NBA Roundup: James Harden, Trae Young battle for triple-doubles as Rockets top Hawks

By the Associated Press

ATLANTA  — James Harden scored 41 points, including 22 in the first quarter, to lead the Houston Rockets over Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks 122-115 on Wednesday night.

Harden had 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his second straight triple-double.

Young had 42 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. He and Harden are the first players to post 40-point triple-doubles in the same game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The Hawks pulled within three late in the fourth quarter, the last time at 118-115 on two free throws by Alex Len. Harden sank four free throws in the final 10.4 seconds.

Clint Capela had 22 points and 22 rebounds, and Ben McLemore had 18 points in Houston’s third straight win.

SPURS 129, CELTICS 114

BOSTON — DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points to lead San Antonio past Boston.

The Spurs scored 22 of the first 25 points and held on through a slightly more competitive — and controversial — second half.

Kemba Walker returned after missing three games with the flu and was ejected with back-to-back technical fouls when he argued a non-call in the third quarter. A full bottle or cup was thrown from the stands, landing in front of the San Antonio bench; no one was hit. The game was delayed briefly while the court was cleaned.

The hubbub — Celtics coach Brad Stevens also was given a T — slowed a Boston rally that cut what had been a 22-point deficit to 76-69.

Lonnie Walker IV added 19 points for the Spurs. Gordon Hayward scored 18 points and Jaylen Brown had 16 for Boston. The Celtics have lost two in a row for just the third time this season.

RAPTORS 112, HORNETS 110, OT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Serge Ibaka made two free throws with 5.1 seconds left in overtime and finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds as banged-up Toronto edged Charlotte.

Terence Davis also had 23 points and 11 boards, OG Anunoby added 19 points and Kyle Lowry had 15 points and nine assists while having to play 43 minutes due to injuries. Patrick McCaw added 13 points and 11 assists as the Raptors avoided taking losses on back-to-back nights for the first time since Dec. 26-27, 2017.

Terry Rozier led the Hornets with 27 points, but his 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime fell short. Miles Bridges added 26 points and nine rebounds and P.J. Washington had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

HEAT 122, PACERS 108

INDIANAPOLIS — Tyler Herro had 19 points, Duncan Robinson scored 11 of his 17 points in a decisive third quarter and seven Miami players scored in double figures in a win over Indiana.

Bam Adebayo and Derrick Jones each scored 18 points, Goran Dragic and Kendrick Nunn added 15 each and Jimmy Butler pitched in 14 for Miami.

The Pacers (23-15) were led by Domantas Sabonis, who finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds for his 30th double-double of the season.

MAGIC 123, WIZARDS 89

ORLANDO, Fla. — Nikola Vucevic scored 29 points, Evan Fournier added 19, and Orlando beat Washington.
Admiral Schofield scored 18 points, and Troy Brown, Jr. had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Wizards.

Orlando took control with a 23-5 run to close the second quarter for a 69-52 lead. The advantage ballooned to 29 points in the early stages of the third quarter.

A rash of injuries left the Wizards with only nine players available.

NUGGETS 107, MAVERICKS 106

DALLAS  — Nikola Jokic scored 26 of his 33 points in the second half, including the winning basket with 7.9 seconds left, and Denver pulled out a win over Dallas.

Jokic backed down Dorian Finney-Smith on the right side of the lane and got a favorable bounce on his left-handed layup.

On the Mavericks’ final possession, Finney-Smith’s pass from the baseline to Tim Hardaway Jr. was off the mark.

Luka Doncic led Dallas with 27 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. The Mavericks played their fifth straight game without Kristaps Porzingis (right knee soreness).

The Nuggets were missing two starters. Will Barton, second on the team in rebounding, missed the game for personal reasons. Paul Millsap sat out with a bruised left knee.

PELICANS 123, BULLS 108

NEW ORLEANS  — Brandon Ingram had 29 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, and New Orleans dealt Chicago its fifth straight loss.

JJ Redick hit six 3-pointers on his way to 24 points, while rookie Jaxson Hayes had 14 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks to help the Pelicans win for the seventh time in 10 games.

Zach LaVine scored 32 for the Bulls, who are in the midst of their longest losing streak this season. Thaddeus Young scored 18 in his return to the city where he was born.

JAZZ 128, KNICKS 104

SALT LAKE CITY  — Emmanuel Mudiay scored a season-high 20 points against his former team, and Rudy Gobert added 16 points and 16 rebounds to power Utah past short-handed New York.

Mudiay, who played for the Knicks last season before signing with the Jazz in the summer, made 8 of 12 shots and added four assists.

Bojan Bogdanovic also scored 20 points and Donovan Mitchell had 16 in limited minutes for Utah, which has won seven straight and 12 of 13.

Frank Ntilikina had 16 points in 19 minutes and Bobby Portis added 13 points and 13 rebounds for New York.

BUCKS 107, WARRIORS 98

SAN FRANCISCO — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points and 12 rebounds while leading four Milwaukee starters in double figures, and the NBA-best Bucks held off Golden State.

Khris Middleton added 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Milwaukee.

Alec Burks scored 19 points and Glenn Robinson III and Damion Lee added 15 points apiece for the cold-shooting Warriors, who lost their sixth straight game and third in a row at home. Willie Cauley-Stein contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Draymond Green was back for Golden State after sitting out Monday with a sprained right ankle and had five points on 1-for-7 shooting, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Source: Manila Bulletin