Dec 31, 2018; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Derrick White (4) shoots the ball against Boston Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
January 1, 2019
Derrick White and LaMarcus Aldridge combined for 21 points in the third quarter Monday night as the host San Antonio Spurs, after being held to 46 points in the first half, exploded for 46 in the third period to rally past the Boston Celtics 120-111.
Aldridge totaled 32 points to go with nine rebounds. The Spurs, who trailed by as many as 12 points as they struggled offensively in the first half, recorded their seventh consecutive home victory over the Celtics.
Jaylen Brown scored 30 points on 10-for-15 shooting off the bench for the Celtics, who haven’t won at San Antonio since March 2011.
The Spurs trailed 52-46 at halftime before Patty Mills sank a pair of 3-pointers and teammates White, Davis Bertans and Marco Belinelli hit one apiece during the 46-point explosion that produced a 92-82 lead.
Warriors 132, Suns 109
Seven different players contributed points to a 24-7 Golden State run that ended the first half, and the Warriors broke from a second-quarter tie to pound host Phoenix.
Stephen Curry poured in 34 points and Kevin Durant added 25 as the Warriors beat the Suns for the 17th consecutive time, including eight in Phoenix.
Deandre Ayton recorded a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double for Phoenix, which lost its third straight to open a seven-game homestand.
Thunder 122, Mavericks 102
Paul George scored 14 of his 22 points in a game-opening, 25-10 burst that propelled host Oklahoma City to a revenge-achieving shellacking of Dallas.
Russell Westbrook recorded his league-leading 10th triple-double with a game-high 32 points, 11 rebounds and a game-high 11 assists as the Thunder avenged a 105-103 defeat 24 hours earlier at Dallas.
On Monday, the Thunder put up 32 points in the first and third quarters en route to as much as a 22-point lead in the easy win. Harrison Barnes went for a team-high 25 points for the Mavericks, who lost their ninth in a row on the road.
Rockets 113, Grizzlies 101
James Harden recorded a triple-double by posting 43 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, and Houston completed an unbeaten month at home with a win over Memphis. The Rockets posted their 10th victory in 11 games overall and capped a 9-0 mark at Toyota Center in December.
Harden recorded his fourth consecutive 40-plus-point game and set an NBA record with his eighth successive 35-plus-point, five-plus-assist effort, though he did commit nine turnovers.
Kyle Anderson paced the Grizzlies with 20 points despite going 0-for-6 from the free-throw line. Mike Conley tallied 19 points, and JaMychal Green added 17 off the bench. Marc Gasol recorded a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Pacers 116, Hawks 108
Victor Oladipo, Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis combined for 62 points to help Indiana to its fifth straight win, beating Atlanta in Indianapolis. The Pacers improved to a season-best 13 games over .500.
Indiana has won 12 of its last 14 games dating to Dec. 4. It is the only team in the NBA to avoid a three-game losing streak this season. Oladipo led the way with 22 points on 9-for-19 shooting and had seven assists and four steals. Turner and Sabonis each totaled 20 points and eight rebounds.
Atlanta’s John Collins had 22 points and 16 rebounds, the 11th time in 12 games that he has posted a double-double. Rookie Kevin Huerter scored a career-high 22 points on 6-for-9 shooting from 3-point range.
Pelicans 123, Timberwolves 114
Julius Randle had 33 points and 11 rebounds as host New Orleans overcame the absence of Anthony Davis to defeat the Timberwolves. Minnesota fell despite getting 28 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and five blocks from Karl-Anthony Towns.
Davis was a last-minute scratch because of illness, but Randle and the Pelicans’ 3-point shooting made up for the loss of the All-Star forward.
The Pelicans made 14 of 25 3-pointers whole the Timberwolves, who had won the previous five meetings with New Orleans, made 9 of 28.
Hornets 125, Magic 100
Kemba Walker scored 24 points in less than three quarters of action, and host Charlotte continued its mastery over Orlando, beating the Magic and winning its 13 straight against them over the past four seasons.
Walker followed up a 47-point performance in a loss at Washington on Saturday with another superb effort. He was 10 of 16 from the field with two 3-pointers. He scored 20 in the first half, then sat out the entire fourth quarter as the Hornets turned the game into a rout.
It was a costly win for Charlotte, however. Jeremy Lamb left the game with a strained hamstring late in the first quarter and did not return, and Cody Zeller fractured his right hand early in the third quarter and missed the rest of the contest.
–Field Level Media
