DEVIN Vassell, Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama each scored 23 points as the visiting San Antonio Spurs ended a three-game losing streak with a 126-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) in the return to play for both teams.
The Lakers had two home games postponed in the past week, including a game against the Spurs scheduled for Saturday, as a safety precaution because of deadly wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The Spurs defeated the Lakers for the first time in three games between the teams this season, outscoring Los Angeles 73-40 in the second half.
Anthony Davis amassed 30 points and 13 rebounds and LeBron James added 18 points and eight assists as Lakers lost their third consecutive game, all to Texas teams. Los Angeles fell at Houston and at Dallas on its recent road trip.
Austin Reaves scored 12 points and dished out eight assists for Los Angeles, which led by as many as 11 points in the third quarter before falling apart over the final 16 minutes of the game.
In other games, it was the Clippers 109, Heat 98; Raptors 104, Warriors 101; Pistons 124, Knicks 119; and Rockets 120, Grizzlies 118.
Clippers 109, Heat 98
Norman Powell scored 29 points while James Harden and Ivica Zubac chalked up double-doubles as Los Angeles overturned an early 13-point deficit to beat Miami in Inglewood, Calif., in LA’s first game since last Wednesday because of the wildfires.
Harden had 26 points with 11 assists while hitting 6 of 10 3-point attempts, and Zubac threw down seven dunks en route to 21 points and 20 rebounds for the Clippers, whose home game against the Charlotte Hornets scheduled for last Saturday was postponed.
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The Heat, whose three-game winning streak (all on the road) came to an end, received 32 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists from Tyler Herro plus 19 points and 13 boards from Kel’el Ware.
Wolves 120, Wizards 106
Anthony Edwards took control in the fourth quarter, scoring 20 of his game-high 41 points, and Minnesota sent host Washington to its seventh consecutive loss.
Minnesota found itself in a back-and-forth contest for most of the way with Washington, which was playing its second game of a back-to-back set. The Wizards dropped their previous two games by 74 combined points, but they were competitive with the Timberwolves until a pivotal late stretch.
With Minnesota up 88-86, Edwards connected on a 3-pointer with 8:42 remaining. But Washington’s Carlton Carrington answered with one of his own 18 seconds later. The Wizards did not score again for 2:26, however, as Minnesota went on a decisive 11-0 run.