Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points, Ivica Zubac and Montrezl Harrell posted double-doubles and the visiting Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Houston Rockets 120-105 Thursday night.
The Clippers extended their winning streak to six consecutive games and, perhaps more importantly, tied the season streak with Houston to two games each. The Clippers have the highest record in the Western Conference if the teams tie in the standings.
Leonard added six rebounds, five assists and two steals in just 28 minutes while Zubac (17 points, 12 rebounds) and Harrell (19 points, 10 rebounds) punished the smaller Rockets inside. Paul George (13 points) and Marcus Morris Sr. (11 points) added to the Clippers’ assault.
Russell Westbrook doubled 29 points with 15 rebounds while James Harden scored 16 points on a 4 for 17 shot for Houston.
Toronto Raptors 121 – Golden State Warriors 113
Norman Powell stole the show in Stephen Curry’s long-awaited comeback with a career high of 37 points, and Pascal Siakam hit a key circle with 45.7 seconds remaining, helping Toronto survive Golden State in a rematch of the NBA finals last June.
Curry had 23 points tied in 27 minutes in his first action since breaking his left hand in the Warriors’ fourth game in October. He missed 58 games.
Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, two key contributors when the Raptors ended Golden State’s demand for a hat-trick with a 4-2 victory in the final, each recorded a double-double, bringing the Raptors to a second consecutive victory after three consecutive losses.
Denver Nuggets 114 – Charlotte Hornets 112
Jamal Murray’s short jumper with 6 seconds remaining gave Denver a win over host Charlotte in a dizzying finish.
Murray finished with an 18-point high with seven Denver players scoring double-digit.
Terry Rozier of Charlotte missed a 3-point buzzer attempt. From the four-minute mark to the two-minute mark, there were seven head changes and a tie.
Philadelphia 76ers 125 – Sacramento Kings 108
Tobias Harris scored 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, and Shake Milton added 20 points as Philadelphia, shorthanded, slowed Sacramento.
De’Aaron Fox scored 23 points and Buddy Hield added 22 for the Kings, who saw their three-game winning streak ended and their six-game home streak ended.
Al Horford had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Sixers, who led up to 19 in the third quarter to see the Kings cut the deficit to six with less than three minutes left in the period. However, a quick 12-2 run brought the Sixers back to 96-80 at the end of the third.
– Media at field level
