LeBron James almost single-handedly carried the Lakers to a win, while the Wizards’ Westbrook-Beal tandem tallies a win over the Irving-Durant-led Nets.
LeBron James tallied a double-double in the Lakers’ win over the Grizzlies. (Photo by Nelson Chenault/USA TODAY Sports)
Lakers rely on LeBron to turn back Grizzlies
In a balanced offensive attack in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 108-94 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, it was LeBron James’ all-around performance that stood out. The four-time MVP finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists, including an efficient 56% clip from the field. Anthony Davis and Montrezl Harrell chipped in 17 and 16 markers, respectively.
Kyle Anderson, who has been playing a career-best season so far, led the charge for Memphis with his 18 points and 4 boards. The Grizzlies, who were a win away from making the playoffs last year, have been haunted with injuries to their key cogs, most notably Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Wizards hand out Nets’ second straight loss
After starting out the season with a 0-5 record, the Washington Wizards have come up with two straight wins behind a tough 123-122 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook finished with 27 and 24 points while starting center Thomas Bryant amassed 21 points and 14 rebounds, including the game-winning dunk off a perfect pass from Beal.
Kyrie Irving topscored for the Nets with 30 markers, and Kevin Durant contributed 28 points. The Nets had two chances to win the game in the clutch. Irving missed a pull-up three-pointer, which then led to an offensive rebound that landed on the hands of Durant. KD then went for a wide-open mid-range jumper, but the shot was a tad too strong.
The Nets have now absorbed their fourth loss in the last five games, and are currently sporting a 3-4 record in the East.
Murray, Jokic lead Nuggets’ fourth-quarter rally in Minnesota
With the Minnesota Timberwolves leading by one point entering the fourth quarter, the Denver Nuggets then came up with a furious rally to hack out a 124-109 victory. Jamal Murray led all scorers with his 36 markers, while Nikola Jokic logged in another triple-double stat line of 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists.
It was another disappointing loss for the Wolves, who had solid shot at pulling off an upset tonight. Malik Beasley finished with 25 points and 7 boards, while sophomore forward Jarrett Culver went for 20 points. Minnesota played without injured star Karl-Anthony Towns.
Other games around the league:
Boston Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons, 122-120
Utah Jazz defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 130-109
Los Angeles Clippers toppled the Phoenix Suns, 112-107
Chicago Bulls defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 118-108
