LeBron James fires for 36 points as Los Angeles Lakers cruise past San Antonio Spurs
Written by News on 05/02/2020
LeBron James scored 19 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers overcame a slow start to cruise to a 129-102 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
San Antonio Spurs 102-129 Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James scored 19 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers overcame a slow start to cruise to a 129-102 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.
Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma scored 18 points each, while Kuzma added 12 rebounds, as the Lakers won at home for the first time since the death of Kobe Bryant and eight others in a helicopter crash on January 26.
DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points and Bryn Forbes added 13 for the Spurs, who lost on back-to-back nights in Staples Center after falling to the LA Clippers on Monday night. The Spurs have dropped five of their past seven games.
With a 13-point lead through three quarters, the Lakers started the final period with a flourish, scoring 21 points over the opening three-and-a-half minutes. James hit five straight shots – all three-pointers – during that stretch.
The Lakers opened the game by making just one of their first eight shots from the field in their first game since a victory at Sacramento on Saturday but still managed to go 9-of-19 (47.4 per cent) from the field in the first quarter to take a 21-19 lead.
The Lakers pushed their advantage to 51-41 in the first half, holding the Spurs to 36.2 per cent shooting, while also holding a 30-17 rebounding advantage.
The Lakers finished with a 58-28 rebounding advantage in the game and their 58.8 per cent shooting night was helped by a 24-6 advantage in fast-break points. The Spurs shot 44.0 per cent from the field in the game.
James, who was named Western Conference player of the month for January earlier on Tuesday, added nine assists. He was 6-of-9 from three-point range.
JaVale McGee scored 14 points, while Dwight Howard had 12 points and 11 rebounds for Los Angeles.
Dejounte Murray scored 12 points, while Lonnie Walker IV and Marco Belinelli had 11 each for the Spurs. LaMarcus Aldridge was held to seven points on 3-of-10 shooting after entering with 19.0 points per game.
Milwaukee Bucks 120-108 New Orleans Pelicans
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 17 rebounds as the visiting Milwaukee Bucks used a third-quarter surge to pull away from the New Orleans Pelicans and complete a 120-108 victory.
The Bucks trailed for most of the first half and 61-58 at half-time before outscoring the Pelicans 42-24 in the third quarter. Antetokounmpo scored 16 in the period.
Fellow All-Star Khris Middleton added 20 points, Wesley Matthews scored 17, Eric Bledsoe had 16 and Brook Lopez 12 for Milwaukee.
All-Star forward Brandon Ingram led New Orleans with 32 points, rookie Zion Williamson scored 20 (on 5-of-19 shooting), JJ Redick came off the bench to score 13 points, and Lonzo Ball had 11 points and 14 rebounds.
The Bucks scored first four points of the third quarter to take a one-point lead. The Pelicans regained the lead twice before Milwaukee scored nine consecutive points to take a 75-67 lead. Ingram stopped the run by making a free throw, but Matthews made consecutive three-pointers to give the Bucks an 81-68 lead.
The lead grew to 19 points then New Orleans closed within 13 before Donte DiVincenzo’s basket gave the Bucks a 100-85 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Williamson’s lay-up and Josh Hart’s three-point play started the fourth-quarter scoring and pulled the Pelicans within 10 points. Kyle Korver answered with a three-pointer before New Orleans scored six straight points to get within 103-96.
The Bucks scored seven consecutive points to take a 114-100 lead with 4:55 remaining to seal the win.
Portland Trail Blazers 99-127 Denver Nuggets
Nikola Jokic had 29 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists while Jamal Murray scored 20 in his return to the line-up after missing 10 games as the host Denver Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 127-99.
Jerami Grant scored 17, Will Barton added 16 points and Malik Beasley scored 14 for the Nuggets, who have won all three meetings with Portland this season. Denver won for the third time in four games.
Damian Lillard was held to 21 points, his lowest output since January 9, and CJ McCollum had 20 for Portland. The Trail Blazers had their four-game winning streak snapped.
Lillard, who had nine assists in the loss, came into Tuesday averaging 48.8 points and 10.2 assists over his previous six games but he was held down by Denver. He shot 8-for-23 from the field and hit just one of his six three-point attempts. He had made 49 three-pointers over the previous five games.
Gary Trent Jr added 11 points and Anfernee Simmons had 10 for Portland.
The Blazers led by four early in the game and by one late in the first quarter, but Denver took control in the final 3:20 of the period. Jokic hit two three-pointers and Beasley converted a three-point play in a 15-5 run that ended the quarter with the Nuggets leading 37-28.
Denver then dominated the second and third quarters to take a big lead. The lead was 47-34 after Trent sank a lay-up, but that was the closest the Blazers got the rest of the way. Murray scored four consecutive points, Grant dunked over Lillard and then hit a three-pointer, and Jokic had two free throws in a 17-4 run to close out the period, giving the Nuggets a 64-38 half-time lead.
McCollum tried to keep Portland in the game in the third, scoring 16 of the team’s 36 points, but Denver maintained their advantage. Barton hit consecutive three-pointers to make it 78-47 with 8:18 left in the period, and Jokic’s short jumper gave Denver a 34-point lead.
The Blazers closed the third on an 18-10 run to get within 100-74 but never threatened in the fourth.
Charlotte Hornets 110-125 Houston Rockets
James Harden finished one rebound shy of a 40-point triple-double as the Houston Rockets erased a 15-point deficit to beat the visiting Charlotte Hornets 125-110.
Harden was exceptional throughout but especially down the stretch, fuelling a 12-3 run in the fourth quarter that enable Houston to secure control. Harden hit a three-pointer, converted a floater in the lane and fed Danuel House Jr for a transition alley-oop en route to 40 points and 12 assists to help Houston win despite the absence of Russell Westbrook (thumb) and Clint Capela (heel).
House added 22 points and nine rebounds while PJ Tucker posted 13 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals. After allowing 14 second-chance points in the first quarter, Houston surrendered eight over the final three periods to mitigate a 53-41 rebounding deficit.
Miles Bridges and Terry Rozier scored 20 apiece for the Hornets, who have dropped four in a row and 12 of their past 13 games. Bridges added a game-high 15 rebounds. Malik Monk scored 19 off the bench for Charlotte while Devonte’ Graham produced 16 points and 10 assists.
There was no mystery behind the Hornets’ early success. Charlotte led by as many as 13 points in the first quarter due to their prowess on the glass. The Hornets posted a 20-9 rebounding advantage in the period, grabbing seven offensive boards.
Houston incrementally clawed back in the second by drilling six three-pointers and going 12-of-12 at the free-throw line. Harden had nine of those foul shots as Houston rolled to a 40-point frame.
However, it wasn’t until 1:59 remained in the second that the Rockets finally claimed their first lead with Harden feeding House for a transition lay-up and a 59-58 advantage. But Cody Martin scored five points in succession and the Hornets reclaimed a 63-62 lead at the intermission.
(c) Sky Sports 2020: LeBron James fires for 36 points as Los Angeles Lakers cruise past San Antonio Spurs
