Paul George scored 22 points on Wednesday, while Nicolas Batum added 21 as the injury-ravaged Los Angeles Clippers had their whole roster available in a 126-105 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
George, Ivica Zubac, Reggie Jackson and Norman Powell returned to the lineup, with Powell making his first appearance since Nov. 29 after missing 10 games because of a groin injury.
After the entire roster practiced together for the first time on Tuesday, the Clippers shot 50.6 percent from the field and held the Hornets to 40.2 percent.
Photo: AP
“It was a sigh of relief at the start of shootaround,” George said about learning that the entire roster would be available. “I think everybody was happy to have everybody healthy and we were definitely talking about it in the locker room that we haven’t had this since the first game.”
All was not rosy with Clippers coach Tyronn Lue lamenting his team’s 27 turnovers that led to 33 Hornets points.
Los Angeles offset that with a season-high in points and three-point baskets (23).
Photo: Brad Penner-USA TODAY
“It was just good to see everybody back on the floor,” Lue said. “That’s the biggest thing, seeing everybody healthy. Now we have to continue building something. First game under our belt, but we have a long way to go. We have to figure out rotations and the minute restrictions and the flow of games.”
Charlotte star LaMelo Ball, from nearby Chino Hills, had his first triple-double of the season. Ball had 25 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists.
There was little else to celebrate for Charlotte, who trailed by 20 at 33-13 less than 11 minutes into the game. The Clippers led 37-19 after one quarter and were up 71-40 at halftime.
Photo: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY
“When you don’t get your defense set against them, they have so much skill on the floor, and you’re always a step behind,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “When we get our defense set we’re good and when we don’t, like tonight, we’re in trouble.”
Mason Plumlee scored 18 points for the Hornets, while Jalen McDaniels added 16.
In New York, Kevin Durant scored 23 points, all but two in a 91-point first half that was the third-biggest in NBA history, as the Brooklyn Nets routed the Golden State Warriors 143-113 to send the reigning champions staggering home with their second blowout loss in two nights.
With Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins sidelined, the Warriors fell behind by 44 points in this game and finished 1-5 from their games in the trip to the East.
The Nets matched a franchise record with nine players in double figures and won their seventh straight, even with Kyrie Irving out with calf tightness.
James Wiseman scored a career-high 30 points on 12-of-14 shooting for the Warriors, who lost by 38 points to the Knicks on Tuesday.
In other games, it was:
‧ 76ers 113, Pistons 93
‧ Cavaliers 114, Bucks 106
‧ Celtics 112, Pacers 117
‧ Hawks 108, Bulls 110
‧ Kings 134, Lakers 120
‧ Knicks 106, Raptors 113
‧ Rockets 110, Magic 116
‧ Thunder 101, Trail Blazers 98
‧ T’wolves 99, Mavericks 104
‘AWFUL PERFORMANCE’: Golden State were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts Aaron Gordon on Monday scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their Western Conference rivals. A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their lineup. The absentees were barely felt by Denver, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game. The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points
The US’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating possession, the US struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods. Panama spent the bulk of the match defending, but pounced on a giveaway by the US before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner late in stoppage time. Up next for Panama in tomorrow’s final is to be Mexico, who beat
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored twice on Sunday to help secure a late 4-2 comeback win at Atletico Madrid in a pulsating La Liga clash that took the Catalan side back to the top of the table. Barca have 60 points and a game in hand after last week’s postponement of their home game with CA Osasuna. They are level on points with Real Madrid, who won 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday. “I am happy and proud of this team,” Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick told a news conference. “They never give up... It’s a great three points and we are happy to
Chris Wood has fired Nottingham Forest into surprise UEFA Champions League contention and now the striker wants to score the goals to help New Zealand make history at the FIFA World Cup. New Zealand are strong favorites to qualify out of the Oceania region over the next week and reach the World Cup for only the third time. At the country’s two previous appearances at the finals, in 1982 and 2010, they have failed to win a match in six attempts. With Wood captaining the side and leading from the front, he told local media yesterday that the current squad can finally deliver
RSS