The Oklahoma City Thunder avoided what would have been their third consecutive loss for the first time in two years by defeating the Lakers, while Donovan Mitchell forced a personal foul to give the Cavaliers victory in Denver, on a night marked by chaotic fights in Charlotte and Minneapolis.
The Thunder had lost their last two games against the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets, and the game at Crypto.com Arena was a tough one for them, in a dull duel without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Luka Doncic.
Jalen Williams was instrumental in his return after missing the last 10 games through injury, scoring 23 points, 13 of them in the fourth quarter. Without Gilgeous-Alexander, it was Williams who took the reins for the Thunder, who are 41-13.
Oklahoma City dominated the middle of the game, leading 58-67 at halftime, but the Lakers started the second quarter with more energy, led by veterans LeBron James (22 points) and Marcus Smart (19 points).
Despite taking the lead in the third quarter, Oklahoma City won 110-119.
Cavaliers trade
The combination of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden continues to work for the Cleveland Cavaliers (33-21). Between the two they scored 54 points in Denver; adding Jarrett Allen, 76.
The Denver Nuggets (34-20) dominated the scoreboard practically from start to finish, but the Cavaliers did not give them a break, with advantages almost always below ten points.
With 32 seconds left, Harden tied the game at 117-117 with a three-pointer; Tim Hardaway Jr. missed his three-point attempt for Denver and Mitchell took the ball for the last possession of the game.
With just tenths on the clock, he drew a personal foul from Jamal Murray, made both free throws and gave the Cavaliers a 117-119 victory over the Nuggets.
After a timeout, Nikola Jokic had time to try for a miracle three-pointer, but it failed to hit the rim. The Serbian, however, added another triple-double to his collection with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.
Fights in Charlotte and Minneapolis
The games between the Charlotte Hornets and the Detroit Pistons, as well as between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Atlanta Hawks, led to chaotic fights on the court.
The Pistons (39-13) snapped the Hornets’ nine-game winning streak with a 104-110 victory, the best in 25 years for the Charlotte franchise.
The game was marked by a brawl in the third quarter, which ended with the ejections of Moussa Diabate, Miles Bridges, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart. Hornets coach Charles Lee also ended up being ejected after exploding at a referee minutes later.
Cade Cunningham was close to a triple-double, leading Detroit with 33 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
But Charlotte’s was not the only incident. In Minneapolis, Naz Reid and Mouhamed Gueye were involved in another fight that also ended with both being ejected
The Timberwolves (33-22) beat the Hawks 138-116 thanks to the lead they amassed in the second quarter with a 40-22 run. Anthony Edwards scored 30 points for the Wolves, while CJ McCollum had 38 for Atlanta.
In addition to these games, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 114-113 on Monday with a last-minute basket by Brazilian Gui Santos to complete a 17-point comeback.
The Orlando Magic defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 118-99 and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 135-118.
The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Sacramento Kings 120-94, in a game in which Russell Westbrook reached 27,000 points in the NBA, becoming the 14th player to reach this mark.
The Brooklyn Nets, led by Spaniard Jordi Fernandez, picked up their second consecutive victory with a 123-115 win over the Chicago Bulls, while the Utah Jazz won 111-115 against the Miami Heat despite again sitting all their stars in the final quarter.
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