Jordan Clarkson scored 18 points as the red-hot Utah Jazz smashed the Los Angeles Lakers 114-89 Wednesday night in Salt Lake City, sending the defending NBA champions to their fourth consecutive defeat.
Utah’s Mike Conley finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists while Donovan Mitchell totaled 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in his first game since earning his second All-Star Game trip.
Rudy Gobert, also named to his second All-Star team, added 18 points and nine rebounds as the Jazz earned their 22nd win in 24 games. It also the 20th time in the spurt that they won by double digits.
LeBron James scored 19 points but didn’t have much help in the Lakers’ most lopsided loss of the season. Los Angeles, playing without Anthony Davis (calf) and Dennis Schroder (health and safety protocols), lost for the fifth time in six games.
Charlotte Hornets 124 – Phoenix Suns 121
Malik Monk scored 29 points off the bench as Charlotte rebounded from a slow start to pull out a victory at Phoenix.
LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward each scored 20 as the Hornets won after absorbing a 22-point defeat at Utah on Monday to open a six-game road trip.
Devin Booker scored 33 points for the Suns while Chris Paul added 20 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Oklahoma City Thunder 102 – San Antonio Spurs 99
Luguentz Dort hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give Oklahoma City a win over visiting San Antonio.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 42 points, including 21 in the third quarter, to lead the Thunder. Dort and Al Horford added 16 points each.
The Spurs were playing for the first time since Feb. 14, when four of their players tested positive for COVID-19 following a win in Charlotte. Those players — Rudy Gay, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell and Derrick White — remained out Wednesday. Dejounte Murray led the team with 27 points.
Atlanta Hawks 127 – Boston Celtics 112
Danilo Gallinari set a franchise record with 10 3-pointers and scored a season-high 38 points as Atlanta beat visiting Boston.
Gallinari scored 24 points in the first half. He finished 13-for-16 from the floor and 10-for-12 from beyond the arc and broke the club record of nine 3-pointers set by Steve Smith in March 1997 against the Seattle SuperSonics.
Atlanta’s Trae Young added 33 points, 25 of them in the first half, and seven assists. It was the 12th time he has surpassed the 30-point mark this season.
Golden State Warriors 111 – Indiana Pacers 107
Stephen Curry scored 24 points as Golden State beat Indiana in Indianapolis to complete a 2-2 road trip.
Curry saw his streak of 25-point games end at 13 on a night when he shot just 1-for-11 from 3-point range. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 17 points for the Warriors, and Draymond Green had 12 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.
Domantas Sabonis had 22 points and a game-high 16 rebounds for Indiana, which had two games postponed since it last played on Feb. 17 at Minnesota.
Miami Heat 116 – Toronto Raptors 108
Jimmy Butler had 27 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and three steals, leading host Miami to a win over Toronto. It was the fourth straight victory for the Heat, who also got a big game from Bam Adebayo (19 points, 12 rebounds and four assists).
Miami’s Goran Dragic, who had missed nine straight games due to an ankle injury, returned and scored 15 points off the bench. The Heat were without Tyler Herro (hip).
Toronto’s Kyle Lowry, who missed four consecutive games due to thumb and ankle ailments, came back to contribute 24 points and eight assists. Fred VanVleet added 24 points and seven assists as the Raptors lost their second straight game after a four-game winning streak.
Cleveland Cavaliers 112 – Houston Rockets 96
Jarrett Allen posted his sixth consecutive double-double as Cleveland sent visiting Houston to its ninth successive loss.
Allen paired 26 points with 18 boards to lead the way, but six Cavaliers scored in double figures. Collin Sexton had 23 points and Dylan Windler added 13 points for the Cavaliers, who won both ends of a home back-to-back following a 10-game skid.
John Wall led Houston with 20 points while Eric Gordon and Victor Oladipo chipped in 17 apiece. The Rockets shot 40 percent from the floor and missed 23 of 33 3-point attempts.
Chicago Bulls 133 – Minnesota Timberwolves 126 (OT)
Zach LaVine scored 35 points on 14-for-21 shooting and Chicago held on for an overtime win against visiting Minnesota.
Coby White added 20 points for the Bulls, and Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Tomas Satoransky scored 16 points for Chicago, which won its third game in a row.
Malik Beasley had 25 points to lead the Timberwolves, who lost their sixth straight game. Karl-Anthony Towns notched 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists before he fouled out late in the fourth quarter.
New Orleans Pelicans 128 – Detroit Pistons 118
Zion Williamson, fresh off being named to his first All-Star Game, scored 32 points and host New Orleans rode a fourth-quarter surge to a win over Detroit.
Brandon Ingram added 27 points for the Pelicans, who outscored the Pistons 32-22 in the fourth quarter. Steven Adams, returning from a two-game absence caused by an ankle injury, had 14 points and 15 rebounds.
The Pistons, who were completing a back-to-back after winning at Orlando on Tuesday, played without two starters and had seven double-figure scorers. Josh Jackson scored a team-high 25 points, and Mason Plumlee had 21.
–Field Level Media
