NBA: Jalen Green guides Rockets to OT win over Lakers

Rookie Jalen Green scored 13 consecutive Houston points bridging the fourth quarter and overtime, and the Rockets pulled away for a 139-130 win over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers.

Green scored a season-high 32 points, including the first seven of the Rockets' 10-0 blitz that opened the extra period. He finished 13 of 21 from the floor but had ample help as seven Rockets scored in double figures.

Fellow rookies Josh Christopher and Alperen Sengun scored 21 points apiece, with Sengun adding 14 rebounds to his season-best point total. Kenyon Martin Jr. (17 points, 11 rebounds) also recorded a double-double for Houston, which was missing two starters and entered on a 2-17 skid.

LeBron James posted his fifth triple-double of the season with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists for Los Angeles. Russell Westbrook added 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but the Lakers allowed the Rockets to shoot 51 percent from the floor, including 17 of 40 (42.5 percent) from 3-point range.

The Lakers hit 46.5 percent of their field-goal attempts and 18 of 47 (38.3 percent) from long distance while losing for the sixth time in seven games.

Green pulled the Rockets even by sinking two free throws with 2:22 left in regulation, then lifted Houston to a 120-118 lead with an 18-foot pullup with 2:02 remaining.

James delivered one of his four blocks, rejecting Sengun in the post before feeding Westbrook for a game-tying jumper at the 1:09 mark. Westbrook and James then combined to thwart Green on a drive to the basket, with James following some physical Westbrook defense with another block.

After the Rockets had what was a seven-point lead shaved to 82-81 on a pair of free throws by Austin Reeves (17 points) at the 6:15 mark of the third quarter, Houston surged back ahead 91-83 when Dennis Schroeder fed Sengun for a dunk.

The Lakers closed the period with a flurry and reclaimed the lead just prior to the buzzer when they turned three offensive rebounds into an extended possession following a missed free throw. D.J. Augustin converted the final offensive board with a 16-foot jumper for a 98-97 lead.

James (knee) was questionable to play after missing the Lakers' loss in San Antonio on Monday.

-reuters-

NBA: Jalen Green scores 30 but Celtics beat Rockets

Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and Grant Williams chipped in a career-high-tying 18 off the bench as the Boston Celtics earned their first victory by defeating the Houston Rockets 107-97 Sunday at Toyota Center.

Tatum shot 12-for-24 and grabbed nine rebounds as Boston overcame the absence of Jaylen Brown (knee) with a balanced attack. Williams started 4-for-4 from the floor, including 3-for-3 on 3-pointers while Dennis Schroder and Al Horford scored 18 and 17 points, respectively.

The Celtics assisted on 22 of their 38 field goals and scored 28 points on 20 Houston turnovers.

Boston trailed by as many as nine points in the first quarter before riding a hot start behind the arc from their reserves. Excluding Tatum, the Celtics shot 4 of 14 in the first quarter but by the intermission, Boston reserves made 6 of 13 3-pointers with Williams going 3 of 4.

Rockets guard Jalen Green scored a career-high 30 points and made a franchise rookie record eight threes. He started 5-for-5 from deep and shot 11-for-18 from the floor. Christian Wood added 20 points and nine boards while Kevin Porter Jr. scored 15 points yet committed eight turnovers.

Houston carried a 30-22 lead into the second quarter but Boston opened that frame with a 6-0 spurt before Green responded with a three. But the Celtics had seized the momentum for good and forged their first lead since 10-9 when Horford converted a layup for a 45-43 advantage with 3:07 left in the half.

Boston then opened the second half with a 12-4 burst, including a 10-0 run that featured 3-pointers from Horford and Tatum and a three-point play from Marcus Smart.

The Rockets clawed to within 70-63 on a Wood three before Boston extended to a 20-point lead, with Horford tallying seven points and Schroder six during an extended run that included threes from Williams and Smart. 

When Houston cut that deficit in half by the 7:19 mark of the fourth quarter, Williams drained another three that pushed the margin to 96-83.

Horford added 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocks to his stat line.

-reuters-

Team USA rules U17 World Cup, Fil-Am Jalen Green is MVP

For the fifth time in a row, the United States ruled the FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup.

The Americans dominated the 2018 edition of the event, crushing France, 95-52, in the gold medal game held in Santa Fe, Argentina.

Team USA has won 37 straight games in the FIBA U-17 World Cup since the competition first started in 2010.

France managed to stay in the game in the first half, even trailing by just five points, 20-25, with six minutes left. But the Americans dominated the rest of the way, eventually pulling ahead by 20 points, 45-25, at the halftime break.

They went on to lead by as much as 43 points.

Earning tournament Most Valuable Player honors was forward Jalen Green, a Filipino-American standout who competed in the 2018 National Basketball Training Center National League just last March in Manila.

The 16-year-old Green, who traces his roots to Ilocos Sur, averaged 15.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game in seven contests for the US.

Joining Green in the all-tournament team were Team USA's Vernon Carey Jr., France's Killian Hayes, Puerto Rico's Andre Curbelo, and Mali's Oumar Ballo.

For silver medalists France, this was also their best finish in the tournament. Puerto Rico, meanwhile, made the podium for the first time after routing Canada, 90-77, in the third-place game.

source: news.abs-cbn.com