D4 WEDNESDAY,JANUARY11, 2017 LATIMES.COM/SPORTS
NBA
Standings have been arranged to reflect how the teams will be deter-
mined for the playoffs. Teams are ranked1-15 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
teamwould play the eighth-seeded team, the seventh teamwould
play the second, etc. Head-to-head competition is the first of several
tiebreakers, followed by con ference record. (Western Conference di-
visions: S-Southwest; P-Pacific; N-Northwest; Eastern Conference
divisions: A-Atlantic; C-Central; S-Southeast).
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Team WLPCT GB L10 Rk.- Golden State 33 6.846 8-2 P1
- San Antonio 30 8.789 2^1 ⁄ 2 7-3 S1
- Houston 31 9.775 2^1 ⁄ 2 9-1 S2
- CLIPPERS 26 14 .650 7^1 ⁄ 2 4-6 P2
- Memphis 24 16 .600 9^1 ⁄ 2 6-4 S3
- Utah 24 16 .600 9^1 ⁄ 2 6-4 N1
- Oklahoma City 23 16 .590 10 6-4 N2
- Portland 17 23 .425 16^1 ⁄ 2 4-6 N3
- Sacramento 16 22 .421 —5-5 P3
- New Orleans 15 24 .385 1^1 ⁄ 2 6-4 S4
- Denver1423.378 1^1 ⁄ 2 3-7 N4
- LAKERS 15 27 .357 34 -6 P4
- Minnesota 12 26 .316 43 -7 N5
- Phoenix 12 26 .316 44 -6 P5
- Dallas 11 27 .289 54 -6 S5
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Team WLPCT GB L10 Rk.- Cleveland 28 9.757 7-3 C1
- Toronto 25 13 .658 3^1 ⁄ 2 5-5 A1
- Boston 23 15 .605 5^1 ⁄ 2 7-3 A2
- Atlanta 22 16 .579 6^1 ⁄ 2 8-2 S1
- Indiana 20 18 .526 8^1 ⁄ 2 6-4 C2
- Milwaukee 19 18 .514 96 -4 C3
- Washington 19 18 .514 97 -3 S2
- Charlotte 20 19 .513 94 -6 S3
- Chicago1920.487 15 -5 C4
- Detroit 18 22 .450 2^1 ⁄ 2 4-6 C5
- NewYork 17 21 .447 2^1 ⁄ 2 2-8 A3
- Orlando 16 23 .410 44 -6 S4
- Philadelphia1025.286 84 -6 A4
- Miami 11 29 .275 9^1 ⁄ 2 1-9 S5
- Brooklyn 829.216 11 1-9 A5
STANDINGS
James Harden had 40 points, 15
reboundsand10 assists for his sec-
ondstraight40-pointtriple-double
and the Houston Rockets out-
lasted the Charlotte Hornets, 121-
114,onTuesdaynightfortheirninth
straight win.
The Rockets missed10 straight
shots and let an 18-point lead
evaporate before Coach Mike
D’Antoni called a timeout with 2:26
left. Harden madetwo layupsand
Houston hung on.
Hardengot his 11 th triple-dou-
ble this season. He is the fourth
player in NBA history with at least
40 points,10 rebounds and10 as-
sists inconsecutive games,joining
Michael Jordan, Pete Maravich
and RussellWestbrook.
KembaWalker had 25 points for
the Hornets, whodropped their
third in a row.
at Toronto114, Boston 106:DeMar
DeRozan scored a season-high 41
points,Kyle Lowry had 24 and the
Raptors camefrom16 points down
inthethirdquarterto endtheCelt-
ics’ four-game winning streak.
at Washington 101, Chicago 99:
John Wall scored 26 points, includ-
ing a game-winning baselinejump-
er with5.9 seconds left, and added
14 assistsasthe Wizardsmov ed
above .500 witha victory over a
Bullsteam playing withoutJimmy
Butler and DwyaneWade.
Atlanta117, at Brooklyn97:Dennis
Schroder had 19 points and10 as-
sists, Dwight Howard added 14
points and16 rebounds, and the
Hawks won their season-high sev-
enth straightgame while handing
the Nets their seventh loss ina row
and12th in13 games.
Milwaukee109, atSanAntonio107:
Michael Beasley scored a season-
high 28 points in place of an ill Gi-
annis Antetokounmpo, and the
Bucks ralliedto endthe Spurs’
nine-game home winning streak.
Kawhi Leonard had30 points for
San Antonio.
at Utah 100, Cleveland92:Gordon
Hayward scored 28 points,11 dur-
ing a16-0 third-quarter run, as the
Jazz improved to 9-1 with Hayward
and George Hill in the lineup.
at GoldenState 107, Miami 95:
Stephen Curry had 24 points,nine
assistsand eig ht rebounds,Kevin
Durant added 28 points and the
Warriors picked it up after trailing
at halftime.
atSacramento100, Detroit94:De-
Marcus Cousins had 24 points and
13 rebounds for the Kings, who
dominated the fourth quarter.
Portland108, atLakers 87
— associated press
RESULTS
Hardentriples again
as Rockets stay hot
HOUSTON 121
CHARLOTTE (^114) Raptors 114, Celtics 106
BOSTON
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Crowder......384-10 0-0 0-2 119
Johnson......162-5 0-0 2-5 144
Horford.......345-11 2-2 2-9 4114
Smart.........37 6-11 3-3 1-4 5416
Thomas.......368-19 8-9 0-1 7027
Olynyk.........25 6-10 0-2 1-4 1413
Green.........246-12 2-2 0-5 0214
Jerebko.......162-3 2-2 0-2 137
Brown...........71-3 0-0 0-1 012
Rozier...........30-1 0-0 0-0 100
Totals 40-85 17-20 6-33 21 20 106
Shooting:Field goals, 47.1%; free throws, 85.0%
Three-pointgoals: 9-27 (Thomas 3-8, Horford
2-4, Jerebko1-1, Olynyk1-2, Smart1-2, Crowder
1-5, Johnson 0-1, Rozier 0-1, Green 0-3).Team Re-
bounds: 9.Team Turnovers: 14 (21 PTS). Blocked
Shots: 3 (Johnson, Olynyk, Smart).Turnovers: 14
(Horford 3, Smart 3, Crowder 2, Green 2, Olynyk 2,
Brown, Thomas). Steals: 7 (Smart 4, Crowder, Hor-
ford, Jerebko).Technical Fouls: Thomas, 4:41 sec-
ond.
TORONTO
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Carroll........344-10 0-0 1-4 2311
Patterson....200-3 0-0 0-2 140
Valanciunas 27 6-18 6-6 11-23 0418
DeRozan.....3716-29 8-9 2-13 0141
Lowr y.........427-12 5-8 1-4 9324
Joseph .......232-5 2-2 0-1 237
Nogueira.....213-4 1-2 2-3 227
Ross ..........211-4 0-0 0-0 102
Poeltl...........61-1 0-0 0-0 012
Powell..........41-1 0-0 0-0 002
Totals 41-87 22-27 17-50 17 21 114
Shooting:Field goals, 47.1%; free throws,81.5%
Three-pointgoals:10-22 (Lowry 5-6, Carroll 3-6,
DeRozan1-2, Joseph 1-2, Nogueira 0-1, Patterson
0-2, Ross 0-3).Team Rebounds: 7.Team Turnovers:
17 (25 PTS). Blocked Shots: 7 (Nogueira 2,Valanci-
unas 2, Carroll, Lowry, Patterson).Turnovers: 17
(Lowry 4, Carroll 3,Valanciunas 3, Nogueira 2,
DeRozan,Patterson,Poeltl, Powell, Ross). Steals: 9
(Ross 3, DeRozan 2, Lowry 2, Carroll, Nogueira).
Technical Fouls: DeRozan, 2:17 third.
Boston 18 37 29 22—106
Toronto 23 23 34 34—114
A—19,800. T—2:20. O—JoshTiven, Kevin Cutler,
Sean Wright
Hawks 117, Nets 97
ATLANTA
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Bazemore...221-7 4-6 1-3 026
Millsap.......286-14 2-4 3-8 4314
Sefolosha...275-10 0-0 0-4 2110
Howard......276-9 2-8 7-16 0114
Schroder.....297-14 3-3 0-1 10 119
Muscala.....223-6 2-2 0-4 039
Hardaway Jr.223-9 2-4 0-2 419
Prince........202-6 2-2 2-6 108
Humphries..165-8 3-4 2-8 2313
Delaney......165-6 1-3 0-1 1012
Scott...........30-0 0-0 0-0 020
Bembry........31-3 1-2 0-0 103
Totals 44-92 22-38 15-53 25 17 117
Shooting:Field goals, 47.8%; free throws,
57.9%
Three-pointgoals: 7-23 (Prince 2-4, Schroder
2-4, Delaney1-2, Muscala1-2, Hardaway Jr.1-3,
Bembry 0-1, Humphries 0-1, Millsap 0-1, Se-
folosha 0-2, Bazemore 0-3).Team Rebounds:15.
Team Turnovers: 12 (20 PTS). Blocked Shots: 12
(Millsap 3, Hardaway Jr. 2, Muscala 2, Prince 2,
Howard, Humphries, Sefolosha).Turnovers: 12
(Delaney 4, Howard 2, Prince 2, Sefolosha 2,
Bazemore, Millsap). Steals:11 (Bazemore 2,
Schroder 2, Sefolosha 2, Hardaway Jr., Humphries,
Millsap, Muscala, Prince).Technical Fouls: None.
BROOKLYN
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Lopez.........328-14 2-4 0-2 2320
Bogdanovic..255-10 3-3 0-6 4216
Harris.........141-2 0-0 0-1 022
Hollis-Jeffrsn 20 2-9 6-6 1-7 1410
Whitehead...263-8 0-0 1-2 337
Hamilton.....262-8 0-0 2-6 314
Kilpatrick.....246-14 1-2 2-5 0114
LeVer t.........234-9 2-3 1-3 2111
Dinwiddie....221-5 2-2 2-7 534
Scola..........152-6 0-0 4-7 115
Foye .............80-1 0-0 0-1 130
Acy ..............11-1 1-3 1-1 004
Totals 35-87 17-23 14-48 22 24 97
Shooting:Field goals, 40.2%; free throws,
73.9%
Three-pointgoals: 10-29 (Bogdanovic 3-5,
Lopez 2-6, Acy1-1, Whitehead 1-1, Scola1-2, Kil-
patrick1-3, LeVert1-4, Fo ye 0-1, Harris 0-1, Hamil-
ton 0-5).Team Rebounds: 6.Team Turnovers: 17
(28 PTS). Blocked Shots: 4 (Lopez 2, Whitehead
2). Turnovers:17 (Bogdanovic 4, Hollis-Jefferson 3,
Dinwiddie 2, Hamilton 2, Kilpatrick 2, LeVert 2,
Lopez, Whitehead). Steals: 5 (Bogdanovic, Din-
widdie, Kilpatrick, Lopez, Scola).Technical Fouls:
coach Kenny Atkinson,1:24 third
Atlanta 35 26 25 31—117
Brooklyn 29 14 27 27—97
A—13,279. T—2:12. O—Derrick Collins, Ed Mal-
loy, Jacyn Goble
Kings 100, Pistons 94
DETROIT
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Harris.........39 7-15 2-2 0-3 2218
Morris........314-12 0-0 1-3 159
Drummond.354-5 1-6 3-12 159
Cldwll-Pope.396-12 3-3 1-5 2221
Jackson......308-15 0-1 0-2 3319
Johnson......221-6 0-0 0-1 332
Smith.........172-5 2-2 0-1 006
Marjanovic..103-7 2-2 1-4 008
Ellenson.......71-3 0- 01 -2 212
Baynes.........60-2 0-0 1-2 030
Hilliard.........00-0 0-0 0-0 000
Totals 36-82 10-16 8-35 14 24 94
Shooting:Field goals, 43.9%; free throws,
62.5%
Three-pointgoals: 12-27 (Caldwell-Pope 6-8,
Jackson 3-5, Harris 2-5, Morris1-5, Johnson 0-1,
Smith 0-1, Ellenson 0-2).Team Rebounds: 9.Team
Turnovers: 12 (0 PTS). Blocked Shots: 9 (Drum-
mond 7, Harris 2).Turnovers: 12 (Jackson 4, Cald-
well-Pope 2, Drummond 2, Morris 2, Harris,
Smith). Steals:12 (Drummond 3,Johnson 3, Mor-
ris 2, Smith 2, Caldwell-Pope, Harris).Technical
Fouls: None.
SACRAMENTO
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Gay............373-11 4-4 2-7 4511
Tolliver ........354-11 6-6 3-4 3117
Cousins......308-14 4-7 4-13 6424
Collison......274-10 0-0 0-0 409
Temple .......304-8 0-0 0-1 0411
Lawson.......242-9 3-4 0-2 218
Koufos.......215-7 2-2 1-8 0012
Casspi........171-3 2-4 2-10 024
Afflalo........111-1 2-2 0-1 104
McLemore.....20-0 0-0 0-0 100
Totals 32-74 23-29 12-46 21 17 100
Shooting:Field goals, 43.2%; free throws,
79.3%
Three-pointgoals: 13-24 (Cousins 4-5,Temple
3-4, Tolliver 3-7, Gay1-2, Lawson1-2, Collison
1-4). Team Rebounds:11. Team Turnovers: 16 (0
PTS). Blocked Shots: 3 (Cousins, Gay, Koufos).
Turnovers: 16 (Gay 7, Lawson 4, Cousins 3,
Collison, Koufos). Steals: 6 (Gay 3, Casspi, Cous-
ins, Temple).Technical Fouls: None.
Detroit 29 27 21 17—94
Sacramento 21 22 25 32—100
A—17,608. T—2:15. O—Michael Smith, Ken
Mauer,Tre Maddox
NBA
TODAY’S GAMES
Favorite Line Underdog Time
at CLIPPERS 91 ⁄ 2 Orlando 7:30 p.m.
New York 2at Philadelphia 4 p.m.
at Boston OFF Washington 5 p.m.
at Oklahoma City 4^1 ⁄ 2 Memphis 5 p.m.
at Minnesota OFF Houston 5 p.m.
at Portland OFF Cleveland 7:30 p.m.
Wizards 101, Bulls 99
CHICAGO
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Gibson.......283-11 3-3 4-12 1110
McDermott..232-11 0-0 0-1 134
Lopez.........335-10 4-5 5-6 1214
Crter-Willms 28 4-12 6-7 0-7 2114
Grant.........252-5 4-4 0-2 619
Valentine....307-15 0-0 0-2 2119
Rondo........276-13 0-0 0-4 6412
Portis.........175-8 0-0 2-7 0213
Felicio........141-3 2-2 1-2 034
Canaan......100-0 0-0 0-1 000
Totals 35-88 19-21 12-44 19 18 99
Shooting:Field goals, 39.8%; free throws, 90.5%
Three-pointgoals: 10-27 (Valentine 5-11, Portis
3-4, Gibson1-1, Grant1-1, Carter-Williams 0-2,
Rondo 0-3, McDermott 0-5).Team Rebounds: 8.
Team Turnovers:17 (24 PTS). Blocked Shots: 2 (Gib-
son, Lopez).Turnovers: 17 (Grant 5, Carter-Williams
3, Lopez 2, Rondo 2, Canaan, Felicio, McDermott,
Portis, Valentine). Steals:10 (Rondo 3, Carter-
Williams 2,Valentine 2, Grant, Lopez,Portis). Tech-
nical Fouls: Gibson, 9:25 third.
WASHINGTON
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Morris........218-12 0-0 1-4 2619
Porter.........33 5-100-00-2 2111
Gortat........415-8 0-0 3-12 0410
Beal...........377-15 2-3 0-4 3219
Wall...........4011-213-40-6 14 226
Oubre........231-6 1-2 0-5 143
Smith.........223-7 0-0 3-6 027
Burke.........122-4 0-0 0-2 126
McClellan..... 60-0 0-0 0-1 110
Totals 42-83 6-9 7-42 24 24 101
Shooting:Field goals, 50.6%; free throws, 66.7%
Three-pointgoals: 11-22 (Morris 3-3, Beal 3-6,
Burke 2-2, Smith1-2, Wall 1-2, Porter 1-4, Oubre
0-3).Team Rebounds: 5.Team Turnovers: 21 (28
PTS). Blocked Shots: 6 (Smith 3, Gortat,Porter,
Wall). Turnovers: 21 (Wall 5, Beal 4, Gortat 3, Morris
3, Smith 3, Burke 2, Oubre). Steals: 8 (Morris 3,
Porter 2, Gortat, Oubre,Wall). Technical Fouls: None.
Chicago3 625162 2— 99
Washington 26 23 32 20—101
A—14,361. T—2:13. O—MarkAyotte, KaneFitzger-
ald, Courtney Kirkland
Bucks 109, Spurs 107
MILWAUKEE
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Antetknmpo..9 0-3 0-0 0-2 210
Henson......173-6 0-0 2-6 306
J.Parker ......349-16 2-2 1-7 3522
Snell..........313-6 0-0 0-1 308
Brogdon.....255-11 4-5 2-6 6317
Beasley......3411-18 5-6 1-5 4228
Monroe......287-13 0-0 4-9 4414
Dellavdova ..222-5 0-0 1-2 504
Terry..........171-2 0-0 0-0 103
Maker........122-2 0-0 0-0 125
Teletovic.......40-1 0-0 0-0 010
Plumlee........21-1 0-0 0-0 002
Totals 44-84 11-13 11-38 32 18 109
Shooting:Field goals, 52.4%; free throws, 84.6%
Three-pointgoals: 10-19(Brogdon3-5, J.Parker
2-3, Snell 2-5, Beasley1-1, Maker 1-1, Terry 1-2,
Antetokounmpo 0-1, Dellavedova 0-1). Team Re-
bounds: 4.Team Turnovers: 12 (17 PTS). Blocked
Shots: 6 (Beasley 3, Antetokounmpo, Brogdon,
Terry). Turnovers: 12 (Beasley 4, Monroe 3, Dellave-
dova 2, Antetokounmpo, Brogdon, Henson). Steals:
8 (Beasley 2, Dellavedova 2, Terry 2, J.Parker, Snell).
Technical Fouls: Defensive three second, 3:59 sec-
ond
SAN ANTONIO
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Lee............255-6 0-0 4-7 1010
Leonard......3610-16 8-10 2-7 2130
Gasol.........283-9 0-0 3-11 406
Green.........265-12 0-0 0-3 0314
T.Parker ......327-15 0-0 0-3 7114
Simmons....225-8 2-2 0-0 0214
Dedmon.....192-6 1-2 4-7 005
Bertans......184-7 0-0 0-0 2211
Mills ..........150-3 0-0 0-2 500
Ginobili......141-6 0-0 0-1 113
Totals 42-88 11-14 13-41 22 10 107
Shooting:Field goals, 47.7%; free throws, 78.6%
Three-pointgoals: 12-30 (Green 4-9, Bertans
3-6, Leonard 2-3, Simmons 2-4, Ginobili1-5, Gasol
0-1, Mills 0-1, T.Parker 0-1). Team Rebounds: 8.
Team Turnovers: 14 (11 PTS). Blocked Shots: 7
(Leonard 3, Bertans, Dedmon, Green, Lee).Turn-
overs:14 (Mills 3, Bertans 2, Gasol 2, Lee 2,T.Parker
2, Ginobili, Green, Leonard). Steals: 5 (Leonard 3,
Dedmon,T.Parker).Technical Fouls: None.
Milwaukee 23 30 30 26—109
San Antonio 23 36 30 18—107
A—18,418. T—2:09. O—Bill Spooner, Brian Forte,
ScottTwardoski
Jazz 100, Cavaliers 92
CLEVELAND
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
James........3610-20 6-7 1-6 5029
Love...........374-14 2-2 0-9 3412
Thompson...355-8 2-5 6-12 1312
Irving.........395-18 8-8 2-4 4320
Liggins.......182-4 0-0 1-2 126
Shumpert...201-5 0-0 1-2 032
Frye ...........181-6 3-3 1-3 025
Korver........1 71 -5 0-0 0-3 012
Jefferson.......90-2 0-0 1-1 010
Felder..........42-3 0-0 0-0 104
Jones...........00-0 0-0 0-0 000
McRae.........00-0 0-0 0-0 000
Totals 31-85 21-25 13-42 15 19 92
Shooting:Field goals, 36.5%; free throws,
84.0%
Three-pointgoals: 9-31 (James 3-6, Liggins 2-3,
Love 2-6, Irving 2-8,Jefferson 0-1, Korver 0-2,
Shumpert 0-2, Frye 0-3). Team Rebounds:10. Team
Turnovers: 16 (23 PTS). Blocked Shots: 2 (Frye, Lig-
gins).Turnovers: 16 (James 4, Irving 3,Jefferson 2,
Liggins 2, Love 2, Fr ye, Kor ver, Thompson). Steals: 6
(James 4, Irving, Liggins).Technical Fouls: James,
2:09 first
UTAH
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Favo rs ........255-10 2-4 1-5 2412
Hayward.....3710-12 4-5 0-9 2128
Gobert.......365-7 1-1 4-14 1311
Hill ............365-11 1-4 1-3 7313
Hood.........357-15 0-0 1-5 3418
Ingles.........262-5 0-0 0-2 515
Lyles..........174-11 2-3 3-5 1112
Johnson......130-5 1-2 1-2 111
Mack...........80-2 0-0 0-1 020
Diaw............20-1 0-0 0-0 010
Totals 38-79 11-19 11-46 22 21 100
Shooting:Field goals, 48.1%; free throws, 57.9%
Three-pointgoals:13-34 (Hayward 4-5, Hood 4-
10, Hill 2-3, Lyles 2-7, Ingles1-4, Mack 0-1, John-
son 0-4).Team Rebounds: 8.Team Turnovers: 18
(17 PTS). Blocked Shots: 4 (Favors, Gobert, Hay-
ward, Lyles).Turnovers: 18 (Gobert 5, Hood 3, Diaw
2, Hill 2, Ingles 2,Favors, Hayward,Johnson, Mack).
Steals: 8 (Gobert 3, Hood 2,Favors, Hayward, In-
gles).Technical Fouls: team, 2:40 second.
Cleveland 29 12 25 26—92
Utah 29 27 19 25—100
A—19,911. T—2:13. O—John Goble, David
Guthrie,Tyler Ford
Warriors 107, Heat 95
MIAMI
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Babbitt.......181-6 0-0 0-1 002
Whiteside...3713-17 2-3 3-20 2328
Dragic........377-16 1-1 0-2 4217
McGruder...310-4 1-2 1-6 231
Waiters.......374-17 0-0 0-3 848
T.Johnson....296-11 3-4 1-7 3318
J.Johnson....2 96 -141-2 0-2 6414
Reed..........111-3 2-2 0-4 024
Ellington.......70-1 3-3 0-0 013
Totals 38-89 13-17 5-45 25 22 95
Shooting:Field goals, 42.7%; free throws,
76.5%
Three-pointgoals: 6-30 (T.Johnson 3-8, Dragic
2-5, J.Johnson1-7, Ellington 0-1, McGruder 0-1,
Babbitt 0-3,Waiters 0-5).Team Rebounds: 4.Team
Turnovers:11 (13 PTS). Blocked Shots: 4 (Whiteside
2, McGruder, Reed).Turnovers: 11 (Whiteside 4,
Dragic 3,J.Johnson 2, Reed,Waiters). Steals: 6
(J.Johnson 2,Waiters 2, Dragic, Whiteside).Techni-
cal Fouls: Defensive three second, 7:22 first
GOLDEN STATE
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Durant........36 10-215-51-8 02 28
Green.........354-115-60-9 50 13
Pachulia......233-5 2-2 1-6 338
Curry..........358-21 4-5 1-8 9024
McCaw........181-3 0-0 0-3 043
Iguodala......284-6 0-0 1-5 409
Clark..........224-9 0-0 0-1 3310
Livingston....173-5 2-4 0-0 138
West...........111-4 0-0 1-5 302
McGee..........91-1 0-0 0-3 012
McAdoo........00-0 0-0 0-0 000
Totals 39-86 18-22 5-48 28 16 107
Shooting:Field goals, 45.3%; free throws,81.8%
Three-pointgoals: 11-27 (Curry 4-11, Durant
3-6, Clark 2-3, Iguodala1-2, McCaw1-2, Green
0-3).Team Rebounds: 9.Team Turnovers: 11 (10
PTS). Blocked Shots: 7 (Durant 2, Green 2, McGee
2, Curry). Turnovers:11 (Curry3, Durant 2,Pachulia
2, Clark, Green, McCaw, McG ee). Steals: 6 (Green
2, Curry, Durant,Pachulia,West). Technical Fouls:
None.
Miami 29 25 14 27—95
Golden State 27 26 26 28—107
A—19,596. T—2:14. O—Courtney Kirkland,
Mitchell Ervin, Karl Lane
Lakers CoachLuke Wal-
tonoften talks with his old
friendandteammateLamar
Odom.Sometimesthe con-
versationturns to Odom’s
future and the possibility of
areturnto basketball in a
coaching capacity.
“I thinkLamarwould be
great,”Waltonsaid. “Ithink
anyone that knowsLamar,
when he’s right,he’s one of
the most likeable people
that they’ve been around. I
think he hasa great knowl-
edge of thegame and has a
great way of communicating
with people.”
Odom was recently
asked byTMZ.com whether
he would be interested inre-
turningto the NBAas a
coach and he saidyes. When
asked whatteam he’d like to
coach with, Odom said,
“With Luke, ifI could.”
Odom isworking to re-
gain stability in hisown life.
According to several re-
ports, Odomrecently left a
treatment center for sub-
stanceabuse after a 30-day
stay. In October of 2 015, he
was hospitalizedafter being
found unconscious inNe-
vada.
At the time,Walto n was
theGolden StateWarriors’
interim headcoach and vis-
ited Odom inthe hospital.
Walton has often spoken
highlyof Odom’s impact on
him and in theLakers locker
room when theywere team-
matesfrom 2004to 2011.
Walton has compared
Lakers guardJordan Clark-
son’s role coming off the
benchto that of Odom,afor-
mer sixth man of theyear.
Hehasalsocomparedguard
LouWilliams’magnetismto
Odom’s.
Streaks a motivator
The Lakers entered
Tuesday’s game agai nst the
TrailBlazersonanine-game
losing streak againstPort-
land. Itwas a pointthe Lak-
ers coaching staff made sure
to note to the team. The only
player whoremained with
the Lakers since thei r last
wi n over the Trail Blazers
wasNick Young.
“You could think it’s a
cakewalk oryou got their
number,” Young said. “For
them, they beat us nine
straight times. They think
they know how to win.”
This season theLakers
have halted long losing
streaks twice. They ended a
losing streakto the Clippers
at11 with a win on Christmas
Day. And after nine straight
lossesto the Oklahoma City
Thunder, the Lakers finally
won on Nov. 22 with a
buzzer-beater from Young.
But theycouldn’t endtheir
streakTuesday against the
Trail Blazers, falling108-87.
The simple to
the spectacular
An adage of Warriors
Coach Steve Kerr has
carriedover to Walton ’s phi-
losophy: The simple often
leads to the spectacular.
Lately, Walton has seen his
team believe in that much
more.
“We’re doing a better job
of just making the simple
play,” Walton said. “It’s what
we pre ach all the time. Make
the simpleplay. Hit the next
openguy no matter who it is.
If we keep playing like that,
then we’re really at our best.
...Open man, open man,
openman,allofasuddenthe
ball’s moved four or five
times and the spectacular
wide-open shot at the endof
it.”
[email protected]
Twitter: @taniaganguli
LAKERS REPORT
Walton would like to
see Odom as a coach
By Tania Ganguli
BOX SCORES
lately the Lakers’ third-
quarter fates had improved.
Heading into Tuesday,
the Lakers were comingoff
consecutive games with
strongthir dquarters—they
beat the Miami Heat,127-100,
and the OrlandoMagic, 111-
95, allowing only nine points
to theMagic in the third
quarter while exte nding
their lead.
“I thoughtwe hadreally
taken a step— a nd we had,”
Walton said.“The Orlando
thirdquarterwasincredible.
We were talking, flying
around on defense. I guess
we had to realizethat what-
ever we’re doing at halftime,
we gotta come out and really
getwarm.We hadsomegood
looks.We weregetting some
stopsearly in the third.We
couldn’t make any of our
shots. IfI hadto guess, our
guys had kind ofgotten sick
of the third-quarter rut
we’re in.”
On Tuesday, they re-
gressed to what plagued
them early in the season.
TheLakers scored only 12
points in the third quarter
on five-for-23 shooting and
making none of their seven
three-point attempts. The
Lakers wereoutscore d, 53-
30, in the second half.
Lillard only had two
points in thefirst half, but
scored11 in the thir d quarter
to helpa TrailBlazersturn-
around. In the middle of Lil-
lard’s resurgence, he and
Russell wereassessedtech-
nical fouls.With 6 minutes 5
secondsremaining in the
third quarter, Russell
blocked one of Lillard’s
shots, then the two ex-
changedwor ds.
“He just shot theball
more,” Russell said ofLil-
lard’s strong second half.
“We didn’t clean up re-
bounds, the ballbounced to
him, he shot it, made shots,
got to the free throw line,
same thing he was tryingto
do the wholegame.”
Walton assured histeam
he knowseventually this will
change. He also made clear
what happened Tuesday
wasn’t acc eptable.
“It’s frustratingto lose,
but I’ve rarely been disap-
pointed in our team
throughoutthe seasonbe-
causeIfeellikeourguyshave
given us a great effort,”Wal-
ton said. “This second half, I
didn’treally recognize that
team out there. Hopefully it
wasjustalittlespeedbump."
[email protected]
Twitter: @taniaganguli
Mark J. TerrillAssociated Press
LAKERSGUARDD’AngeloRussell, left, and Trail Blazers center Mason Plum-
lee go after a rebound in thefirst half.
Lakers manage only 30
points in second half of loss
[La kers,fromD1] TRAIL BLAZERS 108, LAKERS 87
PORTLAND
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Aminu...............293-6 1-2 2-15 418
Harkless............325-6 3-4 0-5 1314
Plumlee.............245-7 1-2 1-7 1511
Lillard...............317-21 5-6 3-8 6320
McCollum..........3310-18 3-4 0-1 4225
Turner ...............263-9 0-0 0-3 716
Crabbe..............264-8 0-0 0-1 029
Davis................213-6 2-2 3-8 038
Vonleh ................50-0 0-0 0-0 010
Napier................21-1 0-0 0-1 102
Layman...............22-3 0-0 0-0 005
Leonard..............20-0 0-0 0-1 000
Connghton...........20-0 0-0 0-0 100
Totals 43-85 15-20 9-50 25 21 108
Shooting:Field goals, 50.6%; free throws, 75.0%
Three-pointgoals: 7-21 (McCollum 2-5, Layman1-1,
Aminu1-2, Harkless1-2, Crabbe1-3, Lillard1-6, Turner
0-2).Team Rebounds: 9.Team Turnovers: 11 (11 PTS).
Blocked Shots: 9 (Aminu 3, Harkless 3, Plumlee 2, Lil-
lard).Turnovers: 11 (Plumlee 3, Aminu 2, Harkless 2,
Lillard 2, Crabbe, McCollum). Steals: 6 (McCollum 2,
Crabbe, Davis, Harkless, Plumlee).Technical Fouls: De-
fensive three second, 2:57 first
LAKERS
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Deng................295-10 3-4 4-6 0014
Randle..............262-9 2-4 2-10 356
Young ...............27 2-9 2-3 0-0 118
Mozgov..............204-8 0-0 1-2 038
Russell..............304-14 1-4 0-8 639
Ingram..............253-6 3-6 0-4 2011
Clarkson............223-9 1-1 0-1 129
Black................160-0 2-4 1-4 112
Williams............164-10 0-0 0-0 1110
Robinson...........154-6 0-0 1-2 228
Huertas...............31-1 0-0 0-1 102
Calderon.............20-0 0-0 0-0 000
World Peace.........20-1 0-0 0-0 000
Totals 32-83 14-26 9-38 18 18 87
Shooting:Field goals, 38.6%; free throws, 53.8%
Three-pointgoals: 9-24 (Ingram 2-2,Williams 2-3,
Clarkson 2-5,Young 2-5, Deng1-2, Russell 0-7).Team
Rebounds:13. Team Turnovers: 10 (9 PTS). Blocked
Shots: 5 (Ingram, Mozgov, Robinson, Russell,Young).
Turnovers: 10 (Mozgov 2, R andle 2, Russell 2, Black,
Ingram, Robinson,Williams). Steals: 7 (Russell 3, Clark-
son 2, Deng,Young).Technical Fouls: Russell, 6:05
third.
Portland 25 30 23 30—108
LAKERS 26 31 12 18—87
A—18,483. T—2:07. O—Leroy Richardson, James Ca-
pers, Aaron Smith
Rockets 121, Hornets 114
CHARLOTTE
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Kidd-Glchrst.330-6 0-0 1-6 430
Williams......256-10 1-2 1-8 0316
Hibbert.......182-2 0-0 2-5 034
Lamb..........274-12 2-2 0-5 4311
Walker ........36 9-20 2-3 1-6 10 125
Belinelli.......286-13 0-0 0-3 6115
Kaminsky....278-14 2-2 0-3 1122
Hawes.........24 7-10 0-0 0-5 4616
Sessions.....142-5 0-0 0-1 105
Graham........30-0 0-0 0-1 000
Totals 44-92 7-9 5-43 30 21 114
Shooting:Field goals, 47.8%; free throws,
77.8%
Three-pointgoals: 19-43 (Walker 5-11, Kamin-
sky 4-9,Williams 3-5, Belinelli 3-9, Hawes 2-4,
Sessions1-1, Lamb1-4). Team Rebounds: 6.Team
Turnovers: 11 (13 PTS). Blocked Shots: 4 (Hibbert
2, Kidd-Gilchrist,Walker).Turnovers: 11 (Walker 5,
Belinelli 3, Hawes, Kaminsky, Sessions). Steals: 3
(Lamb,Walker, Williams).Technical Fouls: None.
HOUSTON
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Anderson....355-12 0-0 2-3 1113
Ariza ..........395-10 3-5 0-4 3116
Harrell........295-5 4-6 1-3 2114
Beverley .....322-10 2-2 1-8 548
Harden.......3711-24 11-14 1-15 10 340
Brewer........257-10 0-0 0-5 0315
Dekker.......202-5 0-0 0-1 315
Hilario........183-6 4-6 1-5 1310
Totals 40-82 24-33 6-44 25 17 121
Shooting:Field goals, 48.8%; free throws,
72.7%
Three-pointgoals: 17-39 (Harden 7-14, Ariza
3-6, Anderson 3-7, Beverley 2-8, Brewer1-2, Dek-
ker 1-2). Team Rebounds: 8.Team Turnovers: 10
(19 PTS). Blocked Shots: 5 (Harrell 3, Hilario 2).
Turnovers: 10 (Harden 4, Beverley 2, Hilario 2,
Brewer, Dekker). Steals: 8 (Anderson 2, Harrell 2,
Ariza, Brewer, Dekker, Hilario).Technical Fouls:
None.
Charlotte 26 21 32 35—114
Houston 32 35 29 25—121
A—16,196. T—2:08. O—Rodney Mott, JustinVan
Duyne, Marc Davis