mokoka 0-2). Team Rebounds: 10. Team Turnovers:

Blocked Shots: 4 (Gafford 2, LaVine, White).
Turnovers: 26 (LaVine 9, White 5, Gafford 3, Harri-
son 3, Felicio 2, Young 2, Arcidiacono, Mokoka).
Steals: 15 (Satoransky 4, LaVine 3, Young 3, White
2, Arcidiacono, Felicio, Harrison). Technical Fouls:
Bulls, 2:13 first
Washington 31 27 27 32— 117
Chicago 35 38 28 25— 126
A—18,024. T—2:22.

Portland 107, Detroit 104 DETROIT Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Doumboya ..24 3-7 0-0 0-3037 Snell ..........24 1-4 0-0 0- 3003 Maker ........16 2-6 0-0 1- 3214 Mykhailiuk ..15 2-5 0-0 1-1215 Rose ..........276-16 2-2 0-2 3 0 15 B.Brown......333-10 2-2 2-10148 Wood .........309-15 6-7 2-9 1 2 26 Galloway.....24 4-9 3-3 1-4 4 3 13 Henson ......23 3-6 2-2 4- 7218 Knight........20 4-8 4-4 0-2 3 2 15 Totals 37-86 19-20 11-44 18 17 104 Shooting: Field goals, 43.0%; free throws, 95.0% Three-point goals: 11-35 (Knight 3-7, Wood 2-4, Galloway 2-5, Snell 1-3, Doumbouya 1-4, Mykhailiuk 1-4, Rose 1-4, B.Brown 0-1, Henson 0-1, Maker 0-2). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turn- overs: None. Blocked Shots: 5 (Henson 2, Wood 2, Maker). Turnovers: 11 (Rose 5, B.Brown 2, Gallo- way, Maker, Mykhailiuk, Snell). Steals: 7 (Henson 2, B.Brown, Doumbouya, Galloway, Maker, Snell). Technical Fouls: None. PORTLAND Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Anthony ......3711-16 5-6 0-4 1 2 32 Ariza ..........36 1-4 0-0 1-4 0 3 2 Whiteside ...38 8-14 0-3 5-17 3 2 16 McCollum...4315-30 5-8 1-9 12 2 41 Trent Jr........34 3-8 0-0 0-2 2 0 6 Simons.......18 2-8 0-0 0-0 1 4 6 Gabriel.......12 1-2 2-2 2-4 0 2 4 Hezonja ......11 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 Little ............7 0-2 0-0 0-1 0 3 0 Totals 41-84 12-19 9-41 20 18 107 Shooting: Field goals, 48.8%; free throws, 63.2% Three-point goals: 13-30 (McCollum 6-11, An- thony 5-9, Simons 2-5, Little 0-1, Ariza 0-2, Trent Jr. 0-2). Team Rebounds: 10. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 5 (Whiteside 4, Trent Jr.). Turnovers: 10 (Ariza 5, Whiteside 2, McCollum, Si- mons, Trent Jr.). Steals: 6 (Trent Jr. 3, Ariza 2, Mc- Collum). Technical Fouls: None. Detroit 24 27 34 19— 104 Portland 40 13 27 27— 107 A—19,393. T—2:08.

NBA

TODAY’S GAMES
Favorite Line Underdog Time
at CLIPPERS OFF Memphis 7:30 p.m.
Milwaukee 12 at Washington 4 p.m.
Miami OFF at Cleveland 4 p.m.
at Philadelphia OFF Atlanta 4 p.m.
at Brooklyn 3 Orlando 4:30 p.m.
at Houston 14 New York 5 p.m.
at Dallas OFF Minnesota 5:30 p.m.
at Utah 71 ⁄ 2 Phoenix 6 p.m.

Denver 128, Minnesota 116 MINNESOTA Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Hernangmz .26 2-9 2-2 1-4 0 3 7 Okogie .......25 3-8 3-5 2-4 3 3 10 Reid...........215-12 2-3 1-5 1 5 13 Beasley ......346-13 3-4 2-8 1 1 17 McLaughln ..33 5-9 3-3 1-4 10 0 15 Martin ........297-15 4-4 0-4 0 1 21 Johnson......275-11 2-2 0-5 4 3 13 Culver........25 5-8 1-4 1-3 5 0 14 Nowell........15 2-5 2-2 1- 1206 Totals 40-90 22-29 9-38 26 16 116 Shooting: Field goals, 44.4%; free throws, 75.9% Three-point goals: 14-40 (Culver 3-4, Martin 3-8, McLaughlin 2-4, Beasley 2-5, Hernangomez 1-4, Johnson 1-4, Okogie 1-4, Reid 1-4, Nowell 0-3). Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 2 (Beasley, Martin). Turnovers: 15 (Culver 3, McLaughlin 3, Hernangomez 2, Johnson 2, Reid 2, Beasley, Martin, Okogie). Steals: 7 (Johnson 2, Beasley, Culver, McLaughlin, Okogie, Reid). Technical Fouls: Timberwolves, 5:14 third DENVER Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Barton........26 2-8 2-2 0-4 6 4 7 Millsap.......259-11 3-4 2-7 0 4 25 Jokic ..........3011-14 2-3 1-7 6 4 24 Harris.........305-10 1-2 0-3 1 0 13 Murray .......358-14 1-2 0-1 6 1 19 Morris ........316-10 0-0 0-6 6 2 13 Grant.........195-10 1-2 0-0 1 0 12 Plumlee......14 4-5 1-2 1-4 3 2 9 Porter Jr........9 1-4 0-0 0- 3032 Craig............9 1-2 0-0 1- 2042 Dozier ..........2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Vonleh..........2 1-1 0-0 0-1 0 0 2 McRae.........2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 53-90 11-17 5-38 29 24 128 Shooting: Field goals, 58.9%; free throws, 64.7% Three-point goals: 11-30 (Millsap 4-6, Harris 2-3, Murray 2-8, Morris 1-3, Barton 1-4, Grant 1-4, Jokic 0-1, Porter Jr. 0-1). Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 7 (Barton 2, Jokic 2, Millsap 2, Craig). Turnovers: 13 (Jokic 3, Murray 3, Barton 2, Craig, Millsap, Morris, Plumlee, Vonleh). Steals: 9 (Harris 2, Jokic 2, Morris 2, Grant, Mill- sap, Murray). Technical Fouls: None. Minnesota 38 27 22 29— 116 Denver 43 30 24 31— 128 A—19,626. T—2:17.

Okla. City 131, San Antonio 103 SAN ANTONIO Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Aldridge......203-10 2-2 2-3 2 3 8 DeRozan.....234-12 3-4 1-5 3 2 11 Lyles..........18 3-4 0-0 0-2 2 2 8 Forbes........20 3-5 2-2 0-2 0 2 10 Murray .......20 0-7 0-0 0-3 7 3 0 White .........27 1-6 0-0 0-3 2 0 3 Walker IV ....23 1-5 0-0 0-4 3 1 2 Gay............174-11 5-5 4-6 2 2 14 Poeltl.........15 4-7 1-2 4-4 1 2 9 Mills..........152-10 2-2 0-3 0 3 8 Belinelli......155-10 0-0 0-2 1 0 13 Johnson......134-10 1-2 2-3 3 2 9 Metu............8 4-6 0-0 1-3 1 1 8 Totals 38-103 16-19 14-43 27 23 103 Shooting: Field goals, 36.9%; free throws, 84.2% Three-point goals: 11-38 (Belinelli 3-7, Lyles 2-3, Forbes 2-4, Mills 2-9, White 1-2, Gay 1-5, Johnson 0-1, Metu 0-1, Walker IV 0-1, Aldridge 0-5). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 1 (Walker IV). Turnovers: 9 (Aldridge 2, DeRozan 2, Metu 2, Murray 2, Johnson). Steals: 5 (Poeltl 2, Gay, Mills, Murray). OKLAHOMA CITY Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Gallinari .....25 3-8 4-4 0-4 1 2 12 Gilgs-Alxndr.31 8-14 5-5 2-13 4 0 22 Adams.......278-12 5-6 3-14 0 0 21 Dort...........24 6-6 1-2 0-2 2 3 15 Paul...........275-13 2-2 0-9 10 0 12 Schroder.....284-11 4-4 0-3 6 0 13 Nader........22 4-6 0-0 0-3 1 2 10 Noel..........16 5-5 0-0 0-1 0 5 10 Diallo .........14 3-5 0-1 0-0 2 2 6 Ferguson ......9 0-2 0-0 0-1 1 2 0 Muscala.......4 3-3 0-0 1-2 0 0 7 Burton .........4 1-2 0-0 0-1 1 1 3 Roby............3 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 Totals 50-87 21-24 6-54 28 17 131 Shooting: Field goals, 57.5%; free throws, 87.5% Three-point goals: 10-22 (Dort 2-2, Nader 2-3, Gallinari 2-4, Burton 1-1, Muscala 1-1, Gilgeous- Alexander 1-2, Schroder 1-3, Diallo 0-1, Ferguson 0-2, Paul 0-3). Team Rebounds: 6. Team Turnovers:

Blocked Shots: 7 (Noel 5, Burton, Ferguson).
Turnovers: 12 (Gallinari 3, Gilgeous-Alexander 3,
Adams, Burton, Dort, Ferguson, Nader, Schroder).
Steals: 7 (Dort 3, Adams, Diallo, Noel, Paul).
San Antonio 29 26 18 30— 103
Oklahoma City 29 32 37 33— 131
A—18,203. T—2:08.
N. Orleans 115, Golden St. 101
NEW ORLEANS
Ingram .......335-18 5-5 0-4 5 2 17
Williamson ..33 13-20 1-6 6-7 2 1 28
Favors ........24 3-4 0-1 2-11116
Ball ...........27 1-6 0-0 1- 6922
Holiday.......3810-17 0-0 2-7 15 0 23
Hart...........27 3-9 0-1 0-10058
Melli..........22 7-8 0-0 3-5 1 0 20
Redick........203-12 0-0 0-1119
Moore..........9 1-4 0-0 0- 1022
Hayes...........2 0-0 0-0 0- 0010
Totals 46-98 6-13 14-52 34 15 115
46.2%
Three-point goals: 17-42 (Melli 6-7, Holiday
3-7, Redick 3-9, Hart 2-7, Ingram 2-7, Williamson
1-1, Moore 0-1, Ball 0-3). Team Rebounds: 7. Team
Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 5 (Favors, Holiday,
Melli, Redick, Williamson). Turnovers: 13 (Holiday
5, Ingram 3, Ball 2, Melli, Redick, Williamson).
Steals: 7 (Ball 4, Ingram 2, Moore). Technical
Fouls: None.
GOLDEN STATE
Paschall .....30 5-9 3-4 1-5 0 4 13
Wiggins......343-16 1-2 5-10438
Looney .......18 1-6 0-0 1- 6032
Lee............349-15 0-0 0-4 4 0 22
Poole.........328-14 2-3 0-4 5 1 19
Bowman .....326-12 3-3 2-6 7 1 15
Tscno-Adsn .27 6-10 1-1 0-8 3 2 16
Bender.......20 2-8 0-2 2- 5306
Smailagic .....8 0-2 0-0 0- 0220
Totals 40-92 10-15 11-48 28 16 101
66.7%
Three-point goals: 11-35 (Lee 4-8, Toscano-An-
derson 3-5, Bender 2-5, Poole 1-4, Wiggins 1-4,
Smailagic 0-1, Paschall 0-2, Bowman 0-3, Looney
0-3). Team Rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: 2.
Blocked Shots: 7 (Toscano-Anderson 2, Wiggins 2,
Bender, Bowman, Lee). Turnovers: 13 (Poole 4, Lee
3, Paschall 2, Bowman, Smailagic, Toscano-An-
derson, Wiggins). Steals: 9 (Bowman 3, Looney 2,
Lee, Paschall, Toscano-Anderson, Wiggins). Tech-
nical Fouls: None.
New Orleans 29 17 31 38— 115
Golden State 33 23 21 24— 101
A—18,064. T—2:01.

remorse in his voice for the lesson he just dealt to the player 12 years his junior. It’s no mystery why the games between the Lakers and the Celtics feel bigger and more essential even in the regular season. On Sunday, NBA legend Bill Russell (wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey) sat in the first row right where the sideline and baseline meet, while soon-to-be Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett sat courtside diagonal from him. Magic Johnson, who saw his star shine brightest against Boston green, at- tended the game. So did former Lakers A.C. Green and Sasha Vujacic. And Sunday, the people from the rivalries past saw a fun new chapter play out, with established stars such as James and Anthony Davis trying to hold off a fu- ture one in Jayson Tatum in a game that wasn’t decided until the final second. Tatum scored 41 points, including 36 in the second and third quarters, while providing a fitting tribute to one of his mentors: Bryant. Wearing a purple double wristband on his arm, Tatum, who trained with Bryant two summers ago, looked like a pretty spot-on doppelganger, side-step- ping for threes and slipping between double teams for acrobatic layups. But with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all over him in the final moments, Tatum was unable to take a poten- tial tying jumper, instead being called for an offensive foul to seal the Lakers’ win. On the other end, it was Davis’ skill and size — a calmly swished three-point jumper and seven free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter (even though three were misses) — that gave Boston trouble even with the Lakers big man unable to convert near the bucket. Davis finished with 32 points and 13 rebounds, his

10th game this season with at least 30 and 10. And it was James, flirting with another triple-double, with 29 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, no play bigger than that turnaround jumper. “He got to his money shot, the shot he always makes, a shot he always takes in practice and in games,” Davis said. “And he did what he does best and made the shot.” The win helped heal some of the sting from their first meeting with Boston this season, a game devoid of the intensity and drama of Sunday because Boston ran the Lakers off the court and beat them by 32. It’s also their first win over one of the consensus Eastern Conference con- tenders — a group that in- cludes Milwaukee, Toronto and Philadelphia.

Despite winning 43 games and owning the best record in the West, coach Frank Vogel said experiences like Sunday, win or lose, are really valuable because they address the Lak- ers’ most glaring weakness. “The more that you’re in that environment of a close game, of an intense game like that, I think everybody just gets a chance to grow together. I mean, one of the weaknesses of our team is our continuity,” Vogel said. “We just haven’t been in a lot of those situations as a group. ... I’m super im- pressed with our guys’ abil- ity to work together and still win games throughout the season. “Each time we get into a close game like that, win or lose, you learn lessons, you get a better feel for each other. That stuff is going to be beneficial for us in the playoffs.” More help is coming — the Lakers officially signed Markieff Morris and waived DeMarcus Cousins — but that means more need for experiences like Sunday, a high-stakes, tight game packed with emotion, history and intensity. If you know anything about James, embracing those lessons are important. Enough of them for the right team with the right players, and you could end up with a title. But in between, you’ve got to be about the process. “We knew it was going to be a playoff type of atmos- phere today, one because of the rivalry and two because of how well they played against us in Boston; they beat the hell out of us there. And three, just on the simple fact it’s two teams that have aspirations of holding that trophy up at the end of the season,” James said. “So we knew what we were getting ourselves into, they knew what they were getting themselves into, and it was a great game for both of us.”

Christina HouseLos Angeles Times DWIGHT HOWARDdunks for two of his 10 points against the Celtics. The Lak- ers evened the season series and got some payback after a 32-point loss at Boston.

James’ shot delivers victory

[Lakers,from D1] LAKERS 114, BOSTON 112 BOSTON Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Hayward ............395-15 0-0 0-8 9 2 10 Tatum ...............3612-20 13-15 1-5 2 3 41 Theis.................31 6-7 2-3 2-9 0 6 16 Brown ...............388-19 1-2 2-6 2 4 20 Smart...............354-11 3-4 1-7 3 5 14 Wanamaker........18 0-4 2-2 1-3 3 2 2 Langford............15 2-5 0-2 0-0 0 2 5 Williams............13 1-2 2-2 1-1 0 5 4 Ojeleye................6 0-0 0-0 0-3 1 0 0 Kanter.................5 0-0 0-0 0-2 0 0 0 Totals 38-83 23-30 8-44 20 29 112 Shooting: Field goals, 45.8%; free throws, 76.7% Three-point goals: 13-34 (Tatum 4-7, Smart 3-7, Brown 3-9, Theis 2-2, Langford 1-2, Wanamaker 0-1, Williams 0-1, Hayward 0-5). Team Rebounds: 8. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 3 (Tatum 2, Brown). Turnovers: 17 (Brown 4, Hayward 3, Wanamaker 3, Smart 2, Tatum 2, Kanter, Theis, Williams). Steals: 7 (Brown 3, Smart 2, Tatum, Williams). Technical Fouls: None. LAKERS Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Davis ................3910-25 9-12 6-13 3 3 32 James ...............359-19 7-12 0-8 9 4 29 McGee..............12 2-3 0-0 1-8 0 2 4 Bradley .............29 1-4 0-0 0-2 1 2 3 D.Green.............32 1-4 0-0 0-2 0 1 3 Caldwell-Pope ....28 3-5 0-0 0-1 2 2 7 Kuzma..............276-13 3-4 1-4 0 1 16 Rondo...............22 1-2 2-4 1-1 5 1 4 Howard .............15 3-5 4-5 2-7 0 4 10 Caruso................8 3-6 0-0 0-0 0 2 6 Totals 39-86 25-37 11-46 20 22 114 Shooting: Field goals, 45.3%; free throws, 67.6% Three-point goals: 11-34 (James 4-10, Davis 3-5, Bradley 1-3, Caldwell-Pope 1-3, D.Green 1-4, Kuzma 1-5, Rondo 0-1, Caruso 0-3). Team Rebounds: 13. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 4 (Davis 2, Howard, Kuzma). Turnovers: 13 (Davis 6, James 2, Kuzma 2, Caldwell-Pope, D.Green, Howard). Steals: 9 (Rondo 5, Caldwell-Pope 2, Bradley, Caruso). Technical Fouls: None. Boston 19 35 3325— 112 Lakers 28 28 3127— 114 A—18,997. T—2:40.

day morning at Staples Center. Johnson spoke Sunday morning at Staples Center before the Lakers played the Celtics at an event Los Angeles owner Jeanie Buss and Boston owner Wyc Grousbeck hosted in celebration of one of the best rivalries in the NBA and in sports. Bill Russell, considered the best Celtic ever because of his 11 NBA championships, was also at the event, showing his appreciation for Bryant by wearing his No. 24 jersey. Former Lakers Michael Cooper and Kurt Rambis and former Celt- ics Cedric Maxwell and Brian Scal- abrine were part of the panel that talked about their times compet- ing in the rivalry. Johnson eased his way into the room after the group had started talking, but it didn’t take long for him to speak about Bryant. “He loved the Lakers organiza- tion. He loved Jeanie. He loved [former Lakers owner] Dr. [Jerry] Buss,” Johnson said. Johnson recalled how Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors and

60 points against the Utah Jazz in the final game of his 20-year career with the Lakers. “Who goes out at 60 points in their last game? It was truly amaz- ing,” Johnson said. “Every night you might see something that you would never ever see before again.” Johnson marveled at how Bry-

ant was “living his best life after basketball” by working with Gi- anna on her basketball skills, getting involved in women’s sports and working out with NBA players. “His relationship with his kids, with his wife, the work in the com- munity ... he was about women’s athletics, the WNBA,” Johnson

said. “He worked out with everybody. The list of players that this man worked out with — Kawhi [Leonard], Kyrie Irving, [Jayson] Tatum of the Celtics, on and on and on. He would give his time and his knowledge of the game to all these young players. And I just loved his relationship with his girls and his wife. They were coming to the L.A. Sparks games.” Johnson recalled how then- Lakers general manager Jerry West praised Bryant after the 17- year-old guard had an outstanding workout against Cooper, who had been a tough defensive player for the Lakers during the 1980s. “Jerry said this is the greatest workout we’ve ever seen from any- body,” Johnson said. “Just think about the Lakers history, and so I said, ‘OK, wow!’ And when he came as a rookie, the commitment to being great, working hard each and every day, he was up at 3 or 4 in the morning, already did a two-hour workout. Then he would come here and work out with the Lakers. “He was committed to just dominating, and he did.”

Johnson remembers Bryant warmly

[Johnson,from D1]

BOSTON CELTICSicon Bill Russell paid a powerful tribute to Kobe Bryant by wearing Bryant’s No. 24 jersey to Staples Center.

Marcio Jose SanchezAssociated Press

Toronto 127, Indiana 81 INDIANA Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T Sabonis......316-16 2-3 2-11 5 2 14 Warren .......283-12 0-0 3-6 1 3 7 Turner.........283-10 1-1 2-7017 A.Holiday....325-12 3-4 1-4 6 2 14 Brogdon.....304-15 1-2 3-5 4 2 9 J.Holiday .....26 4-8 0-2 0-0 1 1 12 McDermott..19 3-6 0-0 0-1 3 3 8 Bitadze.........9 2-4 0-0 0-1 1 0 4 McConnell....8 0-2 0-0 0- 0110 Lamb ...........7 1-6 3-3 0-0 1 1 5 Sampson......7 0-2 0-0 0- 1030 Leaf.............5 0-1 1-2 0- 1011 A.Johnson.....4 0-1 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 Totals 31-95 11-17 12-39 23 20 81 Shooting: Field goals, 32.6%; free throws, 64.7% Three-point goals: 8-33 (J.Holiday 4-7, McDermott 2-5, A.Holiday 1-5, Warren 1-5, Bitadze 0-1, Lamb 0-1, Sampson 0-1, Brogdon 0-4, Turner 0-4). Team Rebounds:

Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 4 (Bitadze 2, Lamb,
Turner). Turnovers: 17 (A.Holiday 4, J.Holiday 3, Warren 3,
McDermott 2, Sabonis 2, A.Johnson, Brogdon, McConnell).
Steals: 13 (J.Holiday 3, Turner 3, Brogdon 2, A.Holiday,
Bitadze, Lamb, Leaf, Sabonis). Technical Fouls: None.
TORONTO
Anunoby .....27 3-7 1-2 0-4 2 3 7
Siakam......308-12 4-5 0-2 3 2 21
Ibaka.........237-12 0-0 4-15 1 2 15
Lowry .........316-13 1-1 2-7 11 2 16
VanVleet .....253-12 0-0 0-3 3 4 8
Davis .........235-10 0-0 0-4 1 1 13
Hollis-Jffrsn .20 5-7 2-2 3-4 3 0 12
Boucher .....17 2-4 4-4 1-11 2 2 9
Thomas......15 6-8 0-0 0-1 1 2 17
S.Johnson.....9 0-2 2-2 0-4 2 2 2
Brissett ........5 1-2 2-2 0-1 2 0 4
Miller ...........5 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 3
Watson.........3 0-1 0-0 0-1 1 0 0
Totals 47-92 16-18 10-57 32 21 127
Shooting: Field goals, 51.1%; free throws, 88.9%
Three-point goals: 17-44 (Thomas 5-7, Davis 3-6,
Lowry 3-8, VanVleet 2-9, Boucher 1-2, Ibaka 1-2, Miller 1-2,
Siakam 1-4, S.Johnson 0-1, Watson 0-1, Anunoby 0-2).
Team Rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots:
10 (Boucher 4, Anunoby, Davis, Ibaka, Lowry, Siakam, Wat-
son). Turnovers: 17 (Hollis-Jefferson 3, Ibaka 3, Siakam 3,
Anunoby 2, Lowry 2, Thomas 2, Davis, VanVleet). Steals: 9
(Lowry 5, VanVleet 2, Anunoby, S.Johnson). Technical
Fouls: Raptors, 9:13 second
Indiana 12 20 23 26— 81
Toronto 34 29 22 42— 127
A—19,800. T—2:03.

Los Angeles Times - 24.02.2020

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