Kevin Durant and Devin Booker on Monday combined for 63 points as the Phoenix Suns sent LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers tumbling to their first defeat of the season.
Booker bagged 33 points and Durant 30 to give the Suns a thrilling 109-105 win at Phoenix’s Footprint Center, avenging the Lakers’ 123-116 win over the Suns in Los Angeles on Friday last week.
The Lakers arrived in Phoenix buoyed by an impressive 3-0 start to the campaign under new head coach J.J. Redick.
Photo: AP
They looked poised to keep that run going after making a blistering start, sprinting into an early 26-8 lead in the first quarter thanks to 16 points from the in-form Anthony Davis.
Phoenix responded to edge ahead 50-48 before the Lakers hit back with a 35-point third quarter to regain the lead, only for the Suns to turn the tables in the fourth, outscoring Los Angeles 33-22 to seal victory.
Davis led the Lakers scorers with 29 points, adding 15 rebounds and three assists, while Austin Reaves finished with 23 points.
James had a rare off-night, finishing with just 11 points from three-of-14 shooting.
Suns coach Mike Budenholzer saluted his team’s grit in hauling themselves back from their early 18-point deficit.
“The toughness, the edge that the guys are developing and growing, the competitiveness,” Budenholzer said. “When you can take a punch like that in the first quarter, lean on your defense to get back into it — having that edge on defense tonight really stood out.”
Reigning NBA champions the Boston Celtics produced a dominant second-half performance to preserve their unbeaten start to the season with a 119-108 defeat of the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden.
The Bucks edged into a slender 56-53 halftime lead thanks to 16 points from Damian Lillard and 13 from Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Boston came roaring back after the interval, combining for seven three-pointers to outscore the Bucks 37-26 and open up an eight-point advantage heading into the final quarter.
Jaylen Brown then led the Celtics home to safety with nine points in the fourth quarter to put the game to bed as Boston improved to 4-0.
Brown led the Celtics scorers with 30 points, while Payton Pritchard caught the eye with 28 points off the bench that included eight three-pointers.
Jrue Holiday added 21 points, while Jayson Tatum chipped in with 15 points.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla singled out Pritchard for praise after the win.
“He kept us in it in the first half — he’s just finding different ways to impact games,” Mazzulla said. “Tonight it was shooting and his defense, sometimes it’s his passing — the kid’s a competitor. I just love watching him play.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers ensured they remain unbeaten on 4-0 at the top of the Eastern Conference after a gritty 110-104 victory over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks led by as many as 13 points at one stage in the third quarter, but Cleveland trimmed that advantage to just four points heading into the fourth.
Darius Garland then took over in the final frame, pouring in 15 points as the Cavs completed their comeback, outscoring the Knicks 36-26 to seal victory.
Garland finished with 34 points, while Donovan Mitchell added 25.
Paolo Banchero erupted for 50 points as the Orlando Magic defeated the Indiana Pacers 119-115.
Banchero added 13 rebounds with nine assists, while Jalen Suggs provided offensive support with 25 points.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana’s scoring with 26 points and the Pacers looked to be in command after outscoring the Magic 39-22 in the third quarter, but the Magic finished strong in the fourth, outscoring Indiana 26-17 to grab the win.
In Toronto, Nikola Jokic poured in 40 points as the Denver Nuggets snatched a thrilling 127-125 overtime victory against the Raptors.
Jamal Murray forced overtime with just 0.3 seconds remaining in regulation, his reverse layup tying it at 114-114, before Jokic took over in overtime with seven points to guide Denver to victory.
Elsewhere, the Miami Heat downed the Detroit Pistons 106-98, the Washington Wizards edged the Atlanta Hawks 121-119, the Chicago Bulls beat the Memphis Grizzlies 126-123, the Houston Rockets soared past the San Antonio Spurs 106-101, the Dallas Mavericks mastered the Utah Jazz 110-102 and the Sacramento Kings crushed the Portland Trail Blazers 111-98.
Additional reporting by staff writer
A seven-year-old horse had to be euthanized on Friday after breaking its back on the final fence of a Grand National steeplechase race that it won despite sustaining the serious injury. It follows the death of four horses at the Cheltenham Festival last month — including one after the prestigious Gold Cup. Gold Dancer was competing in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase during Ladies Day at Aintree’s Grand National Festival. The horse managed to cross the finish line approximately four lengths ahead of runner-up Regent’s Stroll. “The winner of our second race of the day, Gold Dancer, was pulled up after
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
Hans Niemann declares he would become a “stone cold killer” in a Netflix documentary released on Tuesday about his feud with five-time classical world champion Magnus Carlsen, a pledge that injects new edge into the lingering fallout from the cheating scandal that shook elite chess. “I’m gonna be a stone cold killer the rest of my life,” the US’ Niemann says in the film. “I’m going to become the best player in the world, and no one is going to believe that now, but this clip will play over and over again in 10 years — just wait.” “I just
The Daredevils yesterday took eight catches in the final as they eked out a victory in the Taiwan Cricket Triangular Tournament against PCCT at Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District. PCCT’s batting lineup collapsed after they asked the Daredevils to bowl in the T20 decider of the weekend tournament that also involved the Formosa Cricket Club. PCCT were bundled out for 76 in 16.2 overs against a disciplined Daredevils attack. Ninad Malwade was the top scorer in the innings with 21, but he was among those who offered chances to the fielders. Shane Ferreira and Jason Cameron took three wickets each, with
RSS