NBA: Harrison Barnes, Kings hold off Pacers

Harrison Barnes scored a season-best 30 points on 10-of-14 shooting and collected eight rebounds to help the Sacramento Kings post a 127-122 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers on Monday night.

De'Aaron Fox added 21 points and nine assists, and Buddy Hield scored 18 points on a season-high six 3-pointers as Sacramento won for just the second time in its past seven games.

Richaun Holmes recorded 16 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high six blocked shots for the Kings. Tyrese Haliburton added 12 points for Sacramento, which shot 56 percent from the field and was 15 of 32 from 3-point range.

Domantas Sabonis registered 28 points and 11 rebounds and has notched double-doubles in all 10 of Indiana's games.

Malcolm Brogdon had 24 points and nine assists, and Doug McDermott and Victor Oladipo scored 21 apiece for the Pacers, who lost their second straight game.

Barnes made two free throws to give the Kings a 118-117 lead with 1:45 remaining. Hield buried a 3-pointer 36 seconds later, and Fox drove down the lane to slam home a ferocious left-handed dunk to make it 123-117 with 33.4 seconds left.

Oladipo scored on his own dunk with 29.7 seconds remaining before Sacramento closed out the victory.

McDermott was 8-of-10 shooting for Indiana, which shot 48.5 percent from the field and made 13 of 39 from 3-point range during the opener of a five-game road trip.

Holmes and Haliburton knocked down 3-pointers in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to give Sacramento a 103-93 advantage.

But Indiana charged back and Oladipo scored five straight points and Sabonis added a three-point play to tie it at 110 with 5:22 left.

Oladipo again scored five straight points a short time later to give the Pacers a 115-113 edge with 3:34 left.

Hield connected on a 3-pointer to give Sacramento the lead with 2:33 remaining, but Oladipo scored on a layup 41 seconds later to put Indiana back ahead.

Fox buried a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Kings a 65-64 halftime lead.

Sabonis had 16 at the break for the Pacers, while Barnes tallied 15 for Sacramento.

The score was tied at 74 after a 3-pointer by Oladipo with 8:15 remaining in the third quarter.

But the Kings answered with 10 straight points and later held an 89-77 lead after Hield's 3-pointer with 4:03 remaining.

Indiana trailed 97-93 entering the final stanza.

-reuters-

NBA: Kings to acquire Barnes from Mavs

The Sacramento Kings are set to acquire forward Harrison Barnes from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for forwards Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph, according to reports from The Athletic and ESPN.

Barnes, 26, was on the court for the Mavericks as trade reports surfaced Wednesday night. 

He entered the day averaging 17.8 points and 4.3 rebounds a game for Dallas, where he has spent the past two-plus seasons after beginning his pro career with the Golden State Warriors.

The deal capped a busy day for Sacramento, which reportedly shipped guard Iman Shumpert to the Houston Rockets earlier in the evening as part of a three-way deal. 

The Kings acquired Alec Burks from the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of that trade.

In exchange for Barnes, the Mavericks welcomed Jackson, 23, and Randolph, 37, who has not played this season.

Jackson averaged 6.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 52 games (three starts) with Sacramento this season. The former North Carolina standout grew up in Houston and has appeared in 120 career NBA games (44 starts) since the Kings selected him with the No. 15 overall pick in 2017.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Cavs use Love's absence as motivation in NBA Finals

CLEVELAND - Kevin Love missed Game Three of the NBA Finals with a concussion but he still had a major impact in the Cleveland Cavaliers' critical victory as his team mates used his injury as a source of inspiration.

Love was placed in the league's concussion protocol during Game Two of the NBA Finals after an accidental elbow from Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes, and his injury was viewed by some as a death knell for the Cavaliers' title hopes.

But rather than fret the absence of their starting forward, a three-time All-Star who was averaging 16.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in the playoffs, Cleveland rallied around Love in a season-saving Game Three rout on Wednesday.

"Before we left the locker room, I know Kyrie (Irving) embraced him, I did as well. Told him, don't worry about it. We've got him tonight," Cleveland's LeBron James told reporters after practice on Thursday.

"This is what a team is all about, for them to pick their brother up in a time of need, and him not to put too much pressure on himself or the team, and that we're going to try to take care of business, which we were able to do.

"So I know it was uplifting to him, for sure, and it was for our team as well."

Without Love in the lineup, Cleveland stormed back into the NBA Finals with a 120-90, wire-to-wire win over the top-seeded defending champion Warriors to cut the best-of-seven series deficit to 2-1.

It was the latest setback for Love, who missed all of last season's NBA Finals with a shoulder injury suffered earlier in the 2015 postseason.

"I know he definitely wanted to play for sure. Looking in his eyes, knowing in his heart, being at The Finals is what we've both dreamt of," said Cavaliers guard Irving.

"Knowing the magnitude of the game and knowing the challenges that we face going into Game Three, we needed a full team effort, and he was there in spirit, and we just knew that we had to take care of business for him, and we did that.

"And going out and doing what we did in Game Three was definitely a valiant effort for him, and we dedicated that game to him."

Love started 77 games for Cleveland in the regular season in which he averaged 16 points and 9.9 rebounds per game as the Cavaliers secured the Eastern Conference's top playoff seed.

He participated in Thursday's practice with the Cavs but has yet to be cleared to play in Friday's Game Four.

"I know he's eager to play, he wants to play, and we definitely need him back. We miss his rebounding. We miss his post presence. We miss his three-point shooting. So we definitely want him back, but he has to take the steps necessary to get himself back," said Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue.

"We know it's a tough time, being in the NBA Finals. It's something you dreamed about your whole life, and having to deal with this is tough. But myself, my coaching staff, team mates, we all have his back and we wish him well and need him back." (Editing by Larry Fine)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Warriors shoot past Thunder, extend West finals

Andre Iguodala and Harrison Barnes bombed in three-pointers on consecutive possessions during an eight-point flurry that opened a 12-point lead early in the fourth quarter, and the Golden State Warriors held on from there to stay alive in the Western Conference finals with a 120-111 victory over the Oklahoma Thunder on Thursday night.

The victory trimmed Golden State's deficit in the best-of-seven to 3-2, with the series returning to Oklahoma City for another possible close-out game for the Thunder on Saturday night.

Game 7, if necessary, would be Monday in Oakland.

Stephen Curry poured in 31 points, going 10-for-10 from the free-throw line, as the Warriors overcame a 40-point explosion by Thunder star Kevin Durant to keep their hopes of a title repeat alive.

The Warriors led just 81-77 before backup guard Shaun Livingston opened the fourth period with a short jumper.

Iguodala and Barnes then nailed their three-pointers, opening an 89-77 advantage, Golden State's biggest lead of the game to that point.

The advantage reached 13, but power forward Serge Ibaka wouldn't let the Thunder go quietly. He swished a pair of three-pointers, and when Durant added a third, all of a sudden Golden State's lead was just 103-98 with still 4:34 to go.

Curry then responded with his biggest hoop of the night, a driving left-handed floater on which he was fouled. He converted the three-point play, pushing the lead to eight.

The Golden State defense took it from there, holding the Thunder without a field goal until a Durant dunk with 56.9 seconds left, by which point the Warriors had pulled away into a commanding 112-101 advantage.

Klay Thompson overcame 2-for-9 shooting on three-pointers to back Curry with 27 points for the Warriors, who are now 4-1 after losses in the playoffs.

The Warriors won despite making just nine of their 24 3-point attempts.

Andrew Bogut had 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, and Draymond Green had an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double for the Warriors.

The Warriors shot 47.1 percent for the game to 42.9 percent for Oklahoma City. Golden State battled the Thunder even on the boards, 45-45.

Durant's 40 points came on 12-for-31 shooting. Like Curry, he did serious damage at the free-throw line, going 13-for-13.

Russell Westbrook backed Durant with 31 points to go with seven rebounds and a team-high eight assists.

Ibaka had 13 points and Steven Adams a team-high 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who were able to eliminated Dallas and San Antonio in earlier series at first opportunity.

The Thunder made 13 of their 30 3-point attempts, outscoring the Warriors 39-27 from beyond the arc.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Warriors, Spurs remain perfect at home

LOS ANGELES -- The Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs needed dominant fourth quarters on Saturday to keep their impressive NBA home winning streaks alive.

Spurs guard Danny Green was an unlikely catalyst in San Antonio, where the Spurs trailed by two going into the final period but emerged with a 93-85 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Green had missed all eight of his shots before draining a go-ahead three-pointer with 7:19 left to play that ignited the Spurs' finishing burst.

"(Green's) a pro and we made it clear to him there's only two outcomes -- it goes in or it doesn't," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "He still gets his paycheck. His family still loves him, so screw it, let 'em fly -- and he did."

The Spurs improved to 32-0 at home this season and have won 41 in a row dating back to last season.

In Oakland, California, the Warriors stretched their NBA record home winning streak to 48 with their 30th home win of this season, 123-116 over the struggling Phoenix Suns.

But they, too, had to rally in the fourth, overcoming a nine-point deficit after three quarters with the aid of a 14-0 fourth-quarter scoring run.

Superstar sharp-shooter Stephen Curry, who missed most of the third quarter because of foul trouble, returned to score 15 points in the final frame.

Golden State trailed 108-105 before Curry launched the decisive run with a game-tying three-pointer with 5:36 remaining.

The Suns missed their next six shots as the Warriors got a dunk by reserve center Marreese Speights, a dunk by Harrison Barnes and another three-pointer from Curry that gave the Warriors a 115-108 lead with 3:31 to play.

Draymond Green stretched the lead to nine with a driving basket and Curry made two free-throws to cap the 14-0 run.

Curry scored a game-high 35 points, making seven of 16 three-point attempts and handing out six assists.

Speights added 25 points, Klay Thompson scored 20 and Green 19 for the Warriors, who were without NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Andre Iguodala because of a sprained left ankle.

Brandon Knight led the Suns with 30 points, but Phoenix endured their third straight defeat and fell to 17-49, next-to-last in the Western Conference ahead of the lowly Los Angeles Lakers.

The Spurs, meanwhile, were up against a tough Oklahoma City team lying third in the West and trying to close the gap on second-placed San Antonio.

Instead the Thunder lost their second straight, and their fourth of six on the road.

Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 24 for the Spurs and the Thunder went the final 3:53 without a field goal and missed nine of their last 10 shots.

"San Antonio is the best defensive team in the league, and we generated a lot of good looks tonight," said Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, who led all scorers with 28 points.

"San Antonio hit some big shots in the fourth quarter -- especially Green's shot from the corner -- but we made them work for everything they got."

Nuggets rally past Wizards

In Denver the Nuggets' second-half rally included out-scoring Washington 41-17 in the fourth quarter en route to a 116-100 victory over the Wizards.

Nuggets reserves scored 75 points as Denver extended their winning streak to a season-best four games, dealing the Wizards' playoff hopes another blow.

Washington, who led 72-62 late in the third quarter, are now three and a half games behind Detroit for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"This leaves us in a really bad position," said Washington's John Wall. "We just keep digging ourselves a bigger hole with 17 games left."

Hornets down Rockets

The Charlotte Hornets notched their seventh straight victory, routing the Houston Rockets 125-109.

Kemba Walker scored 26 points and Marvin Williams added 25 for the Hornets, who saw a 19-point first-half lead dwindle to two in the third quarter before they rebuilt the advantage with a 17-2 scoring run.

"We just get better as the game goes on," Walker said. "We just got locked in."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Barnes bomb breaks Sixers hearts as Warriors escape with win

Harrison Barnes dropped in a three-pointer with 0.2 left on the clock as the Golden State Warriors escaped with a 108-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in a meeting of the NBA's best and worst teams on Saturday.

Guard Klay Thompson scored 32 points for the Warriors, defending league champions, who improved to 43-4. That matched the 1966-67 Sixers for the best 47-game start in league history.

The Warriors, who led by 24 points in the third quarter and 15 with 5:41 left in the game, saw the Sixers go on a 20-5 run that included seven points by guard Ish Smith.

Smith's steal and breakaway dunk with 22.3 seconds left tied the score at 105-105.

On the final Golden State possession, guard Stephen Curry fired a pass from the right wing to forward Draymond Green at the top of the circle. He found forward Barnes in the right corner from where he drilled his shot.

Curry finished with 23 points, while Green contributed 10 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists for the Warriors. Barnes finished with 11 points.

Guard Isaiah Canaan scored 18 points off the bench for the Sixers (7-41), including a four-point play with 38.6 seconds left. Smith had 16 points and nine assists.

Thompson, who notched a season-high 45 points in a victory over Dallas on Wednesday, had 21 in Saturday's first half, staking the Warriors to a 73-54 lead.

Golden State were up 100-85 after Thompson dropped in a layup with 5:41 left in the game, before the Sixers mounted their comeback.

The Sixers moved to an early 17-10 lead behind guard Nik Stauskas, who scored seven points, but the Warriors reeled off 15 straight and never trailed again.

Thompson had eight of those points, including a pair of three-pointers.

Golden State, up 34-28 after a quarter, saw Philadelphia creep within three early in the second quarter on a long-range effort by guard/forward Hollis Thompson.

The Warriors, however, outscored the Sixers 35-19 the rest of the quarter to take a 73-54 halftime lead.

It was the most points the Sixers have allowed in a half this season. The Warriors' 65.3-percent shooting was also the best by a Philadelphia opponent in any half this season.

Thompson had eight of his 21 first-half points in the quarter, while Green had six of the 10 he scored in the first 24 minutes. Green also had 10 rebounds and six assists in the half.

(Editing by John O'Brien)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Golden State down Detroit to move to 8-0

Leandro Barbosa and Harrison Barnes combined for 12 points in an 18-6 run to start the fourth quarter, and the Golden State Warriors wore down the Detroit Pistons 109-95 on Monday for their eighth consecutive win.

The Warriors, the NBA's last remaining unbeaten team for the second year in a row, moved within one of their franchise record for consecutive season-opening wins, set in 1960-61 while the club was playing in Philadelphia.

Golden State have won their eight games by a total of 142 points, an average of 17.8.

The marquee matchup of Warriors guard Stephen Curry, the NBA's leading scorer, and Pistons center Andre Drummond, the league's top rebounder, never really materialized.

Curry had 22 points, but he hit only seven of 18 shots in falling 12 points shy of his season average.

Drummond, meanwhile, was hounded by Golden State big men Festus Ezeli and Andrew Bogut all night. He was limited to 14 points and 15 rebounds in 35 minutes after terrorizing the Portland Trail Blazers for 29 points and 27 rebounds in a Pistons win Sunday night.

The Warriors led just 80-76 before reserve forward Andre Iguodala got Golden State's fourth-quarter flurry going with a dunk.

Barnes followed with a three-pointer before Barbosa contributed a driving hoop and a 3-pointer of his own to cap a 12-2 burst that opened a 92-78 lead.

Drummond, who had been out of the lineup to start the fourth period, returned to convert a spike tip.

However, Barbosa hit again from outside, Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson dropped in a 15-footer, and Barnes converted a fast break, opening a 98-82 advantage from which the Pistons never recovered.

Thompson led the Warriors with 24 points, hitting 10 of his 17 shots and four of seven from 3-point range.

Ezeli (eight points and two rebounds) and Bogut (eight and nine) combined for 16 points and 11 rebounds, nearly offsetting Drummond's double-double.

Bogut was playing his first game since sustaining a concussion in the Warriors' opener against the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 27.

Point guard Reggie Jackson and backup forward Stanley Johnson scored 20 points apiece for the Pistons, who lost their ninth straight to Golden State.

Detroit (5-2) absorbed its first road loss in four outings despite shooting 47.1 percent. Golden State shot 47.3 percent.

The Pistons had won at Phoenix and Portland to open six-game Western swing.

The Warriors led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter but had trouble creating separation from the Pistons. Detroit hit on 54.3 percent of its shots in the second and third periods.

Golden State did run out to a 68-51 lead in the fifth minute of the third quarter, but the Pistons shot their way back into the game.

Johnson, forward Marcus Morris (15 points) and guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (15 points) bombed in three-pointers as the Pistons rallied within 80-76 by quarter's end. (Compiled by Peter Rutherford)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Warriors beat Cavs in Game One OT thriller

The Golden State Warriors, led by the league's Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry, drew first blood in the best-of-seven NBA Finals with a thrilling 108-100 overtime victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game One on Thursday.

Curry put the Warriors ahead at 102-98 in extra time with two pairs of free throws before forward Harrison Barnes made it 105-98 with a three-pointer at a raucous Oracle Arena in Oakland, and there was no way back from there for Cleveland.

The score had been tied at 98-98 with just 31.9 seconds left in regulation before Curry was denied a layup by a superb block from Kyrie Irving, then LeBron James missed a jump shot for the Cavaliers with only 3.6 seconds remaining.

Point guard Curry scored a team-high 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting while forward James weighed in with 44, his most ever in a Finals game, in a losing cause as the Cavaliers were outscored 10-2 in overtime. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com