The NBA league saw only four games during this Thursday night. The Los Angeles Lakers destroyed the Golden State Warriors, without LeBron James and kept their confident lead over the Western Conference. In the meantime, the 76ers defeated New York Knicks in the East Cost derby.
LeBron-less Lakers Cruise Past Warriors
The LA Lakers played without LeBron James, and for a moment, that looked like a potential problem. The Warriors were near the LAL after the first halftime, 54-52, and it seemed that this clash might be a close one. However, a 29-7 series in the third period, which ended with Lakers outscoring the hosts 40-17, solved everything. In the end, it was a confident win of the Western leaders 116-86.
The second half was a true example of how LAL should play, even though the hosts are league’s worst team right now. Anthony Davis scored 23 points and had 6 boards, with 2 blocks and steals. Kyle Kuzma had 18 buckets, while Dwight Howard posted 13 and 9 boards.
Among the Warriors, Eric Paschall scored 23, and Jordan Poole had 16.
76ers Routine Against Knicks
Philly played without Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, and still haven’t experienced any difficulties against the sorry Knicks, 115-106. It is why Tobias Harris took everything in his hands and scored 34 points adding 7 assists and rebounds.
The former Pistons and Clippers forward was absolutely unstoppable and inspired to play. He made 14 of his 21 shots from the field and three threes. The decisive part of the event was the second period, which ended 35-25 in favor of the home team.
After that, it was all a routine, with more or less interesting sequences but without any drama.
Apart from Harris, Shake Milton was in the center of attention. The 23-year old shooting guard posted 19 points and 4 assists, hitting all five of his downtown attempts. Al Horford was also 100% for three with four hits, but he added 9 assists and 7 boards.
Among the Knicks, Julius Randle dominated with 30 points, 10 boards, and 5 assists and was 11-for-18 from the field. Elfrid Payton added 19 and 12 assists, and Mo Harkless 17.
Kings Lose 19-Point Advantage
OKC Thunder managed to make a massive rally against the Sacramento Kings and win what was supposed to be a lost match. A 112-108 triumph was their fifth in a row, and with a record of 37 wins and 22 losses, they sit fifth in the West.
The guests from California had 11 points of advantage at the halftime, 61-50, and midway through the third, Luke Walton’s side had +19, 78-59. However, that wasn’t enough for the Kings to get away with a win. After that, they scored just 4 points until the end of the sequence, allowing OKC to cut back the deficit to one bucket. It presented a huge morale boost for the home team, who then took matters into their hands, solving this one quickly.
Danilo Gallinari scored 24 points for the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 20, Chris Paul 17 with 7 assists. For the Kings, Harison Barnes had 21, Nemanja Bjelica 18 with 9 boards.
In the last match, the Trail Blazers lost in Indiana, 106-100. Portland, too had a lead in the third quarter, but dropped the game. Sabonis posted another double-double 20 points and 11 boards, Malcolm Brogdon had 17, and Oladipo 15. For the Blazers, CJ McCollum had 28 with 8 assists, Trent 20, and Whiteside 18 with 16 boards.
