Paul George scored 24 points as the host Los Angeles Clippers completed a three-game season-series sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers with a 118-94 win Thursday night.
Kawhi Leonard totalled 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Clippers, and Ivica Zubac added 14 points and eight rebounds. The Clippers moved past the Denver Nuggets by a half-game into the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference.
Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers with 25 points, but the team lost Anthony Davis due to an ankle ailment and back spasms in the first quarter. Davis said postgame that he hopes to play Friday when the Lakers visit Portland.
The Lakers and Trail Blazers are now tied for sixth place in the West.
Stephen Curry padded his NBA scoring lead with 34 points in just 31 minutes and Golden State Warriors moved up a spot on the Western Conference playoff ladder with a 118-97 win over Oklahoma City Thunder in San Francisco.
Curry shot 11-for-21 overall and 6-for-13 from 3-point range for the Warriors. Mychal Mulder had 25 points, Andrew Wiggins 18, Jordan Poole 14 and Kent Bazemore 13 for the Warriors.
Ty Jerome came off the bench to pace the Thunder with 23 points. Darius Bazley added 22 and Theo Maledon 15.
Nikola Vucevic scored 29 points, shot 5 of 7 from behind the 3-point line and grabbed 14 rebounds as Chicago Bulls led wire-to-wire in Beating Charlotte Hornets 120-99.
Seven Bulls scored in double figures, including Garrett Temple with 12 and Markkanen with 10 off the bench.
All five Chicago starters finished in double figures. Coby White recorded 14 points, Patrick Williams had 11 points and nine rebounds, and Daniel Theis scored 12.
Russell Westbrook had 13 points, 17 assists and 17 rebounds to record his 180th career triple-double and visiting Washington Wizards defeated Toronto Raptors 131-129 in overtime in Tampa, Florida.
Westbrook, who fouled out with 15.5 seconds remaining in overtime, needs one more triple-double to tie Oscar Robertson’s NBA record. Bradley Beal added 28 points for the Wizards.
Pascal Siakam tied his career best with 44 points for Toronto. Gary Trent Jr. added 25 points, Fred VanVleet scored 22, Khem Birch 17 and DeAndre’ Bembry 10.
Luka Doncic finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to lead hosts Dallas Mavericks to a 113-109 victory over Brooklyn Nets.
The Mavericks won their second in a row and fifth in their past six games. Dallas took over fifth place in the Western Conference – a game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers.
The Nets lost their fourth in a row despite Kyrie Irving’s season-high 45 points. Brooklyn remained in second place in the Eastern Conference, but fell to 2 1/2 games behind first-place Philadelphia 76ers and are now only half a game ahead of third-place Milwaukee Bucks.
Cory Joseph engineered a balanced attack with 18 points and 11 assists and hosts Detroit Pistons snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating Memphis Grizzlies 111-97.
Wayne Ellington also scored 18 points, all on 3-pointers. A handful of other Pistons reached double digits. Isaiah Stewart had 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
Ja Morant’s 20 points led the Grizzlies, but he also had five turnovers. Jonas Valanciunas had 19 points and secured 16 rebounds, and Jaren Jackson Jr. had 17 points and five rebounds.
Caris LeVert scored nine of his 31 points in the final three minutes to help Indiana Pacers hold off visiting Atlanta Hawks 133-126.
The Pacers also got 30 points, eight rebounds and nine assists from Domantas Sabonis and 19 points from reserve T.J. McConnell.
The Hawks were led by Trae Young’s 30 points and 10 assists. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 28, including six 3-pointers, and John Collins added 25 points. (Reuters)
