47 points from Steph couldn't save the Warriors.
Russell Westbrook had his 25th triple-double of the season, Bradley Beal scored 37 points and the Washington Wizards beat the Detroit Pistons 121-100 on Saturday night. Westbrook finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in the fourth straight win for Washington (23-33), which continues its late-season push. “We’re showing that we can put it together,” Beal said.
Nikola Vucevic scored 25 points, Lauri Markkanen added 16 off the bench and the Chicago Bulls beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-96 on Saturday night to snap a five-game losing streak. Denzel Valentine had 13 points off the bench as the Chicago reserves accounted for 45 points. The Bulls were playing for a second straight game without All-Star Zach LaVine, who is in the NBA's health and safety protocol and not with the team.
No NBA champion has visited the White House since 2016.
Jimmy Butler says the Heat have been humbled by opponents this season.
The Miami Heat are losing, and their highest-paid player isn’t happy. Jimmy Butler labeled the reigning Eastern Conference champions as “soft” after a loss in Minnesota on Friday night, Miami’s third straight defeat and one that dropped the Heat to 28-28 with 16 games left in the regular season. It was Miami’s 10th loss in its last 16 games.
After trying to block a pass, Donovan Mitchell landed and rolled his right ankle hard on the court on Friday afternoon.
Julius Randle scored 44 points in his best game in his hometown, leading the New York Knicks to a 117-109 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night for a five-game winning streak, their longest in seven years. RJ Barrett had 24 points and eight rebounds. Derrick Rose added 15 points with fellow backup guard Alec Burks sidelined by COVID-19 protocols.
CJ McCollum scored 29 points and the Portland Trail Blazers escaped with a 107-106 victory Friday night over the San Antonio Spurs, who missed three shots on their final possession. Portland overcame a 16-point deficit in the second half despite not having Damian Lillard, who missed the game after straining his right hamstring during practice on Thursday. “To get a win without Dame was very important,” Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts said.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points, including eight in the fourth quarter before fouling out, to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 119-111 win against the Miami Heat on Friday night. Ricky Rubio added 17 points and Naz Reid scored 16 off the bench as Minnesota had seven players score in double-figures to overcome 21 turnovers. Towns keyed a 22-6 run midway through the fourth as the Timberwolves pulled away.
Dillon Brooks scored a season-high 32 points and the Memphis Grizzlies took control in the second half to beat the Chicago Bulls 126-115 on Friday night. Brooks had 15 points in the third quarter to lead Memphis’ charge. The game was tied at the end of both the first and second quarters before the Grizzlies pushed ahead to beat the Bulls for the second time this week.
Nikola Jokic scored 29 points, Michael Porter Jr. added 21 and the Denver Nuggets cruised to a 128-99 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night. Jokic dominated in the paint, hitting 10 of 12 field goals and adding 16 rebounds. Jokic fell three assists shy of his 16th triple-double of the season and second in as many games.
Kevin Durant had 25 points and 11 assists, Joe Harris scored 26 points and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Charlotte Hornets 130-115 on Friday night. Landry Shamet added 20 points for the Nets. Kyrie Irving had 12 on the day after LaMarcus Aldridge retired after experiencing an irregular heartbeat in a game Saturday.
Joel Embiid had 36 points and 14 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Clippers 106-103 on Friday night, snapping Los Angeles’ seven-game winning streak. Furkan Korkmaz added 18 points and Ben Simmons had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Eastern Conference-leading Sixers, who have won four in a row. “I don’t think teams really know what to do when guarding him,” Simmons said of Embiid.
Russell Westbrook took over the game in overtime for the Washington Wizards, scoring 10 of their 12 points in the extra period and providing a pass that Bradley Beal turned into the other basket. If the Wizards are going to continue their turnaround from a terrible start and a COVID-19 outbreak to reach the play-in portion of the NBA postseason, it's going to take more such displays by their dynamic guard duo. Westbrook made a pair of free throws to break a tie with just one second left in OT after he was fouled by Zion Williamson and combined with Beal to score 66 points, leading the Wizards past the New Orleans Pelicans 117-115 on Friday night.
Paul Watson Jr. scored 20 of his career-high 30 points in the third quarter Friday night and the Toronto Raptors pulled away to a 113-102 victory over the Orlando Magic. Playing in only his second game after missing 11 games due to the NBA's COVID-19 protocol, Watson converted six straight 3-point shots in the period, in which Toronto outscored the Magic 38-19. Yuta Watanabe also had a career high for the Raptors, contributing 21 points and six rebounds.
Josh Jackson scored 29 points, and the Detroit Pistons overcame several key absences to beat Oklahoma City 110-104 on Friday night, handing the Thunder their ninth straight loss. Oklahoma City cut an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead to one, but Detroit held on two nights after blowing a double-digit advantage in the final period against the Los Angeles Clippers. “I felt like I saw it — the guy was sliding," Detroit coach Dwane Casey said.
Tough team defense rescued the Utah Jazz after Donovan Mitchell went down with an ankle injury. The NBA-leading Jazz rallied to beat the Indiana Pacers 119-111 on Friday after Mitchell the left game with a sprained ankle in the second half. Mitchell could not put any weight on his leg, and teammates helped him off the floor to the locker room.
Donovan Mitchell exited during the third quarter of an NBA game between the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers on Friday afternoon after suffering a sprained right ankle. The Jazz announced he would not return. Mitchell was helped off the court with the assistance of teammates with 8:18 left in the third quarter after severely turning his ankle.
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Each week during the 2020-21 NBA season, we will take a deeper dive into three of the league’s biggest storylines in an attempt to determine whether the trends are based more in fact or fiction moving forward.
Dwyane Wade is an NBA owner. The Utah Jazz announced Friday that the 13-time NBA All-Star will join the youngest ownership group in the league. The group is headed by technology entrepreneur Ryan Smith, who along with his wife, Ashley, acquired majority interest in the Jazz in late 2020.
Dwyane Wade is close with Ryan Smith, who bought the Jazz in October.
The Clippers brought Cousins into the fold earlier this month.
If Embiid can remain healthy and the 76ers finish No. 1 by season's end, the 27-year-old will walk away with the Maurice Podoloff trophy.