The Clippers fell to the Philadelphia 76ers without James Harden, whose future remains up in the air just hours before the trade deadline.
Meanwhile, Alperen Sengun shone with 39 points and 16 rebounds in the absence of Kevin Durant in Indianapolis.
Harden, 36, did not play for the second night in a row citing “personal reasons”, while ESPN revealed that the Clippers are exploring a possible trade before the trade deadline this Thursday with the Cleveland Cavaliers as one of the possible destinations.
Without Harden, the Clippers fell 113-128 to the 76ers, who picked up their second win without Paul George, who was suspended for 25 games for using banned substances.
Tyrese Maxey scored 29 points for Philadelphia, the same as Kawhi Leonard for the Clippers.
Since defeating the Lakers on December 20, the Clippers had established themselves as the most in-form team in the league, with a 17-4 record until today, with Harden as a key piece of the comeback.
His possible departure would be a blow to the team’s aspirations.
Sengun (39 points and 16 rebounds) covers Durant
Alperen Sengun scored 39 points in the Houston Rockets’ 114-118 road win over the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, covering for the late absence of Kevin Durant.
Durant, who is averaging 26.2 points per game this season, twisted his left ankle when he stepped on a fan’s foot, according to his coach, Ime Udoka.
Sengun’s 39 points, along with 16 rebounds, added to Jabari Smith Jr.’s 19 and Amen Thompson’s 16 points and 11 rebounds to counter Pascal Siakam’s 27 and Bennedict Mathurin’s 25 for the Pacers.
With a 31-17 record after winning their last three games, the Rockets are fourth in the Western Conference.
The Grizzlies, without Santi Aldama, can handle Anthony Edwards and his 39 points
The Memphis Grizzlies (19-29) overcame the Minnesota Timberwolves (31-21) 137-128 on Monday, despite Anthony Edwards’ 39 points.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 30 points for Memphis, while Ty Jerome, playing his second game after missing 46 through injury, contributed 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
The Grizzlies’ bench made the difference with 52 points, compared to the 13 that the Timberwolves’ bench contributed.
How the Clippers, Timberwolves and Grizzlies are involved in trade rumors in these last hours of the market.
While the Grizzlies are reportedly considering the departure of Ja Morant, who was absent for this game, the Timberwolves are reportedly bidding to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo, who according to ESPN has asked the Milwaukee Bucks for a trade.
Charlotte’s seventh win: “Six Seven” by Lamelo Ball
The Charlotte Hornets are on a roll. On Monday, they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 102-95, their seventh consecutive victory.
LaMelo Ball’s 24 points (who celebrated the win by saying “six seven” in the locker room), 17 from Kon Knueppel and 16 from Brandon Miller and Grant Williams helped to overcome the 22 points that the Pelicans had amassed before the break
Trey Murphy III finished with 27 points for the Pelicans, while Zion Williamson had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The seven straight wins have moved the Hornets (23-28) to within one game of the Atlanta Hawks, the last team in the postseason
Read the full article here
