Paul George was "super relieved" that both he and Kawhi Leonard were healthy after entering the NBA's contact tracing protocols – and the duo showed the Los Angeles Clippers exactly what they had been missing on Friday.
Having sat out two games due to guidelines put in place amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the superstars were cleared to return to action for the Clippers at the Orlando Magic.
George had 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the convincing 116-90 victory on the road, while Leonard contributed 24 points.
They combined for 35 points in the first half as the Clippers improved to 15-5 for the season, meaning they sit behind only the in-form Utah Jazz – who have won 10 in a row – in the Western Conference standings.
"I was super relieved that we were both healthy, first and foremost," George told the media. "We had been playing so well that it was unfortunate that we had to take the hiatus, but safety is first."
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue was able to rest both George and Leonard in the fourth quarter with the Clippers in complete control.
Speaking after the win, Lue said having the pair back was "huge", considering they make life so much easier for the rest of the roster.
"I think on a night when guys were a little tired, just having their presence was big for us," Lue said.
"It was huge. Just making plays for everybody else, making the game easy.
"When teams double-team Kawhi or PG on the post-ups or pick-and-roll, it just makes it easier because our guys are getting open shots, so we needed those guys."
The Clippers went 1-1 without George and Leonard at the start of a six-game road trip; they are back in action on Sunday, taking on the New York Knicks.
James Harden said the Brooklyn Nets made the most of "a beautiful game plan" as they swept to a 147-125 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Nine Nets players finished with double-digit points, led by Harden and Kyrie Irving with 25 each, as the team earned a fourth successive victory.
Harden landed a triple-double, having also had 11 assists and 10 rebounds, and Stats Perform data showed it was only the second time in Nets history that they have had nine players score 10 points or more in a game.
The first occasion was in the then New York Nets' 1984 game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and this time they matched a franchise points record for a regulation game.
That the Nets achieved their success without the injured Kevin Durant showed the deep strength and potential they possess.
"The ball was moving," said Harden. "We were active on both ends of the floor.
"Coaches drew up a beautiful game plan, and we executed on both ends of the ball. We like to see carryover, and these last few games we’ve been carrying over, we've been playing well, especially on the defensive end, and it's showing, so we've just got to keep it up."
The Nets improved to 13-8 for the season, with the combination of Irving and new arrival Harden, acquired this month from the Houston Rockets, beginning to purr.
"I never say how long the process was going to take. But Ky is special," Harden said. "He got it going in the third quarter. And we just wanted him to keep going until he missed, and even when he missed keep going again."
Irving got 12 points in that particular quarter and the Nets entered the fourth armed with a 21-point lead.
"We've just got to find that balance of when to be aggressive and when to make plays," Harden said. "And I think even with our aggressiveness, we're still playmakers.
"I think over the course of the game, we did a really good job of getting our guys involved in going aggressiveness, corner ball as well. So nothing really changes even when KD [Durant] is in the lineup as well."
Irving, meanwhile, knows the Nets could, and perhaps should, achieve great things now that he, Durant and Harden are in their ranks, but that is not to say success is a given.
"Just taking it day by day," said Irving.
"I'm always going to say that I won't take anything for granted. It doesn't happen often in history where you have this group together at this point.
"Some of the guys were starters last year on their respective teams, other guys are MVP candidates and to have all of that collective talent and not get the most out of it, we'd be doing ourselves a disservice so we just want to continue to just push each other and hold each other accountable."
The Brooklyn Nets shared the load in a high-scoring 147-125 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA.
Playing without star Kevin Durant (Achilles), the Nets extended their winning streak to four games on Friday after nine players had double-digit points.
According to Stats Perform, it was just the second time in team history the Nets had nine such players (against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1984) as James Harden led the way with a triple-double of 25 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
Harden became the second Net in the last 25 years with three triple-doubles in a season, while Irving put up 25 points, seven assists and five rebounds on the road.
It was also the second time this season the Nets have scored 145-plus points in a non-overtime game. No other NBA team have achieved it even once this season, and Brooklyn had just one such game in team history entering this season – 147 in 1982.
Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles surpassed John Stockton for the most three-pointers made (846) in franchise history in a 120-101 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Ingles was two-of-four from three-point range for 10 points as the Jazz made it 11 consecutive victories to own the NBA's best record at 15-4.
Utah have made 319 three-pointers through 19 games this season – the most ever by any team after 19 fixtures.
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Jazz with a game-high 22 points, while Rudy Gobert added 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Young puts on a show as Embiid stars
Trae Young dazzled with 41 points as the Atlanta Hawks took down the struggling Washington Wizards 116-100.
The Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers accounted for the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves 118-94 behind Joel Embiid's 37 points and 11 rebounds from just 27 minutes of action.
Two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 38 points and 11 rebounds but the Milwaukee Bucks were beaten 131-126 by the New Orleans Pelicans. Lonzo Ball recorded a season-high 27 points.
Nikola Jokic has registered 19 consecutive double-doubles to start the season. Since 1976, Jokic and Antetokounmpo (19 in a row in 2019-20) are tied with the second-most double-doubles to open a campaign, trailing only Bill Walton (34 straight). Jokic had 35 points and 10 rebounds in the Denver Nuggets' 119-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Kawhi Leonard (24) and Paul George (26) combined for 50 points in their return for the Los Angeles Clippers, who defeated the Orlando Magic 116-90.
Nance struggles as Cavs crumble
It was not a good day for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were swept aside 102-81 by the New York Knicks. Larry Nance Jr. finished with just two points in 29 minutes after going one-of-nine from the field, while missing all five of his three-point attempts. Taurean Prince – part of the deal that helped the Nets acquire former MVP Harden from the Houston Rockets – was one-of-seven from the field for three points.
DeRozan with the Euro step
DeMar DeRozan posted 30 points and 10 assists on 11-of-14 shooting from the field. The Spurs star also Euro-stepped to the rim for a fine basket against the Nuggets.
Friday's results
Charlotte Hornets 108-105 Indiana Pacers
Atlanta Hawks 116-100 Washington Wizards
New York Knicks 102-81 Cleveland Cavaliers
Sacramento Kings 126-124 Toronto Raptors
New Orleans Pelicans 131-126 Milwaukee Bucks
Los Angeles Clippers 116-90 Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers 118-94 Minnesota Timberwolves
Brooklyn Nets 147-125 Oklahoma City Thunder
San Antonio Spurs 119-109 Denver Nuggets
Utah Jazz 120-101 Dallas Mavericks
Lakers at Celtics
Following back-to-back defeats on the road, defending champions the Los Angeles Lakers (14-6) will look to return to winning ways when they visit the Boston Celtics (10-7) on Saturday.
Los Angeles Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have been cleared to return against the Orlando Magic on Friday.
Leonard and George missed the opening two games of a six-game road swing after reportedly entering the NBA's health and safety protocols.
The Clippers went 1-1 in the pair's absence against the Atlanta Hawks (lost 108-99) and Miami Heat (won 109-105).
But Leonard and George are set to take to the court when the Clippers (14-5) visit the Magic (8-11).
Leonard has been averaging 25.9 points, 5.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game in 2020-21, while Clippers team-mate George is averaging 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists.
The Clippers have gone 8-1 in their last nine games and have outscored opponents by an average of 12.8 points per game, second in the NBA in that span (Utah Jazz, plus-15.6), per Stats Perform. This stretch has come after the Clippers began the season 6-4, outscoring opponents by 0.8 points per game in that period.
Meanwhile, the Clippers have won 13 successive games against the Magic – dating back to January 2014. It is tied for the longest active winning streak by any current NBA franchise against any opponent (the Philadelphia 76ers versus New York Knicks and the 76ers against Charlotte Hornets – both 13).
Kevin Durant will sit out the Brooklyn Nets' showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder to rehabilitate his Achilles.
Durant, who has returned this season after sitting out the entire 2019-20 NBA campaign due to an Achilles injury, posted a game-high 32 points in Brooklyn's double-overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
Now the two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP has been kept out of Friday's clash against the Thunder in Oklahoma.
Durant – who injured his Achilles during his time with the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals – has played in 15 of the Nets' 20 games this season.
The 32-year-old is averaging 30.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in 2020-21.
Durant recorded his 15th consecutive 20-plus point game to start the season against the Hawks midweek – only Wilt Chamberlain (56 games), Adrian Dantley (20 games) and Dominique Wilkins (19 games) have better streaks in NBA history.
Steve Nash's star-studded Nets (12-8) have won three games in a row to sit fourth in the Eastern Conference, behind the Philadelphia 76ers (13-6).
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra insisted his team still have the right spirit and a huge "sense of urgency" after suffering a fifth straight loss, going down 109-105 to the Los Angeles Clippers.
In an NBA first for the shot-clock era, the Clippers won a game despite being outscored by 14+ points in the first and fourth quarters, according to Stats Perform data.
The Heat fell to 6-12 for the season having been beaten by a Clippers team playing without Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Patrick Beverley.
Spoelstra was also without key players; Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic and Andre Iguodala were among seven who were unavailable.
The Clippers trailed by 18 early, but then turned the tables and built a lead as high as 19 by the time the third quarter ended.
However, the Heat won the fourth quarter by 15 points and were within three before ultimately losing out in a frantic finale.
The struggles this season are a stark contrast to last, when they impressively made the NBA Finals in the Orlando bubble.
"When it went good, it was because their hearts are in the right place for sure," said Spoelstra.
"We are just grinding and trying to figure out how to get over the hump and try and give ourselves our best chance of winning.
"It is just a matter of consistency to be able to do that throughout the course of the game.
"Our group has a great spirit and a big-time sense of urgency. It is not a matter of that, it is a matter of finding a way to be consistent throughout.
"There are a lot of moving parts. That makes it unique. You can’t make an excuse for it. You have to continue to grind, to learn and compete for each other. We just need to be more consistent with it."
Tyler Herro had 19 points as he returned after missing seven games with neck spasms, with Spoelstra hoping more players will follow soon.
He added: "We will be getting guys back soon enough. You get Tyler back and there is just a boost to it and that is encouraging.
"Everyone in the locker room really wants to play better and in a perfect world we want to be in a better place than we are right now and we are not.
"We just have to continue to grind."
Nicolas Batum scored 18 points for the Clippers, one of their six players to reach double figures. Tyronn Lue's team improved to 14-5 on the season and have won eight of their last nine games.
LeBron James revealed the Los Angeles Lakers are having to learn on the fly during the regular season after the defending NBA champions slipped to a second successive defeat.
Without Anthony Davis, who did not play due to injury, and off the back of a narrow loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers made a strong start but faded badly at the Detroit Pistons on Thursday.
James made his first seven shots but had just two points in the second half, the Pistons running out comfortable winners by a 107-92 scoreline for just their fifth victory of the campaign.
For the four-time NBA MVP, however, it is all about the bigger picture, rather than one-off results. With limited practice time available to teams due to the altered schedule amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and a number of new faces having joined during the offseason, the Lakers are having to experiment during games.
"We are all learning on the fly due to the lack of practice time," James said.
"You know with this season it's very difficult to get those practice minutes on the floor and know what does and doesn't work. It's very strange with that.
"We are definitely all adjusting to playing with different line-ups and logging minutes with line-ups that in one game you may not have played with, then it could be [the case] for a few games in a row.
"A lot of our games are also big practices for us too, we have to learn on the fly and coach is still learning different line-ups, which combinations work.
"Myself, I'm out here with certain line-ups I do play with, certain ones I don't. It's all a learning experience and trying to figure things out."
James, who finished with 22 points and 10 assists, insisted his second-half output was not due to tiredness. Far from it, in fact.
"I don't feel tired. I get my sleep, I get my rest. I have a lot of energy, I don't get tired," said the 36-year-old, who revealed during his post-game press conference that he likes to watch shows and drink a glass of wine to relax.
"My mindset never gets to the point where it's a long road trip and I'm exhausted and tired, I don't even think about that. When we have our games, I'm ready to go.
"When we're not playing, I have an opportunity to rest, get my body back right and my mind refreshed. I don't get tired."
Kyle Kuzma also had 22 points for the Lakers, while Blake Griffin led the way for Detroit with 23.
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