Chris Paul scored 21 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 105-86 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando.
Paul added seven rebounds and six assists to keep up his strong performance since the NBA’s restart. The veteran point guard is averaging 20.7 points in Oklahoma City’s three games in central Florida.
The Lakers had their worst offensive game of the season, with season lows in points and 3-point percentage. Los Angeles was just 5 of 37 from behind the 3-point arc, with the 13.5 percent rate the Lakers’ worst since early in the 2017-18 season.
Danilo Gallinari added 19 points and Steven Adams 18 for Oklahoma City, which once again was playing without backup point guard Dennis Schroder. LeBron James led the Lakers with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Philadelphia 76ers 107 – Washington Wizards 98
Joel Embiid scored nine consecutive points in a 13-0 burst, and Philadelphia beat Washington despite losing Ben Simmons to a knee injury.
Embiid finished with game-high totals of 30 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers, who won their second straight after beginning their Florida stay with a loss to Indiana. Philadelphia coach Brett Brown told reporters postgame that he didn’t have an update to provide on the severity of Simmons’ injury.
Washington lost its fourth straight in the NBA “bubble” despite 19-point efforts from Thomas Bryant and Jerome Robinson.
Toronto Raptors 109 – Orlando Magic 99
Fred VanVleet scored 21 points and added 10 assists as the Raptors won their seventh straight while completing a four-game season sweep of the Magic.
The Magic never led and trailed by as many as 24 points in the game. Pascal Siakam had 15 points for the Raptors, and Kyle Lowry contributed eight points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.
Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross each had 15 points for Orlando, and Nikola Vucevic added 12 points and nine rebounds. Aaron Gordon had nine points and 11 rebounds before leaving in the third quarter due to left hamstring tightness.
Denver Nuggets 132 – San Antonio Spurs 126
Michael Porter Jr. scored 30 points and pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds, and Nikola Jokic added 25 points and 11 assists as the Denver defeated San Antonio.
The win allowed Denver to climb to within a half-game of the Los Angeles Clippers for second place in the Western Conference standings. The Spurs, who have lost two straight, remained in 10th place in the West and two games behind Memphis in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the conference.
The game was tied at 97 with 8:49 to play but Denver’s flowing inside-out attack was too much for the Spurs to handle down the stretch. The Nuggets took charge with Jokic hitting a bucket and dishing out three assists in a two-minute stretch that led to a 114-105 Denver lead.
Utah Jazz 124 – Memphis Grizzlies 115
Joe Ingles scored 25 points and Mike Conley added 23 points to lift Utah over Memphis.
Rudy Gobert added 21 points, 16 rebounds, and three blocks for Utah. Donovan Mitchell chipped in 18 points and seven rebounds. Ingles, Conley, and Mitchell combined for 18 assists.
Dillon Brooks scored 23 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 21 points and 14 rebounds to lead Memphis. Ja Morant added 20 points, nine assists, and six rebounds.
Boston Celtics 149 – Brooklyn Nets 115
Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 21 points, and Boston seized control in the first quarter and cruised to a victory over Brooklyn.
The Celtics rested Kemba Walker and turned in perhaps their best defensive showing since the restart. They rebounded from a 112-106 loss to Miami on Tuesday, a game in which they never held a lead. Jayson Tatum added 14 of his 19 in the third quarter when Boston led by as many as 30 points. He shot 7 of 11 and also hit five 3-pointers.
Jeremiah Martin led Brooklyn with 20 points, 18 in the fourth quarter.
–Field Level Media
