D6 S LATIMES.COM/SPORTS
NBA
Standings have been arranged to reflect how the teams will be
determined for the playoffs. Teams are ranked 1-15 by record. Divi-
sion 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 Confer-
ence divisions: S-Southwest; P-Pacific; N-Northwest; Eastern Con-
ference divisions: A-Atlantic; C-Central; S-Southeast).
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Team W L PCT GB L10 Rk.- LAKERS 10 2 .833 9-1 P1
- Houston 9 3 .750 1 8-2 S1
- Denver 8 3 .727 11 ⁄ 2 7-3 N1
- Utah 8 4 .667 2 7-3 N2
- Phoenix 7 4 .636 21 ⁄ 2 6-4 P2
- CLIPPERS 7 5 .583 3 5-5 P3
- Minnesota 7 5 .583 3 5-5 N3
- Dallas 6 5 .545 31 ⁄ 2 5-5 S2
- Memphis 5 7 .417 5 5-5 S3
- San Antonio 5 7 .417 5 3-7 S4
- Oklahoma City 5 7 .417 5 5-5 N4
- Sacramento 4 7 .364 51 ⁄ 2 4-6 P4
- Portland 4 8 .333 6 3-7 N5
- New Orleans 3 8 .273 61 ⁄ 2 3-7 S5
- Golden State 2 11 .154 81 ⁄ 2 1-9 P5
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Team W L PCT GB L10 Rk.
1.Boston 10 1 .909 10-0 A1
2.Miami 8 3 .727 2 7-3 S1
2.Milwaukee 8 3 .727 2 7-3 C1
2.Toronto 8 3 .727 2 7-3 A25.Philadelphia 7 5 .583 (^31) ⁄ 2 5-5 A3
5.Indiana 7 5 .583 (^31) ⁄ 2 7-3 C2
7.Charlotte 5 7 .417 (^51) ⁄ 2 4-6 S2
7.Orlando 5 7 .417 (^51) ⁄ 2 4-6 S3
- Cleveland 4 7 .364 6 4-6 C3
- Atlanta 4 7 .364 6 3-7 S4
- Brooklyn 4 7 .364 6 4-6 A4
- Chicago 4 8 .333 61 ⁄ 2 3-7 C4
- Detroit 4 9 .308 7 3-7 C5
- Washington 3 7 .300 61 ⁄ 2 3-7 S5
- New York 3 9 .250 71 ⁄ 2 3-7 A5
STANDINGS
James Harden scored 44 points
and the Houston Rockets used a
big fourth-quarter run to pull away
for a 111-102 victory on Friday night
to snap the Indiana Pacers’ four-
game winning streak.
Houston has won a season-high
six games in a row and Harden has
scored 36 points or more in five
straight games.
Houston used a 14-0 spurt to
make it 94-88 with about five min-
utes left. Harden took over in that
stretch, scoring the last 12 points
and making two three-pointers.
Washington 137, at Minnesota 116:
Bradley Beal scored 44 points for
the second straight game and the
Wizards ended a three-game losing
streak. Moe Wagner came off the
bench to add 30 points and 15 re-
bounds, both career highs, and
drew three charges. Karl-Anthony
Towns scored 36 on his 24th birth-
day to lead the Timberwolves.
at Charlotte 109, Detroit 106: Malik
Monk hit a three at the buzzer to
stop a four-game skid and send the
Pistons to their fourth loss in a row.
Boston 105, at Golden State 100:
Jayson Tatum scored a game-high
24 points and dunked to put the
Celtics ahead in their 10th straight
win since losing the season opener.
The Warriors have lost six in a row.
at Oklahoma City 127, Philadel-
phia 119 (OT): Danilo Gallinari
scored 28 points, Chris Paul 27 and
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 24 to lift
the Thunder to an overtime win
over the 76ers, who have lost five of
seven.
at Orlando 111, San Antonio 109:
Evan Fournier scored 26 points,
hitting two late three-pointers, and
the Magic handed the Spurs their
fourth straight loss.
at Memphis 107, Utah 106: Ja Mor-
ant scored 25 points, including the
go-ahead basket, and the Grizzlies
spoiled the return of Mike Conley
in winning their third in a row.
“He’s incredible,” teammate Jaren
Jackson Jr. said of Morant. “His
change of speeds, change of direc-
tion is just different. It’s something
you don’t find too often. It’s kind of
a once-in-a-lifetime talent.” Conley
struggled, scoring 15 points on five-
for-19 shooting. Donovan Mitchell,
stripped on Utah’s final play, said,
“I got fouled. Really not much else
to it. They defended it well, but hit
my whole arm. This is the third
time it’s happened at the end of the
game and haven’t gotten a foul call,
which at this point is ridiculous.”
at Lakers 99, Sacramento 97
— associated press
RESULTS
Harden scores 44;
Rockets’ streak at six
HOUSTON 111
INDIANA 102
Magic 111, Spurs 109
SAN ANTONIO
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Aldridge......315-13 1-1 0-6 2 4 13
DeRozan.....369-15 3-3 0-2 5 6 21
Lyles ..........27 3-7 0-0 5-12 0 3 8
Forbes........294-13 0-0 0-1 1 0 12
Murray .......20 5-6 0-0 1-5 6 4 10
White.........21 1-4 0-0 0-1 4 3 3
Gay............206-12 0-0 1-4 1 2 14
Mills ..........19 6-9 0-1 0-1 1 1 13
Poeltl.........16 4-4 1-2 1-5 2 0 9
Belinelli ......16 2-6 1-3 0-4 1 2 6
Totals 45-89 6-10 8-41 23 25 109
Shooting: Field goals, 50.6%; free throws, 60.0%
Three-point goals: 13-26 (Forbes 4-7, Aldridge 2-3,
Lyles 2-4, Gay 2-5, Belinelli 1-1, White 1-2, Mills 1-3, Mur-
ray 0-1). Team Rebounds: 8. Team Turnovers: 11 (20 PTS).
Blocked Shots: 8 (Aldridge 5, White 2, Poeltl). Turnovers:
11 (DeRozan 2, Gay 2, Lyles 2, Murray 2, White 2, Poeltl).
Steals: 8 (Mills 3, Poeltl 2, DeRozan, Forbes, Murray).
Technical Fouls: coach Spurs (Defensive three second),
11:44 second.
ORLANDO
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Aminu ........30 4-8 4-6 5-13 1 0 13
Gordon.......354-15 5-8 3-8 4 3 14
Vucevic.......364-16 1-2 4-13 4 2 10
Fournier......329-15 3-4 1-4 3 1 26
Fultz ..........24 3-8 7-7 0-2 4 0 13
Ross ..........277-13 3-3 0-2 1 2 20
Augustin .....25 4-8 1-1 0-3 4 0 10
Bamba.......11 0-1 0-0 1-3 0 1 0
Crtr-Willms....8 1-3 1-1 0-0 0 3 3
Iwundu.........6 0-0 2-2 0-0 1 1 2
Totals 36-87 27-34 14-48 22 13 111
Shooting: Field goals, 41.4%; free throws, 79.4%
Three-point goals: 12-29 (Fournier 5-6, Ross 3-8, Vuce-
vic 1-1, Aminu 1-2, Augustin 1-3, Gordon 1-6, Bamba 0-1,
Carter-Williams 0-1, Fultz 0-1). Team Rebounds: 9. Team
Turnovers: 10 (21 PTS). Blocked Shots: 5 (Vucevic 3, Cart-
er-Williams, Gordon). Turnovers: 10 (Bamba 2, Fournier 2,
Gordon 2, Vucevic 2, Aminu, Ross). Steals: 6 (Aminu 2,
Fultz 2, Augustin, Fournier). Technical Fouls: None.
San Antonio 31 25 26 27— 109
Orlando 24 23 32 32— 111
A—16,296. T—2:14. O—Marat Kogut, Tony Brown, Aaron
SmithRockets 111, Pacers 102
INDIANA
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Sampson....16 2-3 0-0 1-2 0 2 4
Warren .......22 1-8 5-6 0-2 0 6 8
Sabonis......356-12 6-8 3-13 3 4 18
Brogdon .......9 1-4 0-0 0-1 4 0 2
A.Holiday....274-11 2-2 1-4 5 5 12
J.Holiday.....394-13 0-0 0-5 3 2 10
McDermott..32 7-15 1-1 0-5 0 2 18
McConnell ..22 5-7 2-3 0-0 7 2 12
Bitadze.......18 2-3 2-2 0-3 1 2 6
Leaf...........15 5-6 2-4 3-7 1 0 12
Totals 37-82 20-26 8-42 24 25 102
Shooting: Field goals, 45.1%; free throws,
76.9%
Three-point goals: 8-33 (McDermott 3-6, A.Hol-
iday 2-7, J.Holiday 2-11, Warren 1-5, Sampson 0-1,
Brogdon 0-3). Team Rebounds: 18. Team Turn-
overs: 16 (16 PTS). Blocked Shots: 2 (Bitadze,
Sampson). Turnovers: 16 (Sabonis 4, A.Holiday 3,
McConnell 3, McDermott 2, Warren 2, Brogdon,
Sampson). Steals: 2 (A.Holiday, Leaf). Technical
Fouls: Warren, 7:32 third.
HOUSTON
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
McLemore...32 6-13 5-6 1-3 0 2 21
Tucker ........39 2-6 0-1 1-12 0 4 5
Chandler.....24 1-2 0-0 4-6 0 2 2
Harden.......4013-26 12-14 0-8 5 4 44
Westbrook...355-21 6-6 3-8 6 4 17
Rivers.........304-10 2-2 1-5 1 1 10
Sefolosha ...13 2-5 0-0 0-1 0 4 5
Hartenstein .13 2-2 0-0 0-0 0 2 4
Clemons.......7 1-3 0-0 0-1 0 0 3
Clark............3 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 36-89 25-29 10-44 12 23 111
Shooting: Field goals, 40.4%; free throws,
86.2%
Three-point goals: 14-46 (Harden 6-14,
McLemore 4-11, Clemons 1-2, Sefolosha 1-4,
Tucker 1-4, Westbrook 1-6, Clark 0-1, Rivers 0-4).
Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: 8 (7 PTS).
Blocked Shots: 3 (Chandler, Hartenstein, Tucker).
Turnovers: 8 (Harden 3, Chandler, Clemons,
McLemore, Tucker, Westbrook). Steals: 11 (Harden
4, Rivers 2, Tucker 2, Chandler, Sefolosha, West-
brook). Technical Fouls: coach Rockets (Defensive
three second), 1:50 first.
Indiana 22 27 30 23— 102
Houston 26 28 26 31— 111
A—18,055. T—2:16. O—Leon Wood, Ken Mauer,
Nick BuchertCeltics 105, Warriors 100
BOSTON
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Brown ........349-17 1-2 1-8 3 4 22
Tatum.........378-23 6-7 3-8 1 3 24
Theis..........21 3-7 1-3 2-7 0 5 7
Smart ........345-12 0-0 2-3 4 2 15
Walker........346-19 5-5 0-5 5 2 20
Wanamaker .18 2-4 5-6 0-1 3 1 9
Williams.....15 1-1 0-0 0-3 1 2 2
Kanter ........14 2-3 0-0 1-5 1 3 4
Edwards.....12 0-4 0-0 0-2 2 1 0
Williams III..10 0-0 0-0 2-5 3 0 0
Ojeleye.........4 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 1 2
Totals 37-91 18-23 11-47 24 24 105
Shooting: Field goals, 40.7%; free throws, 78.3%
Three-point goals: 13-33 (Smart 5-9, Brown 3-3,
Walker 3-12, Tatum 2-7, Edwards 0-1, Theis 0-1). Team
Rebounds: 3. Team Turnovers: 14 (19 PTS). Blocked Shots:
6 (Kanter 2, Smart, Theis, Walker, Williams). Turnovers: 14
(Williams 3, Brown 2, Kanter 2, Smart 2, Tatum 2, Wana-
maker 2, Walker). Steals: 13 (Brown 3, Tatum 3, Smart 2,
Theis 2, Walker, Wanamaker, Williams). Technical Fouls:
None.
GOLDEN STATE
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
D.Green ......34 3-6 4-5 1-11 4 3 11
Paschall.....336-14 3-5 0-8 1 3 16
Cauley-Stein25 5-6 0-0 1-8 2 0 10
Robinson III.32 3-11 2-2 1-4 1 1 9
Russell .......255-10 1-2 0-2 7 3 12
Burks.........304-11 11-12 0-3 1 3 20
Poole .........21 1-8 2-2 0-6 1 4 4
Bowman .....13 3-8 0-0 2-3 1 2 6
Chriss ........12 2-3 0-0 0-2 0 0 4
Spellman ....11 2-5 4-6 7-8 0 0 8
Totals 34-82 27-34 12-55 18 19 100
Shooting: Field goals, 41.5%; free throws, 79.4%
Three-point goals: 5-28 (Robinson III 1-2, Burks 1-3,
D.Green 1-4, Paschall 1-4, Russell 1-6, Chriss 0-1, Spell-
man 0-1, Bowman 0-2, Poole 0-5). Team Rebounds: 9.
Team Turnovers: 19 (22 PTS). Blocked Shots: 4 (Cauley-
Stein, D.Green, Russell, Spellman). Turnovers: 19 (Russell
9, D.Green 2, Paschall 2, Spellman 2, Bowman, Cauley-
Stein, Chriss, Poole). Steals: 8 (D.Green 2, Bowman, Burks,
Cauley-Stein, Poole, Robinson III, Russell). Technical
Fouls: None.
Boston 23 29 24 29— 105
Golden State 32 19 20 29— 100
A—18,064. T—2:25. O—J.T. Orr, Michael Smith,
David GuthrieNBA
TODAY’S GAMES
Favorite Line Underdog Time
at CLIPPERS 121 ⁄ 2 Atlanta 7:30 p.m.
at Chicago 1 Brooklyn 3 p.m.
Milwaukee 51 ⁄ 2 at Indiana 4 p.m.
at New York 4 Charlotte 4:30 p.m.
at Minnesota OFF Houston 5 p.m.
at Miami OFF New Orleans 5 p.m.
at Dallas 31 ⁄ 2 Toronto 5:30 p.m.
at San Antonio 2 Portland 5:30 p.m.
Hornets 109, Pistons 106
DETROIT
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Griffin.........296-19 6-6 1-3 6 1 19
Snell............8 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 1 0
Drummond .38 8-16 0-0 3-20 2 3 16
Brown ........22 2-4 0-0 0-1 7 3 5
Kennard .....37 2-5 0-0 0-5 5 3 5
Galloway.....3711-16 3-3 1-2 1 1 32
Rose..........26 6-7 2-2 0-2 3 2 16
Morris ........18 3-9 0-0 2-7 1 2 8
Mykhailiuk ..11 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Wood ...........6 2-3 0-0 0-1 0 1 5
Maker ..........3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Totals 40-81 11-11 7-42 25 19 106
Shooting: Field goals, 49.4%; free throws, 0.0%
Three-point goals: 15-35 (Galloway 7-11, Rose
2-2, Morris 2-5, Wood 1-1, Brown 1-2, Kennard
1-4, Griffin 1-8, Mykhailiuk 0-2). Team Rebounds:- Team Turnovers: 19 (27 PTS). Blocked Shots: 3
(Brown, Griffin, Kennard). Turnovers: 19 (Rose 6,
Drummond 4, Griffin 4, Morris 3, Brown, Wood).
Steals: 3 (Brown, Griffin, Morris). Technical Fouls:
None.
CHARLOTTE
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Bridges.......24 3-6 0-0 0-2 1 2 7
Washington .18 4-7 0-0 0-5 1 1 11
Zeller.........28 4-9 1-1 4-7 1 4 10
Graham......388-23 0-0 3-5 10 2 18
Rozier ........328-18 1-1 1-5 2 1 19
Williams.....29 3-8 0-0 1-4 0 1 8
Co.Martin...26 2-6 3-6 3-6 5 1 7
Monk .........218-12 1-2 0-4 1 2 19
Biyombo .....20 3-7 4-6 2-3 1 3 10
Totals 43-96 10-16 14-41 22 17 109
Shooting: Field goals, 44.8%; free throws,
62.5%
Three-point goals: 13-35 (Washington 3-3,
Monk 2-4, Williams 2-5, Rozier 2-6, Graham 2-12,
Zeller 1-1, Bridges 1-2, Co.Martin 0-2). Team Re-
bounds: 10. Team Turnovers: 10 (11 PTS). Blocked
Shots: 3 (Biyombo, Bridges, Washington). Turn-
overs: 10 (Bridges 3, Monk 2, Graham, Rozier,
Washington, Williams, Zeller). Steals: 10 (Co.Mar-
tin 3, Rozier 3, Williams 2, Washington, Zeller).
Technical Fouls: coach Hornets (Defensive three
second), 4:57 second
Detroit 35 30 18 23— 106
Charlotte 25 26 32 26— 109
A—16,778. T—2:14. O—Kevin Scott, Tre Mad-
dox, Matt Myers
Lakers 99, Kings 97
SACRAMENTO
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Barnes .......373-10 2-2 0-8 6 2 9
Bjelica........22 4-7 0-0 1-4 1 5 11
Holmes ......297-10 3-3 2-8 0 5 17
Hield..........376-15 3-3 3-8 3 4 21
Joseph.......23 1-9 0-0 1-5 5 2 2
Bogdanovic .36 7-13 1-1 1-3 5 2 18
Ferrell........286-12 0-0 1-1 3 0 14
Dedmon .....15 2-4 0-0 0-5 0 1 5
Gabriel .........4 0-1 0-0 1-1 0 1 0
Giles III........2 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
Jeffries .........1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 36-82 9-9 10-43 24 22 97
Shooting: Field goals, 43.9%; free throws, 0.0%
Three-point goals: 16-39 (Hield 6-14, Bjelica 3-4, Bog-
danovic 3-5, Ferrell 2-6, Dedmon 1-2, Barnes 1-5, Gabriel
0-1, Joseph 0-2). Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: 17
(11 PTS). Blocked Shots: 0. Turnovers: 17 (Hield 5, Barnes
3, Bjelica 3, Bogdanovic 3, Dedmon, Ferrell, Joseph).
Steals: 7 (Bjelica 2, Bogdanovic 2, Barnes, Giles III, Hield).
Technical Fouls: coach Kings (Defensive three second),
11:46 second.
LAKERS
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Davis .........355-12 7-9 0-5 2 2 17
L.James......3810-20 7-7 3-4 11 1 29
McGee.......12 1-5 0-0 3-7 1 1 2
Cldwll-Pope .24 6-10 1-1 1-3 0 2 16
Green.........26 2-8 1-1 2-4 0 1 6
Caruso .......284-10 0-0 0-0 3 3 10
Kuzma........26 4-9 2-2 0-5 1 2 13
Howard......21 1-1 2-2 1-7 0 3 4
Rondo........18 0-3 0-0 0-3 4 2 0
Cook............4 1-2 0-0 0-2 0 0 2
Dudley .........3 0-1 0-0 0-1 0 1 0
Totals 34-81 20-22 10-41 22 18 99
Shooting: Field goals, 42.0%; free throws, 90.9%
Three-point goals: 11-37 (Caldwell-Pope 3-5, Kuzma
3-7, Caruso 2-7, L.James 2-7, Green 1-6, Rondo 0-2, Davis
0-3). Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: 13 (11 PTS).
Blocked Shots: 6 (Davis 4, Green, Howard). Turnovers: 13
(Davis 4, Kuzma 2, L.James 2, Rondo 2, Caldwell-Pope,
Green, Howard). Steals: 11 (Caruso 3, L.James 3, Green 2,
Caldwell-Pope, Davis, Rondo). Technical Fouls: None.
Sacramento 30 20 21 26— 97
Lakers 20 29 25 25— 99
A—18,997. T—2:16. O—Sean Wright, Rodney Mott,
Natalie SagoGrizzlies 107, Jazz 106
UTAH
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Bogdanovic .34 6-15 5-6 1-1 0 1 20
O’Neale ......34 1-5 2-2 0-8 3 4 5
Gobert .......369-11 5-7 7-17 1 1 23
Conley........355-19 3-5 1-4 3 1 15
Mitchell ......369-21 10-10 0-9 5 3 29
Green.........20 0-5 2-2 0-1 1 1 2
Ingles.........17 2-4 0-0 0-2 2 2 5
Mudiay .......12 3-4 0-0 0-1 2 1 7
Bradley.......11 0-3 0-0 0-2 0 2 0
Totals 35-87 27-32 9-45 17 16 106
Shooting: Field goals, 40.2%; free throws, 84.4%
Three-point goals: 9-34 (Bogdanovic 3-7, Conley 2-8,
Mudiay 1-2, Ingles 1-3, O’Neale 1-4, Mitchell 1-8, Green
0-2). Team Rebounds: 16. Team Turnovers: 14 (16 PTS).
Blocked Shots: 6 (Gobert 5, Mitchell). Turnovers: 14 (Gob-
ert 3, Mudiay 3, Green 2, Mitchell 2, Bogdanovic, Bradley,
Conley, Ingles). Steals: 5 (Mitchell 2, Conley, Green,
O’Neale). Technical Fouls: None.
MEMPHIS
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Crowder......30 4-8 0-0 0-10 4 2 11
Jackson Jr. ..28 4-13 1-1 3-7 1 6 9
Valanciunas 29 4-6 2-2 1-8 2 3 10
Brooks.......307-15 3-4 0-2 2 5 20
Morant.......309-22 5-6 1-4 8 0 25
Anderson ....22 6-9 0-0 2-7 2 2 13
Hill............19 1-4 0-0 1-4 0 1 2
Clarke ........18 5-7 0-0 1-4 0 1 10
Jones .........17 3-6 0-0 0-0 5 1 7
Guduric ......12 0-6 0-0 0-0 1 2 0
Totals 43-96 11-13 9-46 25 23 107
Shooting: Field goals, 44.8%; free throws, 84.6%
Three-point goals: 10-35 (Brooks 3-6, Crowder 3-6,
Morant 2-6, Anderson 1-2, Jones 1-2, Valanciunas 0-1, Hill
0-2, Guduric 0-4, Jackson Jr. 0-6). Team Rebounds: 5.
Team Turnovers: 11 (8 PTS). Blocked Shots: 5 (Anderson,
Brooks, Clarke, Jackson Jr., Valanciunas). Turnovers: 11
(Brooks 2, Clarke 2, Morant 2, Valanciunas 2, Anderson,
Crowder, Guduric). Steals: 6 (Jones 2, Brooks, Clarke, Hill,
Morant). Technical Fouls: Crowder, 4:40 fourth.
Utah 26 22 31 27— 106
Memphis 23 30 24 30— 107
A—16,422. T—2:17. O—James Capers, Mark Lindsay,
Matt BolandWizards 137, Timberwolves 116
WASHINGTON
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Brown Jr......26 5-8 1-2 1-7 2 0 11
Hachimura ..25 4-10 0-0 1-4 3 1 8
Bryant........22 5-9 2-2 5-9 2 4 12
Beal...........3615-22 13-14 0-3 10 3 44
Thomas ......23 4-8 0-0 0-1 5 2 10
Wagner.......2513-15 0-2 2-15 2 5 30
Bertans ......244-10 0-0 3-4 3 2 8
Smith.........21 0-5 0-0 1-4 3 2 0
McRae.......18 1-8 0-0 0-4 7 2 3
Miles .........12 2-4 3-5 0-0 1 1 8
Bonga..........2 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 3
Totals 54-100 19-25 13-51 38 22 137
Shooting: Field goals, 54.0%; free throws, 76.0%
Three-point goals: 10-28 (Wagner 4-4, Thomas 2-2,
Bonga 1-1, McRae 1-3, Miles 1-3, Beal 1-5, Brown Jr. 0-2,
Bryant 0-2, Hachimura 0-2, Bertans 0-4). Team Rebounds:- Team Turnovers: 13 (13 PTS). Blocked Shots: 5 (McRae
2, Beal, Bertans, Wagner). Turnovers: 13 (Beal 5,
Hachimura 2, Wagner 2, Brown Jr., Bryant, McRae, Miles).
Steals: 10 (Beal 2, Brown Jr. 2, Hachimura 2, Miles 2,
Thomas, Wagner). Technical Fouls: coach Scott Brooks,
8:30 second.
MINNESOTA
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Covington...26 6-9 4-5 0-6 1 3 20
Graham ......23 2-7 0-0 1-5 2 3 4
Towns.........3313-18 6-8 2-10 3 1 36
Culver ........304-10 1-4 1-3 3 3 11
Teague.......284-13 5-6 1-1 11 0 13
Layman ......27 2-7 0-0 1-4 1 1 4
Okogie.......275-10 2-2 1-6 2 2 12
Martin ........12 3-9 0-0 0-1 0 2 6
Dieng.........11 1-1 0-0 1-4 2 2 3
Vonleh..........9 2-2 2-2 0-0 1 2 6
Bell .............4 0-3 1-2 0-2 0 0 1
Bates-Diop...4 0-0 0-0 1-1 0 1 0
Totals 42-89 21-29 9-43 26 20 116
Shooting: Field goals, 47.2%; free throws, 72.4%
Three-point goals: 11-37 (Covington 4-6, Towns 4-6,
Culver 2-5, Dieng 1-1, Bell 0-1, Okogie 0-2, Layman 0-3,
Teague 0-3, Graham 0-4, Martin 0-6). Team Rebounds: 8.
Team Turnovers: 20 (27 PTS). Blocked Shots: 5 (Dieng 2,
Bates-Diop, Teague, Towns). Turnovers: 20 (Towns 7,
Teague 4, Layman 3, Culver 2, Graham, Martin, Okogie,
Vonleh). Steals: 6 (Culver 3, Covington, Graham, Okogie).
Technical Fouls: Graham, 4:31 first
Washington 39 37 26 35— 137
Minnesota 30 43 19 24— 116
A—12,716. T—2:19. O—Haywoode Workman, Marc
Davis, Dedric Taylor
Thunder 127, 76ers 119, OT
PHILADELPHIA
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Harris.........388-16 2-2 0-6 3 6 21
Horford.......365-12 1-2 2-4 5 3 12
Embiid .......3712-24 3-6 2-12 2 4 31
Richardson..33 10-15 5-6 1-3 2 5 28
Simmons....45 6-8 4-6 7-11 8 6 16
Korkmaz .....25 1-7 0-0 0-0 2 2 3
Scott..........18 1-2 0-0 0-4 1 1 3
Ennis III ......17 1-3 0-0 1-2 0 1 2
Neto............6 1-2 0-0 0-1 0 2 3
Thybulle........4 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 2 0
Totals 45-90 15-22 13-43 24 32 119
Shooting: Field goals, 50.0%; free throws,
68.2%
Three-point goals: 14-32 (Embiid 4-8, Harris
3-4, Richardson 3-6, Neto 1-2, Scott 1-2, Horford
1-4, Korkmaz 1-4, Ennis III 0-1, Thybulle 0-1). Team
Rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: 14 (19 PTS).
Blocked Shots: 0. Turnovers: 14 (Simmons 5, Rich-
ardson 4, Harris 3, Embiid, Thybulle). Steals: 6
(Horford 2, Embiid, Ennis III, Richardson, Sim-
mons). Technical Fouls: coach 76ers (Defensive
three second), 4:19 first
OKLAHOMA CITY
Min FG-A FT-A OR-T A P T
Ferguson....38 7-9 0-0 0-1 2 3 19
Gallinari .....367-11 11-110-7 2 2 28
Adams.......31 3-6 1-2 4-7 4 2 7
Gilgs-Alxdr ..40 9-19 5-6 0-2 3 2 24
Paul...........387-13 12-121-8 5 3 27
Schroder.....25 3-9 2-4 0-1 4 2 8
Noel ..........17 2-3 2-2 1-7 1 6 6
Bazley........16 2-2 1-2 0-1 0 0 5
Nader ........16 1-3 1-2 0-1 0 3 3
Muscala.......4 0-1 0-0 0-1 1 0 0
Totals 41-76 35-41 6-36 22 23 127
Shooting: Field goals, 53.9%; free throws,
85.4%
Three-point goals: 10-24 (Ferguson 5-7, Galli-
nari 3-5, Gilgeous-Alexander 1-3, Paul 1-3, Nader
0-1, Schroder 0-5). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turn-
overs: 13 (19 PTS). Blocked Shots: 3 (Adams 2,
Nader). Turnovers: 13 (Noel 4, Gallinari 3,
Gilgeous-Alexander 2, Schroder 2, Adams, Nader).
Steals: 7 (Gilgeous-Alexander 2, Noel 2, Adams,
Ferguson, Nader). Technical Fouls: None.
Philadelphia 29 20 34 24 12— 119
Okla. City 24 30 26 27 20— 127
A—18,203. T—2:36. O—Tony Brothers, Karl
Lane, Derek Richardsoners made by McGruder as
part of a 20-point night. Con-
sider that he’d started the
season scoreless in 67 min-
utes.
“It’s basketball, it comes
around,” McGruder said.
“You just have to stay per-
sistent, stay locked in, stay
focused and anything can
happen.”
Said Rivers: “We told
him, he’s a shooter. I think if
you say it enough, you start
becoming one.”
Rivers expressed “zero
concern” this week about
the roster’s three-point
struggles, saying the at-
tempts were quality looks
taken by shooters with his-
tories of accuracy.
“It’s funny, even our staff,
no one talks about it,” Rivers
said. “I watch them shoot ev-
ery day and they go in.”
Still, typically dead-eye
guards Landry Shamet, a
career 41.4% three-point
shooter making 36% of his
attempts this season, and
Patrick Beverley (37.3% for
his career, 15.2% this season)
had experienced more in-
consistency than expected.
Even the most promising
looks proved troublesome
during Wednesday’s loss in
Houston. The Clippers
missed 14 of their 20 three-
pointers in which the closest
Rockets defender was at
least six feet away, shots
classified by the NBA as
“wide open.”
If the struggles were be-
fuddling, they weren’t yet
unnerving. The Clippers’ of-
fense isn’t reliant on three-
pointers, with slightly more
than a quarter of their
points coming from behind
the arc, the fourth-lowest“My body feels good,”
George said. “I knew I was
healthy and I knew I was
100%, shoulder-wise.”
The performance paves
the way for George to play
alongside Kawhi Leonard in
a superstar pairing that has
been anticipated ever since
they joined the Clippers on
the same July night and
turned them into champi-
onship contenders by the
time the sun rose the follow-
ing morning.
It could happen as early
as Saturday, when Atlanta
visits Staples Center,
though the team listed
Leonard as questionable to
face the Hawks because of
left knee injury manage-
ment.
Even coach Doc Rivers
doesn’t quite know what to
expect from their first action
together. George was medi-
cally cleared for full contact
last week, and during his
lone practice since, he
played with Clippers re-
serves facing Leonard’s
starters. The unknown isn’t
so much how George and
Leonard will play, especially
after George’s smooth offen-
sive debut, but how the
other three Clippers sur-
rounding them will mesh.
“It’s gonna be crazy,”
teammate Rodney Mc-
Gruder said. “Him, Kawhi
and Lou [Williams]? It’s
gonna be a lot of fun, for
sure.”
But George’s return
wasn’t the only one the Clip-
pers gladly welcomed
Thursday.
If the Clippers’ three-
point shooting hadn’t been
missing as long as George,
who played his first game
since April 23, it only felt like
it.
Entering Thursday ran-
ked 27th in three-point accu-
racy, making just 32.2% of
their attempts, the Clippers
made 11 of their 24 shots from
deep against the Pelicans.
George made three of his five
to back up his feeling that his
repaired shoulders felt good
and pick up where he left off
last season, when he made a
career-high 3.8 three-point-
ers a game on 38% shooting
in Oklahoma City.
More surprising were the
career-high five three-point-share in the NBA. The
league’s most prolific shoot-
er, Houston’s James Hard-
en, makes nearly half as
many three-pointers per
game as the entire Clippers’
roster.
They’ve compensated in
other ways. Leonard is a rare
practitioner of the art of
midrange jumpers. The
Clippers live at the free-
throw line, where their 27 at-
tempts per game are third
most in the league, and score
a larger percentage of their
points in the paint and off
turnovers than the league
average.
A similar formula was
used last season to create
one of the league’s top of-
fenses despite attempting
the third-fewest three-
pointers per game. The ma-
jor difference, of course, was
that last season the Clippers
ranked second in accuracy
from deep at 38.8%.
The Clippers’ 33% three-
point shooting ranks 23rd.
Rivers, meanwhile, will con-
tinue telling his players they
are shooters.
“Sometimes the ball
bounces your way and some-
times it don’t, and tonight it
just did,” forward Maurice
Harkless said following the
loss in New Orleans. “Unfor-
tunately it wasn’t enough,
but it was definitely a better
shooting night than we had.”TONIGHT
VS. ATLANTA
When:7:30
On the air: TV: Prime
Ticket; Radio: 570
Update:Since a 2-0 start the
Hawks have lost seven of
their last nine despite the of-
fensive production of sec-
ond-year guard Trae Young,
who at one point recorded at
least 30 points and 10 assists
in three straight games.
Young has increased his
scoring out of necessity after
the loss of two teammates.
Guard Kevin Huerteris side-
lined for at least two weeks
because of a strained left ro-
tator cuff, and center John
Collins was suspended for 25
games after violating the
NBA’s anti-drug program.
Young, 21, shares a locker
room with 42-year-old Vince
Carter, whose NBA debut
came only four months after
Young was born.George and Leonard
might finally team up
[Clippers,from D1]PAUL GEORGE’Slong-
range shooting Thursday
indicated he can get back
to last season’s level.Sophia GermerAssociated PressBOX SCORES
mained active on defense.
“When the shot’s not fall-
ing, I try to do the other
things to help the team win,”
Davis said. “The team was
trying to get me going; [I]
just missed some shots and I
tried to take it out on the de-
fensive end.”
Without Bradley, the
Lakers fell behind by as
many as 13 in the first half.
The Kings rained three-
pointers, en route to shoot-
ing 41% behind the arc. The
Lakers missed their first six
shots from deep.
A three-pointer from
Kyle Kuzma sparked the
Lakers’ second-quarter
comeback. The forward con-
tributed five straight points
to a 14-0 run that turned a 13-
point deficit into a brief one-
point lead. Kuzma finishedished with 29 points and 11
assists, at times seeming to
rewind the clock.
James smashed a right-
handed tomahawk dunk
over Nemanja Bjelica in the
first half and stared down
the Kings forward with an
icy look. James flexed both
arms while lying on the court
after scoring a layup
through traffic in the third
quarter and skipped up the
floor after a three-pointer in
the fourth that put the Lak-
ers up by eight.
Davis, playing through
lingering shoulder and ribs
injuries, finished with 17
points on five-for-12 shoot-
ing with five rebounds and
four blocks. He battled
through relentless double
teams on offense, but still re-the first half with 13 points to
lead both teams, including 10
in the second quarter, but
failed to score in the second
half.
Kentavious Caldwell-
Pope started in place of the
injured Bradley but lasted
less than four minutes be-
fore getting replaced by Alex
Caruso. Caldwell-Pope
played only nine minutes in
the first half but broke out in
the fourth quarter for 12 of
his season-high 16 points.
“His scoring has been up
and down, but he’s one of the
guys on our team that brings
the highest level of energy,”
Vogel said. “One of his tal-
ents is how hard he plays
and when you have a guy
that plays as hard as he
does, it impacts the energy
on the floor.”BOGDAN BOGDANOVICof Sacramento, competing with Kyle Kuzma for a loose
ball, scored 18 points but didn’t deliver game-winning heroics as he did last season.Alex GallardoAssociated PressLakers hold off Kings for win
[Lakers,from D1]