NBA

Booker dominates with 58 points as Suns hit back against Pelicans, Kawhi scores season-high

By Sports Desk December 17, 2022

Devin Booker reached 12,000 career points with a season-high 58 points as the Phoenix Suns rallied from a 24-point deficit with a hard-fought 118-114 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.

Booker, who returned from a hamstring issue in Thursday's win over the Los Angeles Clippers which ended the Suns' five-game losing run, made 21-of-35 attempts from the field, including shooting six-of-12 from beyond the arc.

The Suns guard's haul was the second most by a player in a single game this NBA season, behind only Joel Embiid with 59 points last month against the Utah Jazz.

Booker, 26, also became the sixth youngest player in NBA history to reach 12,000 career points, behind only LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady.

The Suns had trailed 83-59 with 7:14 left in the third quarter, coming after the Pelicans had beaten them twice last week.

Booker had five rebounds and five assists along with his 58 points, while Chris Paul added 18 points with five rebounds and eight assists.

Zion Williamson scored 30 points with nine assists for the Pels, while C.J. McCollum added 27 points with eight assists.

Cavs hang on for OT win over Mavs

The Dallas Mavericks spurned three late go-ahead opportunities, including Christian Wood's 30-foot buzzer-beating attempt as the Cleveland Cavaliers got home 100-99 in overtime.

Jarrett Allen's dunk with 2:01 remaining in overtime was the final score, with Donovan Mitchell scoring 25 points for the victorious Cavs, who improved to 20-11. Jarrett Allen had eight points with 15 rebounds.

Kemba Walker top scored with 32 points for the Mavs, who were missing Luka Doncic (quad), while Wood scored 26 points, including five triples, but he missed the crucial late one.

Kawhi finds groove with season-high

Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 31 points as the Los Angeles Clippers fought back from a three-quarter time deficit to win 102-93 over the Washington Wizards.

Leonard, who has been working back slowly after missing last season with an ACL injury, played a season-high 31 minutes, shooting 12-of-26 with nine rebounds.

Luke Kennard came off the bench to add a season-high 20 points with four three-pointers as the Clippers rallied from a 75-72 three-quarter time deficit.

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  • Embiid's reaction as MVP debate takes a twist: 'I don't care, I'm trying to win a championship' Embiid's reaction as MVP debate takes a twist: 'I don't care, I'm trying to win a championship'

    Joel Embiid believes it would be a nonsense if his MVP hopes are affected by him missing this week's big showdown with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

    Philadelphia 76ers superstar Embiid is leading the way in the NBA with a 33.2-point scoring average per game, beating last season's career high of 30.6.

    He is also averaging a healthy 10.2 rebounds, albeit that is his lowest season mark since 2016-17.

    However, Embiid sat out Monday's clash with the Nuggets due a calf injury, and Jokic led Denver to a 116-111 victory, scoring 25 points alongside 17 rebounds and 12 assists.

    The triple-double made Jokic just the third player in NBA history to produce 10 games of at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the same season, sparking debate over whether it could be a key moment in the MVP race.

    After that game, Jokic said the absent Embiid would be "remembered as one of the most dominant players in the league".

    Whether Embiid can deny Jokic a third straight MVP award remains to be seen, and recency bias may help to tilt it the way of the Nuggets star, who is averaging 24.9 points, 11.9 rebounds and 9.9 assists.

    Embiid's message was a simple one – "I don't care" – as he prioritises team success over individual glory.

    The Nuggets head the Western Conference, with Philadelphia third in the East, so both main contenders for the MVP have done a lot of winning this season and will hope to do plenty more in the playoffs.

    Embiid said: "If one game is going to hurt anybody's chances, then I guess everybody should be out of it. We all have bad games. Guys miss matchups.

    "That's not the first time, and it's not really a matchup about me and Nikola. He's a great player, amazing player. He's one of the best players in the league, and I'm a huge fan.

    "So not playing against him was a huge bummer. But there's a bigger goal in sight, and that's to make sure we're healthy for the playoffs."

    Embiid had a standout game against the Nuggets on January 28, outshining Jokic with 47 points and 18 rebounds in a Sixers win, so he is adamant there was no desire to duck another clash with Denver's talisman.

    He added on Wednesday, after returning to score 25 points in Philadelphia's 116-108 win over the Dallas Mavericks: "I've got nothing to prove. The last matchup, we won, and I had whatever I had.

    "To go out there and say that I'm scared after what I did the last time is kind of stupid. But, like I said, I don't care if I win it or not. I'm just focused on trying to win a championship, and whatever happens, happens."

    Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers supported Embiid's stance, saying ahead of Wednesday's game: "Joel's body of work speaks for itself. You're not judged for one game. You're judged for the entire season of work and your team's record and how you perform, and he's been dominant all year."

    Looking at whether missing out last time out could harm Embiid's MVP prospects, Rivers said it might have an impact, but he is baffled as to why that would be the case.

    "Will that hurt him? I doubt it. But it could," Rivers said. "I don't know what people use for criteria. It seems like it changes weekly, what the real criteria is.

    "Before, it was a bunch of numbers. Now, it's wins. I'm like, 'Well, it wasn't wins last year'. You know what I’m saying? It just feels like, every year, it keeps changing."

    Jokic took MVP honours last season when the Nuggets finished sixth in the Western Conference.

  • Clippers star Westbrook makes the Grizzlies pay as Lakers look for revenge Clippers star Westbrook makes the Grizzlies pay as Lakers look for revenge

    The Los Angeles Clippers had Russell Westbrook in history-making form as they overcame the Memphis Grizzlies 141-132 on Wednesday.

    Westbrook finished with a season-high 36 points and laid on 10 assists in the victory, which snapped Memphis' seven-game winning streak.

    In the process, Westbrook became the first player in NBA history to have a 30-point and 10-assist game with five teams, having achieved the feat with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Houston Rockets, the Washington Wizards, the Los Angeles Lakers and now the Clippers.

    The sides will meet again in Memphis on Friday, with the Clippers having pulled away down the stretch on this occasion.

    "Just being composed, as a point guard, I was taught the last five or six minutes of the game were very important," Westbrook said of the fourth quarter.

    "Getting stops, getting good shots. We did a good job of executing down the stretch."

    Westbrook's team-mate Robert Covington had a season-best 27 points, and he anticipates a tough run-in with plenty of teams in the playoff picture in the Western Conference.

    "It's going to be tight," said Covington. "The West from four through 12 or 13 is like a three-game gap, something like that?

    "Anything can happen. That's why these last five or six games for us are very important."

    Another team pushing for a postseason place are the Clippers' city rivals the Lakers, who beat the Chicago Bulls 121-110.

    Anthony Davis starred with 38 points and 10 rebounds, and believes the Lakers – eighth in the West – have what it takes to go on a deep run.

    He said: "I think we've got everything we need. It's just about going out and applying it. We can definitely make a run. We've got all the right pieces from top to bottom.

    "We owe this [Chicago] team. We owe Houston. We owe Minnesota. All these teams. Utah.

    "So all these teams on this trip are teams that we lost to recently, and we want to get some get-back. And seeing as the situation that we're in, we need to win these games.

    "So this is a time when we shouldn't shy away from the moment. We should embrace it and these are the moments that you live for as a player."

    Davis' display garnered appreciation from coach Darvin Ham and superstar team-mate LeBron James.

    "It all starts with A, man," Ham said, referring to Davis. "Him just playing with force, him not settling, putting pressure on the defense to foul, him just loving and living in the paint."

    James added: "He always plays like that. Just got to kick him in the a** every now and then. But he always plays like that so I never worry about him."

  • Durant glad to be back but felt nerves showed ahead of Suns home debut Durant glad to be back but felt nerves showed ahead of Suns home debut

    Kevin Durant felt the nerves ahead of his home debut for the Phoenix Suns but was thrilled to be back from injury.

    Durant has endured injury frustration in his first months as a Suns player since his trade from the Brooklyn Nets.

    The 2014 MVP joined the Suns on February 9, but he had played only three times prior to Wednesday's meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

    All of those games, which were won by Phoenix, came on the road.

    Having missed the last 10 games due to a sprained ankle, Durant returned for his home bow against the Timberwolves, and he had 16 points, four assists and eight rebounds in a 107-100 victory.

    Durant acknowledged that even with his wealth of experience to call on, it was hard to keep the nerves in check.

    "It was hard for me to get sleep today, it was hard for me to stop thinking about the game," Durant said. "Sometimes you can want it too bad, and you come out, start rushing and being uncharacteristic."

    Now, he aims to build up his fitness as the Suns look towards securing a postseason berth.

    "I'm glad I'm back, I'm glad I'm playing again and being one of the guys. Just building from here," Durant said.

    "It felt good. I miss playing, I miss being with the guys. It was a big win for us, we needed this one, but yeah I felt good being out there again."

    Phoenix coach Monty Williams was impressed with what he saw from the 13-time All-Star but knows there is more to come.

    "I thought he battled on both ends," Williams told reporters.

    "I think his cardio has got to get back to the level he wants it. Once he gets that, we'll see the Kevin that we all know."

    The Suns' third straight win saw them consolidate their grip on the Western Conference's fourth seed.

    Devin Booker was the driving force for Phoenix with 29 points, with Anthony Edwards' 31-point haul not enough to inspire the Timberwolves to a winning performance.

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