Washington (AFP) – Zach LaVine scored a season-high 36 points to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 117-108 upset victory at defending NBA champion Boston on Thursday while LeBron James once again made history. LaVine went 11-of-19 from the floor and made six 3-pointers while adding six rebounds and four assists for the Bulls, who improved to 13-15 on the season.
“We’re a good team,” LaVine said. “We’re competitive and we’re a resilient group.”
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Ayo Dosunmu contributed 17 points for the Bulls while Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 14 rebounds for Chicago. The Bulls outscored Boston 35-22 in the fourth quarter to rally past the Celtics, who had 31 points and 10 rebounds from Jason Tatum, 20 points from Kristaps Porzingis, and 19 from Jaylen Brown in a losing cause as Boston fell to 21-6 on the season.
James broke the NBA all-time minutes played record that had belonged to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar when he was on the court for his 57,447th minute of NBA competition and 10th of the game in helping the Los Angeles Lakers beat Sacramento 113-100. James, who passed Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA all-time scoring record earlier this year, scored 19 points while Austin Reaves had 25 points and Anthony Davis added 21 points and 20 rebounds.
“It’s just a commitment to the craft and to the passion and love I have for the game,” James said. “I don’t take much time in the off-season, a little bit more time now.”
French star Victor Wembanyama scored 42 points to power the San Antonio Spurs to a 133-126 overtime triumph over visiting Atlanta. De’Andre Hunter, who led the Hawks with 27 points off the bench, slammed in a dunk with 11 seconds remaining to lift Atlanta level at 120-120 and force the overtime, in which Wemby had a dunk and two 3-pointers to outscore Atlanta on his own.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points to spark the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder to a 105-99 triumph at Orlando. Anthony Black led the Magic with 23 points off the bench.
Memphis routed the visiting Golden State Warriors 144-93 but lost guard Ja Morant to back soreness following a fall after playing just 17 minutes. Spanish forward Santi Aldama had 21 points and 14 rebounds off the bench to lead the Grizzlies, who made a club-record 27 3-pointers in 48 attempts, Aldama and Luke Kennard each hitting five to lead the way.
New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, given an ovation by fans on his return from Minnesota after being traded away, scored 32 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to spark the Knicks over the host Timberwolves 133-107.
“I’m just happy I was able to have the game I had,” Towns said. “I’m just happy our team could get a win. I called this place home for nine seasons. This place means a lot to me…I didn’t want to let my emotions overcome the game. I wasn’t playing for myself. I was playing for the win.”
At Houston, Jalen Green scored 34 points and Dillon Brooks added 26 to lead the host Rockets over New Orleans 133-113. At Dallas, Norman Powell scored 29 points and James Harden added 24 to spark the Los Angeles Clippers over the host Mavericks 118-95.
At Indianapolis, Pascal Siakam had 25 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers over Phoenix 120-111 despite a 37-point performance by Kevin Durant in a losing cause. At Portland, Anfernee Simons scored 28 points and made a layup at the buzzer to give the host Trail Blazers a 126-124 victory over Denver despite 34 points by Nikola Jokic for the Nuggets.
Brooklyn’s Cameron Johnson had 33 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists to pace the Nets in a 101-94 victory at Toronto. Utah’s Collin Sexton scored 30 points and Keyonte George added 28 to lead the Jazz to a 126-119 victory at Detroit. Jordan Poole scored 27 points and reserve Malcolm Brogdon added 25 to lead the Washington Wizards over visiting Charlotte 123-114. LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 34 points.
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