NBA News Wire
NBA roundup: Pelicans lose Davis, Anderson to injuries
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
MIAMI — The New Orleans Pelicans lost center Anthony Davis and forward Ryan Anderson to injuries but snapped a four-game losing streak with a 105-91 victory over Miami on Saturday night.
Davis reinjured his left shoulder when he collided with Miami center Hassan Whiteside with 3:07 remaining in the first quarter. Anderson injured his right ankle with 9:41 remaining in the second quarter.
Without Davis and Anderson, guard Eric Gordon scored 24 points and made 6 of 11 3-pointers.
Guard Goran Dragic made his debut for the Heat after being acquired from Phoenix on Thursday and scored 12 points. Reserve guard Mario Chalmers led Miami with 20 points and guard Dwyane Wade added 19 in his second game back from a hamstring injury.
Thunder 110, Charlotte 103
CHARLOTTE, N.C — Guard Russell Westbrook helped Oklahoma City compensate for forward’s Kevin Durant’s absence by scoring 33 points in the Thunder’s fifth straight victory.
Durant missed his 28th game of the season with a sore right foot. Westbrook finished 12 of 27 from the field and 9 of 9 from the foul line, helping the Thunder win for the seventh time in eight games
Guard Mo Williams had a strong debut for the Hornets with 24 points and 12 assists. Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 20 points and center Al Jefferson had 20 points and 12 rebounds in Charlotte’s fourth straight loss.
Bulls 112, Suns 107
CHICAGO — Forward Pau Gasol collected 22 points and 14 rebounds as Chicago won for the fifth time in six games.
Forward Jimmy Butler added 19 points for the Bulls, who shot 48.3 percent from the field (43 of 89) and 12 of 24 from 3-point range.
Guard Brandon Knight came off the bench to score 13 points in 24 minutes in his debut for Phoenix, which acquired him from Milwaukee in a three-team trade.
Rockets 98, Raptors 76
HOUSTON — Guard James Harden shook off a sluggish start and scored 16 of his 20 points in the third quarter as Houston posted its eighth straight home win over Toronto.
Harden missed his first six shots during the first half but helped the Rockets pull away by making 5 of 6 shots from the field in the third quarter.
The Raptors committed 25 turnovers and starting guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan struggled all night, combining for 21 points on 6-of-27 shooting from the floor.
Clippers 126, Kings 99
LOS ANGELES — Reserve guard Austin Rivers scored a career-high 28 points and Los Angeles routed Sacramento.
Guards J.J. Reddick and Jamal Crawford scored 24 and 23 points, resepectively, for the Clippers, who shot 48 percent from the field and made 14 of 35 3-pointers.
Forward DeMarcus Cousins scored 21 points and forward Rudy Gay added 15 for the Kings, who were playing their second game under new coach George Karl.
