NBA: Rockets beat Cavs to snap winless skid at home

Christian Wood scored 21 points and Kevin Porter Jr. added a late 3-pointer plus an alley-oop against his former team as the Houston Rockets snapped an 11-game home losing skid with a 115-104 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday.

Wood followed a three-point play from Cavaliers rookie Evan Mobley that cut the Houston lead to 105-102 with 2:44 left with a 10-footer and a 3-pointer that keyed a 10-2 closing run. Porter, who totaled 16 points and seven assists, helped seal the Rockets' first home win since Dec. 8.

Rockets rookie Jalen Green, picked second overall in the 2021 NBA Draft and one spot ahead of Mobley, tallied 21 points, five rebounds and five assists to emerge from a prolonged slump.

Garrison Mathews and KJ Martin added 16 and 10 points, respectively, off the Houston bench.

Mobley paired a career-high 29 points with 12 rebounds while Kevin Love added 21 points and 13 rebounds off the bench. Love scored 19 in the second and third periods combined to keep the Cavaliers afloat, but they could not overcome a 15-point deficit and 12 missed free throws.

Mobley was effective early, tallying eight points and three boards to help the Cavaliers build their largest lead of the game at 17-10 early in the first quarter. But when Mathews sank a 3 through a foul the Rockets were within one point, and despite Mathews' missed free throw, the Rockets later claimed the lead following back-to-back 3s from Mathews and Josh Christopher.

Rookie Alperen Sengun (nine points, eight rebounds, three assists) was instrumental in helping Houston extend to a 57-42 lead with his two-way play, but the Cavaliers used a late 9-2 run to cut into that deficit.

But Cleveland struggled to defend without fouling prior to the intermission, sending the Rockets to the line 29 times, the most by a team in any half this season. That helped Houston take a 64-53 lead at the half, despite Love and Mobley posting double-doubles.

-reuters

NBA: Heat acquire Victor Oladipo from Rockets

The Miami Heat acquired well-traveled Victor Oladipo on Thursday in a trade with the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets received Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk in the deal. Houston also received the right to swap 2022 draft picks with Miami.

Oladipo played in just 20 games for the Rockets after getting dealt to Houston in the mega deal that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in January. He started the season with the Indiana Pacers.

The 28-year-old guard averaged 21.2 points per game to go with 5.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds with Houston. 

He owns a career average of 17.6 points per game with the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana and Houston.

Oladipo ruptured his quad, which ended his 2018-19 season and forced him to miss all but 19 games of the 2019-20 season.

He turned down a two-year, $45.2-million extension with the Rockets.

Bradley, 30, played in just 10 games (one start) for the Heat and averaged 8.5 points per game after signing a one-year deal with them in the offseason. He missed time due to injuries and COVID protocols.

A two-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection, Bradley won an NBA championship last season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Olynyk, 29, spent the past three-plus seasons in Miami after a four-year stint in Boston. 

Olynyk averaged 10.0 points and 5.2 rebounds in 265 games (105 starts) with the Heat. He is set to become a free agent after the season.

-reuters

NBA: Celtics hand Rockets 16th straight loss in blowout

Jaylen Brown scored 24 points, Jayson Tatum added 23 and the Boston Celtics rolled to a 134-107 victory over the host Houston Rockets on Sunday at Toyota Center.

The Celtics, who have won five of six games, overcame an early eight-point deficit courtesy of Tatum and Brown passing the baton offensively. 

Boston also helped matters by displaying superior ball security, coming alive after five early turnovers helped Houston to its 28-20 lead.

Tatum scored 12 points in the first quarter and ignited an 18-6 Boston run that closed the frame. The Celtics shot 61.9 percent in the period, including 5 of 8 on 3-pointers, to erase the deficit. Brown took control in the second with 16 points, including a 3 with 6:26 left that built the lead to 54-36.

The Rockets, meanwhile, opened the period missing 10 of 11 shots. The Celtics' lead ballooned to 66-53 by the intermission with Brown scoring 21 points before the break while the Boston bench contributed 25 points. The Celtics managed a 34-18 advantage on the glass and held the Rockets, who extended their losing skid to 16 games, to 7-of-25 3-point shooting in the first half.

Victor Oladipo had 26 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Rockets while Kenyon Martin Jr. added 21 points and four rebounds off the Houston bench. Kevin Porter Jr. cooled considerably after a hot start and finished with 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting plus seven assists.

With a loss on Tuesday against the Atlanta Hawks, the Rockets would match the franchise record of 17 consecutive losses set during their inaugural season in San Diego in 1967-68.

The Celtics' dominance extended beyond Brown and Tatum. Kemba Walker scored 11 points over the first two minutes of the third quarter to help Boston extend its lead to 79-57. Tristan Thompson grabbed 13 rebounds. Robert Williams totaled 16 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks off the bench as the Celtics' reserves scored 63 points.

-reuters

Westbrook, Harden rally Rockets over NBA-best Bucks

MIAMI – Russell Westbrook scored 31 points and James Harden added 24 Sunday (Monday, Manila time) to rally the Houston Rockets over NBA overall leader Milwaukee 120-116 despite a big night for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks led 112-104 after Khris Middleton's 3-pointer with 3:14 to play, but Houston closed the game with a 16-4 run.

"It's amazing," Westbrook said. "We fought through. Adversity showed up and we showed off. All the guys in our locker room showed up to play for 48 minutes."


The Rockets went 21-of-61 from three-point range, matching an NBA record for the most three-point attempts by a club in a non-overtime game, with Danuel House hitting four and Harden among five other players who landed three from outside the arc.

"You have to make the right reads and trust your teammates and that's what I tried to do all night long," said Westbrook.

The Rockets also rallied from seven points down in the final minute to defeat Dallas on Friday.

Westbrook, on a career-best run of 36 consecutive games with 20 or more points, hit 10-of-21 from the floor, 1-of-3 from beyond the arc, and 10-of-12 free throws. Harden had six steals, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Greek big man Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 36 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists. Middleton had 27 points and 12 rebounds and Brook Lopez added 23 points and 12 rebounds.

"We've got to keep executing at the end of close games," Antetokounmpo said. "We weren't able to do that. We've got to find the open man and hit more shots."

Tatum leads Celtics
The Rockets improved to 42-24, level with Utah for fourth in the Western Conference and only one game behind Denver, while the Bucks fell to 54-13, still the best record in the NBA and six games better than Toronto to top the Eastern Conference.

In the other feature interconference game, Jayson Tatum scored 34 points and Jaylen Brown added 30 to spark the Boston Celtics over Portland 128-124.

Gordon Hayward added 22 points for the Celtics, including two crucial free throws with three seconds to play to help seal a Boston win after squandering a 24-point advantage.

Boston opened the game by making 9-of-12 shots, five of them for three points, for a 26-15 lead and stretched their advantage from there before the Trail Blazers rallied.

Portland's Damian Lillard had 30 points and 16 assists while Jusuf Nurkic added 30 points and nine rebounds for the Trail Blazers.

DeRozan seals it for Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs, powered by 21 points and 10 rebounds from Dejounte Murray, edged eighth-place Memphis in a Western Conference game.

DeMar DeRozan completed a 108-106 win by sinking two free throws with one second remaining, the last of his 14 points. Grizzlies rookie star Ja Morant had 25 points and nine assists in a losing cause.

The Memphis loss ensured a playoff spot for the Dallas Mavericks even before they took the court for a 117-115 loss to the Phoenix Suns. It will be the first Dallas post-season appearance since 2016.

Phoenix's Devin Booker scored 30 points and Ricky Rubio added 20, both hitting key free throws in the final minutes to preserve the Suns' lead.

Luka Doncic led Dallas with 40 points while Kristaps Porzingis added 30 for the Mavericks.

Caris LeVert scored 34 points, 14 of them in the last seven minutes, to spark the Brooklyn Nets over Washington 118-110.

Jarrett Allen had 22 points and 15 rebounds and Joe Harris scored a season-high 27 points for Brooklyn, which moved seven games ahead of the ninth-place Washington in the Eastern Conference.

The Wizards must be within four games of eighth to force a play-in series and they have only six games remaining.

Orlando stayed half a game ahead of Brooklyn by routing Sacramento 132-116 behind 25 points from Terrence Ross plus 23 points and 11 rebounds from Nikola Vucevic.

The Magic's victory joy was dampened by a third-quarter left leg injury to Jonathan Isaac, who had just worked his way back from a left knee injury. He exited the court in a wheelchair.

Agence France-Presse

Houston's Westbrook tests positive for COVID-19

LOS ANGELES – NBA star Russell Westbrook revealed Monday (Tuesday, Manila time) he has tested positive for COVID-19 as the league gears up for its return in Florida later this month.

Houston Rockets star Westbrook, the 2017 Most Valuable Player and one of the biggest names in the NBA, said in a statement he was feeling well and was in isolation.

"I tested positive for COVID-19 prior to my team's departure to Orlando," Westbrook said on Twitter.

"I'm currently feeling well, quarantined and looking forward to rejoining my teammates when I am cleared. Thank you all for the well wishes and continued support," the 31-year-old added.

"Please take this virus seriously. Be safe. Mask up!"

Westbrook was one of several Rockets players who did not travel to Orlando, where the NBA will resume its season on July 30 after a four-month shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As well as Westbrook, fellow superstar James Harden and Cameroon international Luc Mbah a Moute also did not travel, although the team has not given a reason for their absence.

Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni on Sunday said Westbrook, Harden and Mbah a Moute were "working in their own home base."

"We're still expecting them in a few days," D'Antoni said. "You never know, but we think we'll get them back in here by the middle of the week.

D'Antoni would not comment on why the players had not travelled with the team.

"These are things that people are dealing with," he said. "We're not going to get into why not. They're on their way."

Westbrook is one of several NBA players to have tested positive for COVID-19, joining a list which includes Brooklyn's Kevin Durant, Boston's Marcus Smart and Utah Jazz duo Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.

Agence France-Presse

Rockets' Harden, Westbrook conspire to stop Nuggets

LOS ANGELES – James Harden scored 35 points and Russell Westbrook finished with 28 as the Houston Rockets cooled off the Denver Nuggets with a 130-104 win on Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time).

Harden also had six assists while Westbrook contributed seven helpers, avenging an earlier loss to the Nuggets.

Nikola Jokic scored 21 points to lead Denver, who had won nine of their last 10 games.

Denver defeated the Rockets 105-95 on November 20 by double-teaming Harden which put more pressure on his teammates to try and pick up the slack.

The Rockets moved the ball quickly on Tuesday, seizing control of the contest with a 19-3 burst to open the fourth quarter.

Clint Capela had a double-double for Houston (16 points, 10 rebounds) while Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 16 points and 12 boards off the bench.

Monte Morris came off the bench to score 18 points for Denver. Paul Millsap had 13 points and nine boards for Denver while Jamal Murray and Will Barton totaled 22 points on 10-of-30 shooting.

Elsewhere, Domantas Sabonis tallied 23 points and 10 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers beat the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers 115-97 in Indianapolis.

TJ Warren scored 21 points, Myles Turner tallied 14 and Jeremy Lamb had 13 for the Pacers, who improved to 15-3 at home.

'Disappointing'

Doug McDermott also had 12 points for Indiana, while former 76er TJ McConnell added 11 points and 10 assists, ending a modest two-game losing skid for the Pacers.

"We played great basketball," Pacers' coach Nate McMillan said. "We established our defense, got stops and were able to get into transition.

"With 35 assists we were making their defense move and work. I just loved the tempo we established at the defensive end of the floor as well as the offensive end."

Philadelphia looked disorganized without all-star center Embiid, who has an injured left knee. They have won just three of seven games this season when Embiid sat out.

Ben Simmons had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Josh Richardson scored 20 points for the Sixers.

Since beating the Milwaukee Bucks 121-109 on Christmas Day, the Sixers have dropped three consecutive road games in Orlando, Miami and Indianapolis.

"After coming out of Miami (a 117-116 loss in overtime) and losing two games prior to being here, that's a disappointing performance," 76ers coach Brett Brown said.

"I do give Indiana credit as it relates to us missing shots. We certainly had people down. They were some of our better players. Just didn't have the performances that they're used to having."

Also, Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Sacramento Kings for the 10th straight time, 105-87.

Leonard finished eight of 21 from the floor with seven assists.

Paul George delivered 21 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Clippers, who have won 14 straight in Sacramento.

source: philstar.com

NBA rejects Rockets protest after blown Harden dunk call

LOS ANGELES – The NBA has rejected the Houston Rockets' request for a replay following the blown call of a James Harden dunk in the team's 135-133 overtime defeat to the San Antonio Spurs last week.

The Rockets had lodged a protest after the officiating crew in the game mistakenly ruled out Harden's fourth quarter dunk.

Although officials later acknowledged the mistake, the error turned out to be pivotal, ultimately leading to double overtime where the Spurs would snatch victory.

The Rockets had requested the league allow them to replay the final seven minutes and 50 seconds of the fourth quarter, just before the officiating error.

In a ruling on the Rockets protest however, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged the referees misapplied the rules by failing to grant a coach's challenge for the incident.

However in a statement issued Monday, Silver said that the Rockets had "sufficient time to overcome the error during the remainder of the fourth quarter and two subsequent overtime periods."

"Thus the extraordinary remedy of granting a game protest was not warranted," the statement read.

The league added that the three referees from the game had been disciplined for misapplying the coach's challenge rules. Details of the sanctions against the referees were not immediately available.

source: philstar.com

Harden, Westbrook shine as Rockets extend win streak

LOS ANGELES – James Harden scored 36 points and Russell Westbrook bagged a triple-double as the Houston Rockets extended their red-hot winning streak to eight games with a 132-108 rout of the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday (Tuesday, Manila time).

Harden, fresh from a 49-point display in Saturday's win over Minnesota, was once again in commanding form against a Portland team who were always second best at Houston's Toyota Center.

The 2017-2018 NBA Most Valuable Player also had six rebounds and five assists as the Blazers struggled to contain the Rockets' multi-pronged offense.


Westbrook tormented the Portland defense, finishing with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists on a night when all five Houston starters finished in double figures.

The win saw the Rockets improve to 11-3 at the top of the Western Conference, neck-and-neck with the pace-setting Los Angeles Lakers (11-2).


C.J. McCollum led the scoring for Portland with 25 points, but team-mate Damian Lillard was kept quiet with only 13 points. Portland fell to 5-9 with the defeat.

Elsewhere Monday, Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with a 33-point haul as the Milwaukee Bucks outgunned the Chicago Bulls 115-101.

Antetokounmpo's points tally was matched by impressive defensive numbers, with the Greek star pulling down 10 rebounds, forcing eight turnovers and making three steals.

Brook Lopez had 19 points while Donte DiVincenzo added 15 for the Bucks, who improved to 10-3 in the Eastern Conference standings.

In Toronto, O.G. Anunoby and Pascal Siakam sparked the Raptors in a 132-96 demolition of the Charlotte Hornets.

Anunoby had 24 points and Siakam 20 as seven Toronto players finished in double figures against an outclassed Charlotte team.

source: philstar.com

NBA commissioner: Not league's job to weigh in on countries' political systems, values

MANILA, Philippines — The National Basketball Association will not police the stances of its players, employees, and team owners, commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday, adding it is not the league's job to adjudicate on issues.

Silver issued the statement amid backlash over a tweet by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morley indicating support for protests in Hong Kong that started as opposition to a since-shelved bill that would allow extradition to China.

Rockets superstar James Harden apologized on behalf of his general manager on Monday. “We love China. We love playing there. I know for both of us individually we go there once or twice a year," he bared.

"They show us the most support and love. So we appreciate them as a fan base and we love everything they’re about and we appreciate the support that they give us individually and as an organization.”

The NBA initially acknowledged that Morley's tweet, since deletedm 'deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable'. The statement itself also generated backlash for seeming to try to appease China, a huge market for the league.


"I recognize our initial statement left people angered, confused or unclear on who we are or what the NBA stands for. Let me be more clear," Silver said Tuesday.

He was careful to add the caveat that the NBA would not want to police its own personnel when it came to their views, saying, "the NBA will not put itself in a position of regulating what players, employees and team owners say or will not say on these issues. We simply could not operate that way."

Former Chinese star Yao Ming – a Basketball Hall of Famer – spent his NBA career with Houston.


Long relationship with China

The relationship between the NBA and China among other things consists of media rights, streaming, merchandise sales to the tune of a billion-dollar enterprise. 

"Over the last three decades, the NBA has developed a great affinity for the people of China," Silver said. "At the same time, we recognize that our two countries have different political systems and beliefs. And like many global brands, we bring our business to places with different political systems around the world."

Former NBA commissioner David Stern inked a deal almost 30 years ago with Chinese television to play NBA games on a tape-delayed basis.

League teams have also been travelling to China for exhibition or preseason games for the past decade. Some of these games were even scheduled for the coming weeks, making Morey's statement rather untimely.

And the NBA has long been an international league, with 108 players coming from outside of the United States at the start of the 2018 season.

This diversity is what Silver said was one of the league's strengths: "With that diversity comes the belief that whatever our differences, we respect and value each other; and, what we have in common, including a belief in the power of sports to make a difference, remains our bedrock principle."

"Basketball runs deep in the hearts and minds of our two peoples," Silver said. "At a time when divides between nations grow deeper and wider, we believe sports can be a unifying force that focuses on what we have in common as human beings rather than our differences."

The new NBA season kicks off on October 22, or October 23 in Manila time.

source: philstar.com

Foul lane: Rockets' Harden apologizes for China traffic violation

SHANGHAI – Houston Rockets star James Harden is used to flying past defenders in the NBA, but he was swiftly blocked by a traffic officer in China as he rode a scooter in Shanghai.

Harden, 29, apologized after causing a social media storm following his weekend ride on one of China's ubiquitous electric scooters.

Images circulating online showed Harden stopped by police on Saturday, and state media said it was for allegedly riding against traffic and in an area where scooters are forbidden.

A friend of his is seen on another scooter with a passenger on the back, which is illegal in Shanghai for certain types of non-motor vehicles.

"I would like to apologize for violating traffic rules during my scooter ride today," Harden wrote in English and Chinese on the Twitter-like Weibo platform on Saturday night, adding that he asked his staff to accept the penalty, which he did not specify.


"Not a good example obviously but I was just trying to enjoy the city as much as possible. Thank you for your understanding and I'll make sure to abide by the rules next time here," Harden wrote on his Weibo account, which has close to 1.6 million followers.

The Shanghai police responded to Harden's apology on Sunday, quipping that a whistle can be used for the rules of the game as well as the road.

"Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards. Hope you can play better and better in your future basketball matches and everyone will be safe on the road," the police wrote on Weibo.

Shanghai has cranked up its traffic law enforcement against non-motor vehicles and pedestrians since April.

Some fans voiced support for Harden's down-to-earth apology, while others said celebrities should not have special treatment.

"The only man who can single-handedly defend Harden has appeared," a fan commented on Weibo.

The NBA is hugely popular in China, which will host the basketball World Cup starting August 31. The Rockets are famous in China for being the team where retired Chinese center Yao Ming played.

source: philstar.com

Durant suffers right leg injury in Warriors' Game 5 win vs Rockets

LOS ANGELES – Golden State pulled out a 104-99 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday (Thursday Manila time) as the Warriors survived the loss of superstar Kevin Durant to grab a 3-2 lead in their second round NBA playoff series.

Draymond Green and Klay Thompson nailed clutch 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter for the Warriors but the buzz after the game was not about the win but rather the health of Durant.

The Warriors said he had suffered a right calf strain but Durant is expected to undergo an MRI scan to Thursday to determine the full extent of the damage.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr sounded cautiously optimistic — hoping for the best but also preparing for something worse if it does turn out to be more serious like a ruptured Achilles.

"We are all disappointed for him. Excited about the win but concern for Kevin. He had been on this incredible playoff run. I am proud of the guys and the way they pulled out this win and we will see about Kevin tomorrow," said Kerr.

Durant's injury occurred innocently enough after he hit a jumper from the right side with just over two minutes left in the third quarter.

He took a step forward then grimaced in pain and looked down at his lower right leg.

"He's done a lot for us. We got to have his back — that is what tonight was about," said Warriors Stephen Curry.

Thompson finished with 27 points, Curry 25 and Durant 22 for the Warriors, who continued a run of home wins by the teams in the series.

James Harden was the game's leading scorer with 31 points for the Rockets, who were outshot by the Warriors from the field 46 percent to 42 percent.

source: philstar.com

Warriors hold off Rockets for 2-0 series lead

LOS ANGELES – Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Klay Thompson added 21 on Tuesday (Wednesday Manila time) as the Golden State Warriors downed the Houston Rockets, 115-109, in a bruising NBA playoff clash.

The reigning champions never trailed, but they had to battle to the end to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference second-round series, which shifts to Houston for game three on Saturday.

Both teams had injury scares in the first quarter, when Houston's 2018 NBA Most Valuable Player James Harden departed with a left eye injury after he was inadvertently swiped in the face by Draymond Green as they battled for the ball.


Warriors guard Stephen Curry left briefly with a dislocated middle finger on his left hand, returning with it taped up before the quarter ended.

Harden returned in the second quarter, but appeared to feel discomfort from the injury during the game, sometimes squinting in the bright lights.


"He got raked pretty good in the eyes," Houston coach Mike D'Antoni said of Harden, who finished with 29 points — including 13 in the fourth quarter. "I'm sure he would have loved to have played better, but under the circumstances I thought he played great."

D'Antoni said he knew Harden would return to the contest unless the injury was "catastrophic" but even with their superstar on the court the Rockets couldn't find a way past the Warriors.

"Tonight we just stayed the course," Thompson said.

Houston trimmed a 15-point deficit to three points in the fourth quarter, but their 18 turnovers, leading to 24 Warriors points, were ultimately too costly.

Curry helped the Warriors' cause with 20 points and Green contributed a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds along with seven assists.

"We had our chances toward the end," D'Antoni said. "They made big plays."

source: philstar.com

Warriors edge Rockets; Celtics baffle Bucks in NBA conference semis

WASHINGTON – Kevin Durant scored 35 points to lead the defending champion Golden State Warriors over Houston, 104-100, Sunday (Monday Manila time) while Boston ripped Milwaukee in the openers of their NBA second-round playoff matchups.

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, each playing despite right ankle injuries, scored 18 and 13 points, respectively, while Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green each added 14 as the Warriors jumped ahead in the best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series.

James Harden led Houston with 35 points while Eric Gordon added 27 and Chris Paul contributed 17 in a losing cause, the Rockets hitting only 41.9 percent from the floor.

"We just made them shoot tough shots," Durant said. "I think our defense won this game."

At Milwaukee, Kyrie Irving and Al Horford sparked the Boston Celtics to a 112-90 victory. Irving had game highs of 26 points and 11 assists while Horford scored 20 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots.

The Warriors had lost their two prior playoff home games to the Los Angeles Clippers before escaping the first round, but hung on down the stretch to halt that unwanted streak.

Curry sank a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a five-point lead with 25 seconds remaining, but Harden answered with a dunk with lift the Rockets within 103-100 with 21 seconds remaining.

Houston forced a turnover but Harden missed a 3-pointer and Paul got the rebound but then made a turnover and was ejected after a technical foul with four seconds remaining, Curry sinking a free throw to create the final victory margin.

"Just getting more opportunities," Durant said of his performance. "We've got to win every matchup. We'll bring the focus again Tuesday (for game two)."

Horford quiets Giannis

Boston's Horford led a solid Celtics defensive effort that shut down Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

"We came out and made a statement," Irving said. "We guarded Giannis really tough. We stayed very physical with him. He's so good around the rim, that mid-range area, we had to keep him out of there. I think we did a great job."

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds, but much of his production came late when Milwaukee was already in a 20-point hole.

The Celtics, seeded fourth in the Eastern Conference against the club with the NBA's best record at 60-22, shot 54 percent against the league's toughest defensive squad.

Boston unleashed a 32-9 run in the third quarter, Horford scoring 11 in the spurt, to seize an 86-65 lead.

While the host Bucks made one unsuccessful run early in the fourth quarter, they never threatened to erase that lead as they had done with a 15-point deficit in the first half.

"Just coming out playing very aggressive, playing poised, understanding they are very tough to beat on their home floor," Irving said when asked about the key to Boston's success.

"It's our preparation, our focus and being there for one another. This is the time you show why you go through the ups and downs of the regular season."

The Bucks, the NBA's third-best scoring club, shot only 34.8 percent for the game.

Antetokounmpo went 7-for-21 from the floor but was denied inside position by Boston's varied defensive schemes.

The Greek star's teammates could not step up and offset his lost production when asked by the Celtics, who dropped two of three regular-season meetings with Milwaukee.

source: philstar.com

Jazz dismantle Rockets to stave off elimination

LOS ANGELES – Donovan Mitchell scored 19 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter as the Utah Jazz staved off elimination in Game Four with a 107-91 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday (Tuesday Manila time).

"It's not over," Mitchell said. "We have another one, and another one, and another one."

Jae Crowder added 23 points, Ricky Rubio tallied 18 points and 11 assists and Derrick Favors finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for Utah, who trail three games to one.

Utah outscored Houston 31-12 in the fourth quarter to set up game five on Wednesday.

Mitchell said they now realize what they have been doing wrong and what it is going to take to win the series.

"We all been struggling with our shots all series," said Mitchell. "We didn't play hard at the beginning. The last two games we played harder.

"There is no way we were going to go out like that. We figured out what we have to do. The best thing for us is to continue to play team basketball."

source: philstar.com

Rockets romp past Nuggets; Pistons thwart Magic

LOS ANGELES – James Harden scored 38 points to led the Houston Rockets to a 112-85 victory over the Denver Nuggets in a battle of NBA Western Conference contenders on Thursday (Friday Manila time).

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Harden added six rebounds and six assists in 32 minutes on the floor as the Rockets blew past a Nuggets team boasting the second-best record in the West behind the reigning champion Golden State Warriors.

"I think it's important for our confidence, our rhythm, our chemistry," said Rockets center Clint Capela, who added 17 points with 15 rebounds. "We did a good job tonight to keep them under 25 points a quarter.


Eric Gordon added 18 points and Austin Rivers chipped in 15 for the Rockets, who out-scored the Nuggets 40-19 in the second quarter to seize control of the contest.

Elsewhere, the Utah Jazz's playoff berth was confirmed thanks to the Sacrament Kings' 121-118 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

The playoff bound Toronto Raptors encountered little resistance from the Knicks in a 117-92 victory in New York.

Forward Pascal Siakam led the Raptors with 31 points as Toronto improved to 53-23 -- second in the East behind the Milwaukee Bucks who improved to 57-19 with a 128-118 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Philadelphia 76ers strengthened their hold on the third seed in the East with a 123-110 victory over Brooklyn that saw the Nets slip a notch to seventh -- the penultimate playoff spot.

Joel Embiid scored 39 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and handed out six assists, making three of his four attempts from 3-point range.

The Detroit Pistons found themselves in sixth in the East after a valuable 115-98 victory over the Orlando Magic — who dropped out of a playoff spot into eighth place with the defeat coupled with the Miami Heat's 105-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Andre Drummond scored 18 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, out-playing Magic All-Star center Nikola Vucevic.

The Pistons, who had lost six of nine games, snapped a three-game losing streak and they also take the season series against the Magic three games to one -- a playoff tiebreaker advantage.

Inspirational performances

The Heat, coming off a loss to Orlando on Tuesday, got themselves back in playoff position at No. 8 with a 105-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Goran Dragic marked his return to Miami's starting lineup with a triple-double of 23 points, 11 assists and 12 rebounds.

It was the Slovenian guard's first triple-double with the Heat and his first since he was with the Houston Rockets in 2010-11.

"I would never bet against him as a competitor," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We needed some inspirational performances tonight."

The triple-double also gave him bragging rights over the Mavericks' Slovenian rookie sensation Luka Doncic, who finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

It was a first NBA clash between the two players who teamed up to lead Slovenia to the 2017 Euro Basket title.

Although the Mavs have struggled on the road, they led 29-26 after one quarter and 59-49 at halftime.

The Heat knotted the score at 62-62 early in the third, but Dallas had edged ahead 82-75 going into the final frame before Miami managed to seal the win. Veteran Dwyane Wade scored six of his 11 points in the fourth quarter.

"This group has some character and we had to really reveal a lot of that in the second half," Spoelstra said.

source: philstar.com

Harden explodes for 58 points as Rockets rally to beat Heat

LOS ANGELES – James Harden delivered his seventh career 50-point, 10-assist performance Thursday (Friday Manila time) as the Houston Rockets edged the Miami Heat, 121-118.

With Harden in a 3-point shooting slump over the last few games, the Rockets have been depending on their reserves to help get the job done.

But Harden reasserted himself Thursday in front of a home crowd of 18,100 at the Toyota Center, finishing with 58 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds on a night when the Rockets had to once again tinker with their roster because of injuries.


"I wanted to be aggressive and continue to attack the rim," Harden said. "I took my shots when I had the opportunities."

He got some help down the stretch from Austin Rivers (17 points) and Chris Paul, whose jumper with 46 seconds left followed a failed Harden 3-pointer and extended the lead to three. Coming into the game Harden was just three for 31 from beyond the arc in his previous three games.

Harden has three 50-point, 10-assist games this season. He had his streak of consecutive 30-point games snapped at 32 on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks.

"We get the stat sheet at the end of the game, and I saw he had 58," teammate Rivers said. "All of us were like, 'He had that many points?' We had no idea he had that many points. That's a lot of points. He was incredible."

Last month Harden scored a career-high and franchise-record 61 points in a 114-110 win over the lowly New York Knicks.

Miami grabbed a 113-103 lead on a Goran Dragic 3-pointer with 6:18 remaining, but Houston answered with a 14-0 run to take the lead.

Miami had seven players scoring in double figures with Dragic and Kelly Olynyk scoring 21 points apiece.

The Heat shot 51.9 percent overall but went cold at the wrong time, posting only 20 points on six-for-17 shooting in the final period.

"We were lackadaisical on defence, especially in that second quarter," Harden said. "They gained confidence and knocked down shots. They were just too comfortable, so we had to pick the pressure up in the second half, create some turnovers and energy with our defence."

The Rockets were without regulars Eric Gordon (knee), Kenneth Faried (hip) and Iman Shumpert (calf).

Elsewhere, Aaron Gordon tallied 22 points and 15 rebounds as the Orlando Magic snapped an 11-game losing streak to beat the Golden State Warriors 103-96.

The two-time defending NBA champion Warriors blew an 11-point lead en route to losing their second game in as many nights, after they fell to the Miami Heat 126-125 when veteran Dwyane Wade nailed the game winner at the buzzer on Wednesday.

Terrence Ross scored 16 points, D.J. Augustin got 14, while Nikola Vucevic had 12 points and 13 rebounds to help Orlando beat the Warriors for the first time since December 2012.

Stephen Curry scored 33 points, Klay Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins each had 21 for the Warriors, who rested Kevin Durant and ended up paying for it.

Curry goes cold

Curry sank only one basket in the fourth quarter.

"Considering the way we finished the third quarter, we were pretty much in control of the game," Curry said. "But we missed a lot of shots and didn't get any stops so it's a frustrating way to end. This is a tough one."

The Magic shot just five-of-23 from the field in the third quarter and trailed 81-70 going into the fourth. They led by eight points at halftime.

Ross nailed a 3-pointer in the fourth to spark a 15-4 run. His final 3-pointer of the game, with 4:16 left, made it 89-89.

Also, Bojan Bogdanovic scored a season-high 35 points and the Indiana Pacers overcame Karl-Anthony Towns' dominating offensive performance for Minnesota to beat the Timberwolves 122-115.

Towns had 42 points and 17 rebounds, scoring 23 points and grabbing seven rebounds in the first quarter.

source: philstar.com

Harden explodes anew as Rockets beat Magic on Paul's return

LOS ANGELES — Chris Paul returned from injury, but it was James Harden's 40 points that fueled the Houston Rockets' 103-98 come-from-behind victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday (Monday Manila time).

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Harden extended his streak of games with at least 30 points to 23. He chipped in 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots — including one in the last 30 seconds to help the Rockets seal the win.

Paul, who missed 17 games with a left hamstring injury, finished with 12 points, six assists and five steals.


Houston trailed by as many as 15 in the third quarter, never taking the lead until there were less than five minutes remaining.

Harden keyed their rally, scoring seven straight Rockets points in the final 2:12 of the contest starting with a basket that put Houston up 95-93.

"They kept digging it and digging it and finally we held them to 37 in the second half," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "That was awesome — that was really good defense."

Meanwhile, Paul George led the way in Oklahoma City, scored 36 points and pulling down 13 rebounds in the Thunder's 118-112 victory over the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks.

Russell Westbrook notched his 16th triple-double of the season with 13 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, and the Thunder put the brakes on Milwaukee's Most Valuable Player candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo to post a fifth straight win.

Oklahoma City led by as many as 19 points in the third quarter.

Milwaukee closed to within three with 1:09 left in the game, but George answered Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe's 3-pointer with his own from beyond the arc to push the Thunder's lead back to 113-107 and contributed two of the free throws that Oklahoma City used to seal the game.

Antetokounmpo finished with 27 points and 18 rebounds and Khris Middleton added 22 points for the Bucks, who saw their six-game winning streak end.

In Dallas, Toronto star Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points and the Raptors withstood a triple-double from Dallas rookie Luka Doncic in a 123-120 victory over the Mavericks.

Pascal Siakam converted a 3-point play with 3:56 remaining to break a 108-108 tie as the Raptors erased a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit.

Danny Green stretched Toronto's lead to 116-112 with 1:34 to play, and after Dallas' Harrison Barnes missed a pair of free throws Leonard scored on a driving layup.

Mavs prodigy Doncic, 19, scored 35 points with 12 rebounds and 10 assists to become the first to post two triple-doubles in the NBA while still a teenager.

However, it wasn't enough to prevent Toronto from improving to 37-15 to pull into a virtual tie atop the East with the 35-13 Bucks.

Cavs snap skid

Elsewhere, the NBA-worst Cleveland Cavaliers snapped a six-game skid with a 104-101 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

The game came down to the final possession, with Bulls guard Zach LaVine's 3-point attempt over Cedi Osman bouncing off the rim at the buzzer.

The Cavs limited the Bulls to one basket from the field in the final 3:50 as they clung on for the win.

"We haven't been in that situation often, but when we do get there, it's important moving forward that we learn how to play down the stretch, we learn how to execute, how to defensively get the stops that we need," Cavaliers head coach Larry Drew said. "Certainly any time you do that on the road it makes it that much sweeter."

In New York, the Miami Heat climbed back to .500 with a 106-97 victory over the Knicks.

Miami guard Wayne Ellington scored all 19 of his points in the second half, including a pair of 3-pointers that pushed the Heat's lead to 100-92 with 1:08 remaining.

Veteran Dwyane Wade added 15 points off the bench for Miami in his penultimate appearance at Madison Square Garden before he retires at the end of the season.

source: philstar.com

Harden's 43 points, triple-double steer Rockets past Grizzlies

HOUSTON — James Harden had 43 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists in his fourth straight 40-point game, leading the Houston Rockets over the Memphis Grizzlies, 113-101, on Monday night (Tuesday Manila time) for their fifth consecutive victory.

Harden set an NBA record with his eighth straight game with at least 35 points and five assists, besting Oscar Robertson, who twice had seven-game streaks. Harden finished with his fourth triple-double this season and 39th overall.

Houston has won 10 of its last 11 to improve to 21-15.

Harden continued his incredible run that has powered Houston's surge up the Western Conference standings after a slow start, making six 3-pointers and 21 of 27 free throws. He has made at least four 3-pointers in eight straight games has finished with 30 points or more in 10 games in a row.

The Grizzlies cut the lead to nine with about 90 seconds left. But P.J. Tucker made a free throw for Houston before Austin Rivers added a layup to make it 113-101 and seal the victory with about 35 seconds left.

Harden grabbed his 10th rebound seconds after that to complete his triple-double.

Kyle Anderson had 20 points and Mike Conley added 19 for the Grizzlies, who lost for the seventh time in nine games.

Houston was up by 13 to start the fourth and back-to-back baskets by Clint Capela made it 93-77 with about 9 minutes left. Harden made four straight free throws for the Rockets later in the fourth to leave them up 98-83.

But the Grizzlies scored four quick points, with the last basket coming when Anderson stole the ball from Harden, to cut it to 98-87 with 5 1/2 to go.

Gerald Green answered with a 3-pointer and Houston stretched the lead to 103-87 with about 4 minutes left.

The Rockets led by double digits for most of the night and were up by 23 after two free throws by Harden midway through the third quarter. Memphis closed out the third with a 14-3 run to get within 86-73 entering the fourth. Marc Gasol led the way in that stretch, scoring five points.

The Rockets led 61-38 at halftime behind 28 points from Harden. He capped his huge first half by making two 3s in the last 31 seconds of the half, capped by one that was well behind the line with Anderson in his face.

Tip-ins

Grizzlies: Gasol has at least one 3-pointer in 13 straight games, which ties a career high.

Rockets: James Ennis missed his 10th straight game with a strained right hamstring. Coach Mike D'Antoni said he should return for Houston's next game. ... Chris Paul missed his fifth game with a strained left hamstring. He said Monday that he's doing better but doesn't know when he'll return. ... Green made four 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished with 18 points and six 3s. ... Eric Gordon sat out with a bruised right knee.

source: philstar.com

Harden torches Celtics with 45 points in Houston win

HOUSTON — James Harden thinks he should be in the MVP discussion again this season and showed why on Thursday night (Friday Manila time).

Harden had 45 points and six assists, Clint Capela added 24 points and 18 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets beat the Boston Celtics, 127-113, for their eighth win in nine games.

"Of course, I should be in that conversation," Harden, the reigning MVP, said. "I received a lot of hate, but it won't stop me from going out there and killing it every single night and being the dog that I am. You can name a few other people that can be in that conversation, but realistically, it's coming back."


Harden, who was playing on a bruised left calf, had 17 points in the first quarter and finished 11 of 26 from the field, including 9 of 18 on 3-pointers.

"You take those shots, you're confident in those shots and those shots will go in," Harden said. "Sometimes they might not go in, but mostly, they'll go in. I just have to keep going, keep working."

Eric Gordon scored 20 points for Houston, which shot 48 percent while improving to a season-high four games above .500. Houston finished 18 of 45 on 3-pointers.

"He has a mastery of the game and a control and an ease of which he plays," Houston coach Mike D'Antoni said of Harden. "It's fun to watch."

Harden has scored at least 30 points in eight straight games, the longest such streak since Russell Westbrook had eight straight 30-point games in November 2016. Harden has scored at least 35 points in six straight games, the longest streak since Carmelo Anthony had six straight in April 2013.

"I think what James is doing is really special because he's really carrying us right now," Gerald Green said. "Not only is he scoring, he's leading us."

Kyrie Irving had 23 points and 11 assists, Marcus Morris added 19 points before being ejected midway through the fourth quarter, and Jaylen Brown had 18 points off the bench for Boston, which shot 47 percent but was outrebounded 54-38.

"The first 18 minutes and then the last 24 minutes, the glass killed us," Boston coach Brad Stevens said. "I thought the restricted area generally on both sides of the floor, our finishing and our lack of rebounding were separators."

The Rockets used a 14-4 run to end the third and start the fourth to open up a 103-90 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers by Green with 9 minutes remaining. Boston got no closer than 10 the rest of the way.

"We just weren't covering up for one another consistently enough," Irving said. "That's really what it comes down to."

Houston opened up a 41-24 advantage a minute into the second on 3-pointer by Danuel House Jr. Trailing 50-33, Boston used a 22-7 run to end the half, aided by three technical fouls against the Rockets in barely a minute, to cut the lead to 57-55 on Marcus Smart's 3-pointer. Irving had seven in the run.

Tip-ins

Celtics: Aron Baynes (broken finger) missed his fourth straight game. ... Robert Williams missed the game with a sore left leg. .. Al Horford had 15 points, and Smart scored 11.

Rockets: James Ennis missed his eighth straight game with a strained right hamstring, but D'Antoni said he was "close" to returning. ... Green and Austin Rivers each scored 10 points.

Technical fouls

Within a 61-second span of the second quarter, Chris Paul, who is out with a left hamstring strain but was sitting on Houston's bench, D'Antoni and Capela were all called for technical fouls. Capela's, which was the last with 2:28 remaining, was called for hanging on the rim following a dunk.

Morris was called for a technical foul with 9 minutes left in the third after taking the ball to the other end of the court after being called for a foul. Morris was called for his second technical foul with 4:38 left in the fourth after arguing an offensive foul. Smart was called for a technical foul with 24 seconds remaining.

source: philstar.com

Harden’s return powers Rockets

Lebron, Rondo keep Lakers on stream

CHICAGO – James Harden scored 25 points, including 11 in a decisive run in the third quarter, in his return to the Houston lineup and the Rockets defeated the Chicago Bulls 96-88 on Saturday night in the National Basketball Association.

Harden, who had missed three games with a strained left hamstring, scored 11 straight points in a 1:59 span of the third as the Rockets went on a 15-0 run.

Carmelo Anthony had 17 points and James Ennis added 15 as the Rockets won their second game in two nights after starting the season 1-5.


Chicago led 59-58 midway through the third quarter before the Rockets and Harden went ahead for good, outscoring the Bulls 21-7 in the period.

Zach LaVine led Chicago with 21 points, and Wendell Carter Jr. had 14 points and 13 rebounds. Jabari Parker added 15 points as the Bulls lost their fourth straight game – going 0-4 in the homestand – and dropped their fifth straight to the Rockets.

In Portland,  LeBron James had 28 points and seven assists and Los Angeles topped Portland, 114-110.

Rajon Rondo gave the Lakers a huge lift off the bench, finishing with 17 points and 10 assists in 25 minutes.

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum each scored 30 points for Portland.

Portland shot a 6 for 35 (17 percent) from beyond the arc.

The Lakers had seven turnovers in the fourth quarter and finished with 20 overall, but they survived their mistakes.

In Indianapolis, Victor Oladipo connected on a 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds remaining to lift Indiana past Boston, 102-101.

Oladipo finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Tyreke Evans added 17 points for the Pacers, who shot 41 percent (36 for 87).

Marcus Morris had a team-high 23 points and six rebounds for the Celtics, who shot 43 percent (38 for 88) and had their four-game winning streak snapped.

In Philadelphia,  Joel Embiid scored 32 of his 39 points in a dominating first half and had 17 rebounds to lead Philadelphia over Detriot 109-99.

Embiid made 10 of 18 field goals and 18 of 23 free throws to help Philadelphia improve to 6-0 at home.

Elsewhere, it was Hornets 126, Cavaliers 94; Hawks 123, Heat 118; Spurs 109, Pelicans 95; Nuggets 103, Jazz 88.                                                               

source: philstar.com