Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Norman Powell scored 22 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Los Angeles Clippers over Denver 109-104 on Saturday despite 41 points for Nikola Jokic. Powell sank a 3-pointer with 53.1 seconds remaining to lift the Clippers level at 103-103, then James Harden made four free throws and Powell sank two more in the final 30.1 seconds to deliver the NBA victory over the host Nuggets.
“Just locking in, being aggressive, being what the team needed me to be,” Powell said. “Taking the shots that came to me.” Harden finished with 23 points and 16 assists for the Clippers, while Croatian center Ivica Zubac added 24 points and 15 rebounds. Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic made a career-best seven 3-pointers, but the Serbian center missed a late game-tying attempt from beyond the arc. He made 14-of-26 shots for the game, 7-of-12 from 3-point range, and sank 6-of-8 from the free throw line while adding nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Jamal Murray added 22 points for the Nuggets.
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Powell, a 31-year-old guard who won an NBA title with Toronto in 2019, said the Clippers are confident even with Kawhi Leonard sidelined by a right knee injury. “Same expectations as always,” Powell said. “The take is that we’ve got enough. We have the belief in ourselves to go out there and compete in games. When Kawhi comes back, we’re going to be ready to accept him as we always do and be clicking on all cylinders. We’ve got enough in this locker room to be competitive and be a top team in the West, and we wholeheartedly believe that top to bottom.”
– Celtics rally to win –
Jayson Tatum scored 37 points and Jaylen Brown added 24 points as reigning NBA champions Boston rallied late for a 124-118 victory at Detroit. Cade Cunningham’s layup gave Detroit a 112-106 lead with 5:12 remaining, but the Celtics closed the game with an 18-6 scoring run for the triumph, improving to 3-0. Jrue Holiday made back-to-back 3-pointers to pull Boston level at 112-112, and Tatum’s two free throws with 1:05 remaining put the Celtics ahead to stay at 116-114. Cunningham pulled the Pistons within 120-118 on a free throw with 11 seconds remaining, but Brown and Tatum sank clutch free throws to seal victory, and the Pistons dropped their third straight to start the season.
Frenchman Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points to spark the host San Antonio Spurs over Houston 109-106. The Spurs clung to a 100-99 lead before “Wemby” hit two free throws, and Jeremy Sochan added a basket to make it 104-99. Jalen Green’s layup for Houston cut it to 106-104 Spurs with 12 seconds to play. San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson made two free throws, but Houston’s Fred VanVleet responded with a basket. Stephon Castle hit a free throw for the Spurs with seven seconds remaining, and Green, who led Houston with 29 points, missed a shot at the final buzzer.
Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 3-0 start after a 135-116 triumph at Washington. Jimmy Butler scored 26 points and Tyler Herro added 22 to lead the Miami Heat in a 114-106 victory at Charlotte. LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 27 points.
At Chicago, Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams scored 24 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 23, and Chet Holmgren contributed 21 points and 16 rebounds for the Thunder (2-0) in a 114-95 victory over the host Bulls. Zach LaVine led Chicago with 22 points. Host Minnesota had 24 points each from Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, while Rudy Gobert added 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Timberwolves over Toronto 112-101. Spanish forward Santi Aldama came off the Memphis bench to score a team-high 22 points in the Grizzlies’ 124-111 triumph over Orlando. Germany’s Franz Wagner led the Magic with 23 points as both teams moved to 2-1 this season.
© 2024 AFP
