NBA: Williams scores 40 off bench as Clips snip Thunder

Lou Williams scored 40 points off the bench and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder 118-110 on Friday night to move into sole possession of seventh place in the Western Conference.

Danilo Gallinari scored a season-high 34 points and Ivica Zubac added 14 points and 7 rebounds for the Clippers, who have won 7 of 9.

Russell Westbrook had 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists before fouling out with 54 seconds left and the Thunder trailing by 3 points. Paul George scored 15 points on 5-for-16 shooting before fouling out with 3:49 left and the Thunder down a point.

Dennis Schroder also scored 15 on just 5-for-20 shooting for Oklahoma City, which fell into sole possession of fourth in the West with its sixth loss in the past 8 games.

Westbrook gave the Thunder their last lead at 104-103 when he converted a 3-point play with 2:30 remaining, but Williams scored 9 points the rest of the way.

Westbrook picked up his fifth foul with 7:37 to go in the third quarter and left the game with the Thunder trailing by 5 points. The Clippers extended their lead to 14 with Westbrook out of the game, but the Thunder managed to get back within four by the end of the third.

George sank a 3-pointer to give Oklahoma City a 99-98 lead with 4:20 left, the Thunder's first lead since 7-6.

Gallinari scored the first 9 points for Clippers, who took their first double-digit lead at 28-18 with 5:38 left in the first quarter and eventually took a 36-32 advantage into the second.

The Thunder pulled even with the Clippers early in the second quarter, but Los Angeles put together another surge and a 12-2 run gave the Clippers their biggest lead of the first half at 62-48 with 2:35 remaining.

Los Angeles maintained a 12-point lead at the half.

Despite their recent success, the Clippers hadn't beaten a team currently in a playoff spot since a 123-112 win at the Boston Celtics on Feb. 9.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Clippers take care of skidding Lakers

Danilo Gallinari scored 23 points, and the visiting Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 113-105 on Monday night for their third consecutive victory.

Lou Williams scored 21 points off the bench, and Montrezl Harrell added 14 points and 11 rebounds in a reserve role for the Clippers, who moved back into sole possession of seventh place in the Western Conference, a half-game behind the Utah Jazz and a half-game ahead of the San Antonio Spurs.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also scored 14 points, and Patrick Beverley added 13 points, nine rebounds and five steals for the Clippers. Landry Shamet had 12 points.

Rajon Rondo scored a season-high 24 points to go with 10 rebounds and 12 assists for his first triple-double with the Lakers. LeBron James finished with 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Josh Hart scored 17 off the bench.

Brandon Ingram, third on the Lakers in scoring at 18.3 points, missed the game because of a sore right shoulder. Second-leading scorer Kyle Kuzma (18.9 points per game) scored 13 before leaving midway through the fourth quarter due to an injured right ankle.

The 10th-place Lakers, who have lost five of their past six, are 5 1/2 games behind the final Western Conference playoff spot.

The Lakers took an 82-79 lead on a three-point play by Hart with 2:55 left in the third quarter, but the Clippers came back with a 10-0 run to take their biggest lead to that point at 89-82 with 40.6 seconds left in the third.

Lakers guard Reggie Bullock sank a long step-back jumper at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 91-85 entering the fourth, but the Clippers scored the first four points of the fourth to take their first double-digit lead.

The Lakers got as close as five with 7:57 left, but the Clippers scored the next eight points during a run in which Kuzma was also injured.

The Lakers led by as many as 10 late in the first quarter. After the Clippers caught up, the Lakers retook the lead 42-41 on a dunk Harrell with 6:49 left in the first half.

The Clippers stretched their second-quarter lead to as many as six points before scoring the final four points of the first half to take a 61-57 edge into the break.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Clippers win in OT as Suns drop 9th straight

Tobias Harris had 33 points and eight rebounds, and the visiting Los Angeles Clippers ended a two-game losing streak with a 123-119 win over Phoenix Suns on Monday.

Danilo Gallinari scored 25 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 16 for the Clippers.

Deandre Ayton contributed 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Richaun Holmes (19), Mikal Bridges (19) and Josh Jackson (18) all scored their season highs for the Suns, who have lost nine straight.

Phoenix never led in overtime. Troy Daniels tied the game 119-119 with 51.3 seconds left on a reverse layup, but Patrick Beverley made two free throws with 33.3 seconds left and Avery Bradley sank two more with 1.6 seconds remaining for the final margin.

Phoenix's De'Anthony Melton made a step-back 9-footer from the baseline to tie the score at 111-111 with 5.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Gallinari then missed a long, heavily contested try at the buzzer.

The Clippers took an 88-86 lead into the fourth quarter, the same two-point advantage they brought into halftime. 

However, the Suns bridged an 11-3 run from the third quarter and into the fourth to take a 95-91 lead with 9:26 left, their biggest margin since early in the second quarter.

Phoenix went up 104-95 on a basket by Holmes with 7:09 remaining, but that would be the last field goal until Bridges made a 3-pointer with 1:16 left to end a 12-0 run by Los Angeles and pull the Suns within 109-108.

The only time the Suns led in the third quarter was when Holmes made two free throws with 1:07 lead for an 84-83 advantage, but Milos Teodosic sank an 18-foot jumper on the other end to put the Clippers back ahead.

The Clippers didn't hold a lead until Beverley scored with 7:59 left in the first half for a 37-35 advantage.

Suns leading scorer Devin Booker (23.5 points per game) missed his fourth consecutive game due to a hamstring injury. Second-leading scorer T.J. Warren (17.7 ppg) returned under restricted minutes after missing the previous five games with an ankle injury. He scored six points in 12 minutes.

Lou Williams, the third-leading scorer for the Clippers (17.6 ppg), left midway through the second quarter with a sore left hamstring and did not return. He scored seven points in 12 minutes off the bench.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Without Paul, Rockets fall to 1-2 in loss to Clippers

Tobias Harris scored 23 points and Danilo Gallinari added 20 to help the Los Angeles Clippers post a 115-112 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Sunday night at Staples Center.

Montrezl Harrell recorded 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Clippers won their second straight game since losing their season opener. Lou Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 points apiece for Los Angeles, which made all 26 of its free-throw attempts.

James Harden had 31 points and 14 assists but missed a tying 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Rockets lost for the second time in three games. Clint Capela scored 23 points on 11-of-14 shooting and Eric Gordon added 21 for Houston.

The Rockets played without point guard Chris Paul, who served the first of a two-game suspension for his role in Saturday's scrap with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was suspended for putting his finger in Rajon Rondo's face and throwing multiple punches.

Houston trailed by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter but crept within 110-106 with 2:47 left after 3-pointers by Gerald Green (11 points) and Harden. Harris drained a 3-pointer 20 seconds later and Harrell delivered a dunk with 1:43 remaining to give Los Angeles a 115-106 lead.

Harden scored six straight points -- including a four-point play with 29.5 seconds left -- to cut Houston's deficit to three. But his 3-pointer from the left flank under defensive pressure by Gallinari was off the mark as time expired.

The Rockets were 15 of 35 from 3-point range and shot 48.3 percent overall. The Clippers were 5 of 25 from behind the arc and shot 47.2 percent overall.

Houston led by five points early in the third quarter before Los Angeles went on a 14-3 surge. Gallinari scored the final five points to give the Clippers a 70-64 advantage with 6:40 remaining.

The Rockets responded with a 14-4 spurt with Green supplying the final five points for a 78-74 edge with 4:17 left in the period.

Los Angeles answered with 12 straight points with Luc Mbah a Moute capping the run with a three-point play with 2:01 left for an eight-point lead.

Harrell later capped the 39-point quarter with a three-point play with 1.2 seconds to go to give the Clippers a 93-84 lead entering the final stanza.

The Los Angeles lead reached 11 on a basket by Lou Williams with 9:58 left in the contest. Houston moved within 104-98 on Green's three-point play with 5:42 left but the Clippers pushed their lead back to 10 on Harrell's putback dunk to make it 110-100 with 3:39 left.

Harris had 17 for the Clippers and Harden had 17 for the Rockets as Los Angeles led 54-53 at the break.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Nuggets hand Warriors third defeat of season

LOS ANGELES -- Denver forward Danilo Gallinari scored 28 points and came up with a key late steal as the Nuggets handed the Golden State Warriors just their third defeat of the NBA season on Wednesday, 112-110 in Colorado.

Golden State's star guard Stephen Curry scored 38 points, but the Warriors trailed by 10 heading into the final period and couldn't quite climb out of the hole.

"I don't think we played hard enough for the majority of the game," said Warriors coach Luke Walton, whose team fell to 36-3.

"I thought we gave a tremendous effort in the fourth quarter -- well, in the last half of the fourth quarter.


"But for a championship team and what we're trying to accomplish, in my opinion we didn't play hard enough and we didn't play smart enough for a majority of that game."

Nevertheless the Warriors, who are chasing not only a repeat title but the record for regular season wins set by the 72-10 Chicago Bulls of 1995-96 -- had a chance to pull it out at the end.

Gallinari, who made 17-for-19 free throws, missed one with 3.1 seconds left to give the Warriors a chance to overcome the 112-110 deficit.

Golden State inbounded the ball, but Klay Thompson missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer.

Golden State played without versatile forward Draymond Green, who missed his first game of the season as a scheduled day of rest.

"We could have used his energy tonight," Walton said.

Curry scored 20 points in the fourth quarter, draining a three-pointer, three free throws and two layups as the Warriors cut the deficit to 102-95 with 2:40 to play.

Curry's fourth three-pointer of the game pulled the Warriors within 104-100 with 1:44 remaining but Will Barton, who scored 21 points for Denver, responded with a three-pointer of his own.

After another Curry layup, Denver's Darrell Arthur sank a jump shot to give the Nuggets a 109-102 lead.

A layup from Warriors forward Harrison Barnes and a three-pointer by Curry made it 109-107 with 37.1 seconds to play.

Gallinari then stole the ball from Curry and Denver guard Gary Harris hit two free throws with 5.4 seconds left.

Thompson sank a three-pointer with 3.4 seconds remaining to pull the Warriors to 111-110.

But after Gallinari made one of two free throws, Thompson was unable to get the game-winner.

"We showed a lot of fight and aggressiveness down the stretch," Curry said. "(But) we spotted them too many points."

- Thunder roll past Mavs -

Kevin Durant scored 29 points to lead the Thunder to a 108-89 victory over the short-handed Dallas Mavericks in a testy affair in Oklahoma City.

Durant connected on nine of 14 from the field to go with 10 rebounds and four assists.

The Mavericks, playing without all five regular starters after a tough overtime loss to Cleveland, were led by J.J. Barea, who scored 18 points and handed out six assists.

It was Barea who got tangled up with Thunder guard Russell Westbrook in the second quarter, sparking a shoving match between the two teams that resulted in multiple technical fouls.

Dallas's Charlie Villanueva -- who put a hand on Westbrook's throat -- was ejected.

Minutes later, Barea and Westbrook clashed again and Westbrook was issued a second technical foul and ejected for just the third time in his career.

Westbrook finished 0 for 3 from the field and 0 for 4 from the foul line, just the second time in his career he failed to score in a game.

- Harden milestone in win -

James Harden scored 27 points -- reaching 10,000 for his career on a fourth-quarter free throw -- to lead the Houston Rockets to a 107-104 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Harden added 11 assists, while center Dwight Howard posted his own double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds as the Rockets stretched their winning streak to a season-best five games.

- Clippers' Jordan sits -

Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan's "iron-man" streak of 360 straight NBA games played ended as pneumonia forced him to sit out his team's 104-90 home win over the Miami Heat.

Jordan's was the longest active streak of games played in the league. He hadn't missed a game since March 23, 2011 -- when he was also diagnosed with pneumonia.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com