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NBA game roundup: Spurs win as Popovich returns
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
BOSTON — The San Antonio Spurs got their coach back on the bench and celebrated by rolling to their seventh straight win, a 111-89 victory over the floundering Boston Celtics on Sunday.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who missed two games for a minor medical procedure, saw his team blow a nine-point first-quarter lead and then recover from a nine-point second-quarter deficit to improve to 12-4.
The loss was the fourth in a row overall and sixth straight at home for the Celtics (4-10).
Forward Danny Green led five San Antonio players in double figures with 18 points.
Forward Jeff Green led the Celtics with 16 points. Guard Rajon Rondo, 1 of 8 in the fourth quarter in Friday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls, had 10 assists and six rebounds, but scored just two points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field. He also missed his only two free throws and is 9 of 30 from the foul line for the season.
Warriors 104, Pistons 93
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Golden State won its ninth straight game and completed a sweep of a five-game road trip for the first time since 1978.
Forward Draymond Green scored 20 points, including a career-high five 3-pointers, and point guard Stephen Curry supplied 16 points and 10 assists before exiting with 8:38 remaining with a left ankle sprain. X-rays were negative and Curry, who tweaked the ankle going for a steal, doesn’t expect to miss any games.
Shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a season-high 23 points for the Pistons, who lost their eighth straight and sixth in a row at home.
Bulls 102, Nets 84
NEW YORK – Bulls guard Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 26 points, 16 of which came in the first half, as the Bulls manhandled Brooklyn. The win came in the final game of the Bulls’ seven-game road trip, a stretch where Chicago went 4-3.
The Bulls also received 25 points and 13 rebounds from forward Pau Gasol. Guard Derrick Rose added 14 points.
The Nets were led by guard Bojan Bogdanovic, who had 13 points.
Grizzlies 97, Kings 85
SACRAMENTO — Forward Zach Randolph had 22 points and 12 rebounds and center Marc Gasol added 18 points to help Memphis win its fifth straight game and improve its NBA-best record to 15-2.
The Kings (9-8) lost their third straight game despite 17 points and 20 rebounds by forward Reggie Evans off the bench.
Kings center DeMarcus Cousins missed his second straight game with a virus.
Heat 86, Knicks 79
NEW YORK — Dwyane Wade scored a season-best 27 points in his return to Miami lineup in a win over New York.
Wade missed the Heat’s previous seven games with a hamstring injury. Without the all-star guard in the lineup, Miami went 3-4.
Forward Carmelo Anthony returned to the Knicks after missing two games with back spasms. He scored 31 points, and forward Amar’e Stoudemire added 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Lakers 129, Raptors 122 (OT)
LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant recorded his 20th career triple-double, and Los Angeles halted a four-game skid with an overtime victory over Toronto.
Bryant scored 31 points, dished out 12 assists and pulled down 11 rebounds as the Lakers won for only the second time in 10 home games. Reserve guard Nick Young scored 20 points, forward Carlos Boozer added 18 points and nine rebounds, and center Jordan Hill had 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Point guard Kyle Lowry scored 29 points, handed out nine assists and grabbed six rebounds for the Raptors, who dropped their second in a row. Toronto forward Terrence Ross had 20 points.
Trail Blazers 107, Timberwolves 93
PORTLAND, Ore. — LaMarcus Aldridge scored 26 points and grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds in Portland’s victory over Minnesota.
Wesley Matthews added 23 points — sinking six of 10 shots from 3-point range — as the Trail Blazers rebounded from a 112-99 loss to Memphis on Friday. Guard Damian Lillard collected 17 points and eight assists and forward Nicolas Batum added 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Portland, which won for the 10th time in 11 games.
Forward Shabazz Muhammad came off the bench to lead Minnesota with a career-high 28 points, while guard Mo Williams contributed 21 points and 11 assists.
Magic 93, Suns 90
PHOENIX — Tobias Harris led a balanced Orlando attack with 21 points, helping his team to its fifth road win of the season.
Orlando center Nikola Vucevic added 18 points and the biggest basket of the night, a 6-footer with 42.9 seconds left. The Magic, who were 4-37 on the road last season, improved to 5-7 away from Amway Center this season by surprising a Phoenix team that had won five of its last seven.
Guard Evan Fournier and Victor Oladipo had 15 and 12 points each for Orlando, who overcame 22 turnovers for the win. Guard Goran Dragic had 22 points and eight rebounds, and forward Markieff Morris had 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for Phoenix.
