Chris Paul scored 23 points as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Los Angeles Lakers 94-84 to end a three-game skid.
“You’ve got to stay ready,” Paul said. “You just never know. Guys are going to make runs.”
Kobe Bryant scored 12 points for the Lakers in his NBA-record 16th and final Christmas Day game. He played 26 minutes and sat out the entire fourth quarter.
Photo: AP
J.J. Redick had 14 points, while DeAndre Jordan added nine points and 14 rebounds for the Clippers. They have won eight straight against the Lakers and 12 of their past 13 meetings.
HEAT 94, PELICANS 88, OT
In Miami, Chris Bosh had 30 points and 10 rebounds, while Dwyane Wade added 19 points to move into No. 3 on the NBA’s Christmas Day list as Miami survived some shaky moments to beat New Orleans.
“We showed a lot of resiliency,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Hassan Whiteside grabbed 17 rebounds for the Heat, an NBA-best 10-2 on the holiday.
Wade’s tough jumper with 1 minute, 45 seconds left in overtime gave him 273 points on Christmas Day games, one more than Shaquille O’Neal for No. 3, and Bosh followed that about a minute later with a three-point play.
Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 29 points and 15 rebounds, but he missed a contested jumper on New Orleans’ final possession of regulation, and the Heat took control in the extra session.
ROCKETS 88, SPURS 84
In Houston, Texas, James Harden had 20 points as the home side slowed down the San Antonio Spurs with an 88-84 victory on Friday night.
The improved Houston defense held the Spurs to a season low in points to snap their season-best, seven-game winning streak.
The Rockets used an 8-2 run to take a 78-71 lead with about 5 minutes left. Tim Duncan made a hook shot after that, but Harden hit a three-pointer. After Duncan’s layup, Harden brought the crowd to its feet with an off-balance three-pointer from the corner that made it 84-75.
“We’re a really good team. We just hadn’t been playing well,” Harden said. “It’s a growing process for us. We just have to keep going. We’ve gained confidence these last couple weeks. We’ve got to build on it and see where we can go.”
BULLS 105, THUNDER 96.
In Oklahoma City, Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, while Pau Gasol had 21 points and 13 rebounds in Chicago’s victory over the home team.
Derrick Rose added 19 points, while Taj Gibson had 13 points and 10 rebounds to help the Bulls snap a three-game losing streak.
Kevin Durant had 29 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Oklahoma City, while Russell Westbrook added 26 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
The Thunder had won three straight and nine of 10.
A week after saying coach Fred Hoiberg was being too soft and laid-back on the Bulls, Butler helped end a three-game losing streak.
“It wasn’t part of a plan but whatever works works,” Butler said.
“I’m going to play with all my might. We’ve got a great group of guys. If we play hard together, we can do anything,” he added.
Additional reporting by AFP
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