Athletes expressed relief and vowed to continue the fight for reforms after a jury in Minnesota found a former police officer guilty in the May 2020 death of George Floyd. 

Derek Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on Tuesday, nearly 11 months after he knelt on Floyd's neck and back for more than nine minutes during an arrest. 

Floyd's death aged 46 sparked outrage across the United States, with athletes across multiple sports among those who called for justice. 

Tuesday's verdict in Minneapolis provided a measure of progress and sports figures, teams and leagues spoke out after the ruling. 

Basketball star LeBron James' reaction was among the most succinct as he tweeted simply: "ACCOUNTABILITY".

Boxing legend Mike Tyson tweeted: "Guilty. Justice served."

While similiar expressions of relief were common, most continued to lament the crime that sparked the case. 

"George Floyd lost his life, as many others have, unjustly. We can't forget that - that people are losing their lives," Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash told reporters.

"On the other hand, it is a small gesture of justice and possibly hope for the future in that perhaps all the social justice movements - the NBA, the WNBA, the community at large - are really making an impact.

"I just hope that this is the type of statement by our justice system that gives hope and precedence for these type of verdicts to be the norm."

James Harden might not return to the court before the NBA playoffs after suffering a setback in his return from a hamstring injury. 

The Brooklyn Nets said the former MVP will remain sidelined indefinitely following an undisclosed issue during an on-court rehab session on Monday. 

Harden has played only four minutes since leaving a March 31 game against his former team, the Houston Rockets, with the initial injury. 

He sat out the Nets' next two games, then returned for a brief appearance on April 5 against the New York Knicks before missing the last six games. 

"We're back to square one... he will be back when he's back," Nets head coach Steve Nash told reporters. "It might be the playoffs. It might be sooner."

The NBA playoffs begin May 22. Brooklyn (38-19) were second in the Eastern Conference entering Tuesday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. 

Harden is averaging 25.2 points, 10.9 assists and 8.0 rebounds in 42 games between Houston and Brooklyn this season. 

Nikola Jokic joked he is glad the "world doesn't put the bigs aside" after another stellar showing enhanced the Denver Nuggets star's MVP chances.

The giant centre drained 47 points in a 139-137 double-overtime thriller against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, including a go-ahead three in the second additional period.

Jokic added 15 rebounds and eight assists in steering the Nuggets to a third straight win in the absence of Jamal Murray, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

It was Jokic's 51st double-double of an impressive campaign and only narrowly short of a 16th triple-double.

Such impressive form has Jokic well and truly in the MVP conversation and he would be the first center to win the prize since Shaquille O'Neal did so in 1999-2000.

"It's really good for big men. I'm just glad the world doesn't put the bigs aside. We're still popular," Jokic said.

"I had a really good night. I scored a lot and I had a couple of stupid turnovers I can easily fix. It was good night for me and the team."

Head coach Michael Malone feels Jokic has shown on plenty of occasions this season that he deserves individual recognition.

"Life is about a bunch of little moments and I think Nikola's got around 56 little moments this year where he's shown he's the MVP. 

"Tonight was a character win."

The Nuggets are 37-20 for the season after their win and sit fourth in the Western Conference.

Stephen Curry is going "above and beyond" even his own "mind-boggling" standards after another record-breaking outing for the Golden State Warriors, says head coach Steve Kerr.

Superstar Curry drained 49 points, including 20 in the last quarter, as the Warriors defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 197-96 on Monday.

He hit 10 three-pointers and is now the first player to make 70-plus threes in a 10-game span, while he has more games with 40-plus points and 10-plus threes over the last eight days (four) than any other NBA player has had over their entire career.

On top of that, Curry is the first player in the league's history aged 33 or older to have 11 consecutive 30-plus point games, surpassing the legendary Kobe Bryant (10 straight in 2012), while his 47 and 49 points in the past two outings means he is the first player aged 33 or over with back-to-back 45-plus games since Hall of Famer Michael Jordan scored 51 and 45 in 2001.

Kerr was almost at a loss to explain Curry's exploits.

"I've seen Kobe Bryant early in his career, had a stretch where he went nuts," Kerr said. 

"Obviously, Michael Jordan had some stretches where he just scored like crazy, but obviously nobody's ever shot the ball like this in the history of the game. Even by Steph's own lofty standards, this is above and beyond.

"Twenty-one career games with 10 or more. And Klay [Thompson] is second with five. And Steph's had four in the last five [games]. Mind-boggling. Mind-boggling stuff.

"I don't know what else to say. You guys ask me after every game what I think of Steph and his performance, whatever I said last game, just use that tonight. 

"Because it's the same thing after every game, it's just utter amazement at this guy's skill level, heart, mind, focus, it's just amazing to watch."

Stephen Curry lit up the Philadelphia 76ers with 49 points as the Golden State Warriors upstaged the Eastern Conference leaders 107-96.

Curry maintained his red-hot form in a red-breaking display in Philadelphia, where the two-time NBA MVP nailed 10 three-pointers to sink the 76ers on Monday.

The Warriors superstar became the first player to make 70-plus threes in a 10-game span on a memorable outing on the road.

Curry has more games with 40-plus points and 10-plus threes over the last eight days (four) than any other NBA player has had over their entire career, per Stats Perform.

Curry became the first player in NBA history aged 33 or older with 11 consecutive 30-plus point games, surpassing Kobe Bryant (10 straight in 2012).

After scoring 47 and 49 points, Curry is also the first player aged 33 or older with back-to-back 45-plus games since Hall of Famer Michael Jordan (51 and 45 in 2001).

Joel Embiid put up 28 points and 13 rebounds in the absence of fellow All-Star Ben Simmons, but the 76ers still had their four-game winning streak snapped.

Nuggets prevail in double OT thanks to Jokic

MVP favourite Nikola Jokic put on a show. He had 47 points – including the go-ahead three-pointer late in the second period of overtime – 15 rebounds and eight assists as the Denver Nuggets survived to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 139-137 after double OT.

Two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 33 points but the Milwaukee Bucks suffered an agonising 128-127 overtime loss to the in-form Phoenix Suns. Suns starters Devin Booker (24 points), Deandre Ayton (20 points and 13 rebounds) and Mikal Bridges (21 points) all impressed.

The NBA-leading Utah Jazz defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 111-97 behind Joe Ingles' 21 points on eight-of-11 shooting, while All-Star duo Mike Conley (14 points and 10 assists) and Rudy Gobert (14 points and 10 rebounds) contributed double-doubles.

Russell Westbrook had his 26th triple-double of the season – 13 points, 17 assists and 11 rebounds – as the Washington Wizards celebrated their fifth consecutive victory by downing the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-107.

A season-high 30 points from Kendrick Nunn fuelled the Miami Heat's 113-91 win over the Houston Rockets.

Bradley struggles

Avery Bradley has found it tough since arriving in Houston as part of the deal that sent Victor Oladipo to the Heat. He missed all three of his field-goal attempts – including two from beyond the arc – as he finished scoreless after 22 minutes.

George Hill made his debut for the 76ers. Acquired in a trade last month, Hill was one-for-five shooting for two points in 18 minutes. Philadelphia team-mate Shake Milton, usually a reliable scorer, finished with just five points on one-for-seven shooting off the bench.

The Thunder extended their season-worst losing streak to 11 games after going down to the Wizards in Washington.

CP3 – the playmaker!

Chris Paul was at his brilliant best again as the high-flying Suns edged the Bucks. Paul posted 22 points and 13 assists as the Suns star passed Magic Johnson for fifth on the all-time assists list.

Monday's results

Utah Jazz 111-97 Los Angeles Lakers
Detroit Pistons 109-105 Cleveland Cavaliers
Chicago Bulls 102-96 Boston Celtics
Golden State Warriors 107-96 Philadelphia 76ers
San Antonio Spurs 109-94 Indiana Pacers
Miami Heat 113-91 Houston Rockets
Washington Wizards 119-107 Oklahoma City Thunder
Phoenix Suns 129-127 Milwaukee Bucks (OT)
Denver Nuggets 139-137 Memphis Grizzlies (Double OT)

Nets at Pelicans

The Brooklyn Nets (38-19) will be without superstar pair Kevin Durant (thigh) and James Harden (hamstring) for Tuesday's trip to the New Orleans Pelicans (25-32).

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said Anthony Davis is days away from making his return, while he also provided an update on injured superstar LeBron James.

Davis has been sidelined since exiting the NBA champions' game against the Denver Nuggets on February 14 as he recovers from tendinosis and a calf strain in his right leg.

While there was a slight chance of Davis returning in the series against the NBA-leading Utah Jazz, he is in line to resume his season when the Lakers face the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.

"We got some good work in after our team meeting this morning," Vogel said on Monday as Davis missed the Jazz showdown.

"He's going to continue to build up over the next two days and see how he's feeling going into that Dallas game."

Davis, who will return on a minutes restriction, was averaging 22.5 points per game this season before the injury – his lowest since his second year in the league with the New Orleans Pelicans (20.8).

The 28-year-old's average of 8.4 rebounds in 2020-21 is the lowest since his rookie season (8.2) in 2012-13.

"The biggest thing is conditioning right now," Vogel added. "He's healthy. But having not played and not really being able to ramp up his physical on-court activity over the last two months, it's going to take some time before he gets his wind under him and obviously, that's the biggest thing.

"Because if his legs aren't under him, we don't want him to be at risk for re-aggravation of the injury or another injury. We want to keep a close eye on that."

The Lakers have been without James since he suffered a high ankle sprain in the team's loss to the Atlanta Hawks on March 20.

James has been averaging 25.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game in 2020-21.

Vogel said the 36-year-old has been doing "light work" on the court.

"Just trying to do a little bit more with his activity each day," Vogel said of James.

Kevin Durant will sit out the Brooklyn Nets' clash with the New Orleans Pelicans due to a left thigh contusion.

Durant played just four minutes before exiting in Brooklyn's buzzer-beating 109-107 loss at the Miami Heat on Sunday.

Nets superstar Durant missed 23 games because of a hamstring injury before returning on April 7.

In total, former MVP Durant has missed 24 of Brooklyn's 57 games this season and will now watch from the sidelines for Tuesday's matchup with the Pelicans.

Durant has been averaging 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game this season.

The star-studded Nets will also be without James Harden against Zion Williamson and the Pelicans in New Orleans.

Harden – another former MVP in Brooklyn – has not played since April 5 due to a hamstring strain, missing six successive games.

The All-Star guard, who is one of the frontrunners for MVP honours this season, has been averaging 25.2 points, 10.9 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game in 2020-21 after arriving from the Houston Rockets via January's blockbuster trade.

The Nets (38-19) are second in the Eastern Conference, behind the Philadelphia 76ers.

Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball has been cleared to return to individual basketball activity following a wrist fracture.

Ball has been sidelined since undergoing surgery to address a fracture in his right wrist after the Hornets star was hurt against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 20.

NBA Rookie of the Year favourite at the time of the injury, there had been fears Ball – the third pick in the 2020 Draft – would miss the remainder of his first season in the league.

But on Monday, the Hornets said Ball underwent further evaluation in New York City, where the 19-year-old had his cast removed and a CT scan confirmed the wrist had healed.

The Hornets are eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 28-28 record.

Prior to suffering a wrist fracture in March, Ball ranked first in assists and steals among rookies, second in scoring and is tied for second in rebounds.

The face of an emerging and exciting franchise boasting Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier, DeVonte Graham and Miles Bridges, Ball was the only player over the last 60 years to lead all rookies in total points, rebounds, assists and steals at the All-Star break.

In February, Ball joined Stephen Curry (2010) and Jason Kidd (1995) as the only rookies with seven-plus threes and 10-plus assists in a game and was the youngest to do so. He also became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double in January.

Through 41 games, Ball is averaging 15.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists this season in just 28.6 minutes per game. He would be the first player in NBA history to average 15/5/5 in less than 30 minutes per game in a season (minimum 40 games played), per Stats Perform.

When you compare his first 41 games to some of the past and current greats at the same stage, Ball ranks well.

His points-per-game average is better than five-time champion and Lakers great Kobe Bryant (7.0 in 1996-97), former MVP Harden (9.8 in 2009-10), Curry (13.4 in 2009-10), Steve Nash (4.5 in 1996-97) and Jason Kidd (9.4 in 1994-95).

When it comes to his assists numbers, Hall of Famer Michael Jordan (5.1 in 1984-85) – the owner of the Hornets – Nash (2.9), Dwyane Wade (4.3), Harden (2.1), Curry (4.6) and Kyrie Irving (5.7 in 2011-12) did not fare as good as Ball.

Highlighting his versatility, Ball's rebound average is better than Irving (3.8), Curry (3.8), Harden (3.2), Wade (4.4), Bryant (2.0), Nash (1.3), Kidd (5.7) and Allen Iversen (4.2 in 1996-97).

Stephen Curry has been lighting it up in the NBA of late.

The two-time NBA MVP is seemingly trying to make up for lost time after injury wiped out the vast majority of his 2019-20 season. 

However, Curry is not the only player in prime form. As the regular season hurtles towards a conclusion, Stats Perform data highlights who is on fire and who needs to find a spark around the league.

Time to dip into the numbers with the latest edition of Heat Check...

RUNNING HOT...

Stephen Curry

To say Curry is on a hot streak is an understatement. In four games between April 12-17, the guard scored 175 points for the Golden State Warriors. That astonishing scoring run saw him hit 10 or more three-point attempts in three of those outings; no other player in NBA history has had three or more such games in an entire season, let alone a week.

Luguentz Dort

Dort was averaging 12.62 points heading into the week. The second-year guard then upped that number with 42 against the Utah Jazz and while he sat out a game against the Warriors, he followed up with a combined tally of 55 when facing the Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors. Despite his scoring heroics, the Oklahoma City Thunder lost all three.

Landry Shamet

The Brooklyn Nets have been hampered by injuries this season, with James Harden sidelined in recent times. However, Shamet has stepped up to help fill the void, managing a career-high 30 points on Sunday against the Miami Heat, including tying a franchise record with seven successful three-point attempts having come off the bench. 

GOING COLD...

Lonzo Ball

Ball's decreased production should come as no surprise, considering he is easing his way back into action following a hip injury. He played just under 20 minutes against the Washington Wizards and while his involvement was greater against the New York Knicks, 2017's second overall pick managed nine points from 19 shot attempts across both games.

Tyler Herro

A low-key week for Herro, who failed to reach double digits for points in outings against the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Nets. The shooting guard - such a key figure in the Heat's run to the NBA Finals in the 2019-20 season - landed two of his 11 attempts from beyond the arc in those games. Surprisingly for someone based in Miami, Herro has gone cold.

Chris Paul

The veteran point guard has been outstanding for the Phoenix Suns, who remain in the running to finish the regular season as the top seeds in the West. However, the bigger picture means minutes must be managed, with Paul seeing a drop in his workload. While buckets have been in short supply - he averaged 8.25 points per game across last week - there were still 26 assists.

Bam Adebayo was backed to "hit another level" after his buzzer-beater snatched a 109-107 victory for the Miami Heat over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

Adebayo stepped up to inspire the Heat at the AmericanAirlines Arena to a thrilling win in the absence of Jimmy Butler, who was ruled out with a sprained ankle.

The 23-year-old centre settled a pulsating contest when he took a pass from Goran Dragic with time almost up and was on target with a baseline jumper from around 12 yards out.

Adebayo finished with 21 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and two steals in a brilliant all-round performance against a 38-19 Nets side occupying second place in the Eastern Conference.

Dragic said of Adebayo: "He has great potential. I still feel he's not done yet. He's going to hit another level."

The Heat are seventh in the Eastern Conference and Adebayo believes they can put a run together following such a dramatic win.

He said: "A season can turn around after a game. Crazier things have happened in this league."

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says Adebayo's all-round contribution should be recognised.

He said: "It's just not about scoring. That's the hard thing in this league, that the main thing people look at is how many points people score.

"Bam has so many things that he does for us that are important for us to be successful."

The Nets also lost Kevin Durant in the opening quarter due to a left thigh contusion.

Julius Randle produced another inspiring performance as the streaking New York Knicks topped the New Orleans Pelicans 122-112 in overtime.

Knicks All-Star Randle posted 33 points and 10 assists to lead the New York franchise to their sixth successive NBA win on Sunday.

Randle recorded his fourth consecutive game with at least 30 points, becoming the first Knicks player since Carmelo Anthony in 2014 to accomplish the feat.

Reggie Bullock nailed a three-pointer for the Knicks with 2.3 seconds remaining in regulation before the home team outscored Zion Williamson's Pelicans 19-9 in OT at Madison Square Garden.

Derrick Rose scored a season-high 23 points for the Knicks, who are in the midst of their longest winning streak since 2013-14 as they eye their first playoff appearance since 2013.

Williamson's 34 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals were not enough for the visiting Pelicans.

Meanwhile, Kevin Durant suffered a left thigh contusion in the Brooklyn Nets' 109-107 loss away to the Miami Heat.

Durant – who only returned from a 23-game injury absence this month – left the game in the opening quarter, having gone three-for-three shooting to finish with eight points in four minutes.

Bam Adebayo (21 points and 15 rebounds) lifted the Heat with his buzzer-beating jump shot.

Hawks soar past Pacers

Clint Capela (25 points and 24 rebounds) and Trae Young (34 points and 11 assists) helped the Atlanta Hawks power to a 129-117 victory against the Indiana Pacers. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter contributed 23 points each for the Hawks, who have won eight of 10 games and are 17-6 under interim head coach Nate McMillan.

Kawhi Leonard returned from a four-game absence, tallying 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in the Los Angeles Clippers' 124-105 success at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Chris Boucher put up 31 points and 11 rebounds for the Toronto Raptors, who downed the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder 112-106 for a third consecutive win. Oklahoma City's Aleksej Pokusevski (six) became the first Thunder rookie with five-plus blocks in a game since Serge Ibaka in 2010.

The Charlotte Hornets snapped a four-game skid behind Terry Rozier as his 34 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds saw off the Portland Trail Blazers 109-101.

De'Aaron Fox's 30 points and 12 assists guided the Sacramento Kings to a 121-107 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas All-Star Luka Doncic finished with a game-high 37 points.

Thunder continue to be silenced

The Thunder are now in the midst of a season-worst losing streak of 10 games after losing to the Raptors.

Josh Richardson struggled again for the Mavericks. He was just three-for-nine shooting, while making only one of his five three-point attempts for seven pints. Mavericks team-mate Tim Hardaway Jr. (eight points) finishing two-for-10 shooting.

Bridges goes bang!

Miles Bridges is becoming known for his slam dunks. The Hornets star produced another memorable dunk in the second quarter.

Sunday's results

Atlanta Hawks 129-117 Indiana Pacers
New York Knicks 122-112 New Orleans Pelicans (OT)
Miami Heat 109-107 Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets 109-101 Portland Trail Blazers
Houston Rockets 114-110 Orlando Magic
Toronto Raptors 112-106 Oklahoma City Thunder
Los Angeles Clippers 124-105 Minnesota Timberwolves
Sacramento Kings 121-107 Dallas Mavericks

Warriors at 76ers

Red-hot Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors (28-29) visit the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers (39-17) on Monday. The 76ers have won four straight games.

Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash said the NBA title hopefuls are waiting to discover the severity of Kevin Durant's latest injury after the superstar was ruled out early in the loss to the Miami Heat.

The Nets endured a forgettable trip to Miami, suffering a buzzer-beating 109-107 defeat against the Heat, having seen Durant exit in the opening quarter due to a left thigh contusion on Sunday.

Durant missed 23 games because of a hamstring injury before returning this month and the Nets – eyeing their maiden championship – are hoping they are not without the former MVP for another sustained period.

"He's sore but we don't know how severe," first-year coach Nash told reporters post-game.

"We'll see tomorrow how he wakes up and go from there but right now nothing’s been determined."

Durant was hurt during the first quarter, appearing to tangle legs with Trevor Ariza on a drive to the basket during the first quarter.

The 11-time All-Star had played for just four minutes, going three-for-three shooting – including two successful attempts from beyond the arc – to finish with eight points.

Durant was out for nearly two months of the season due to a hamstring injury, making his return against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 7 with 17 points in just under 19 minutes.

The two-time NBA champion did not dress for the defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers (39-17) on Thursday, a result that means they hold the tie-breaker over the Nets (38-19) in the Eastern Conference, but was back in action on Saturday, scoring 25 in the victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

"The timing of everything this year has just been a tell-tale sign of what life is right now in terms of the uncertainty of a lot going on," said Nets star Kyrie Irving, who posted 20 points in the continued absence of superstar James Harden (hamstring).

"Anything could happen at any moment, so we don't want to take anything for granted. But anytime one of our team-mates goes down, anytime something like that happens, it's definitely going to take a hit for us. And he's just gotten back. We just pray that it's not too serious and he's able to recover, but it definitely has a hit on our continuity at times. But we're not making any excuses for each other.

"We're all professionals, the guys that are getting minutes right now, we need them. So it's going to turn eventually, but we've just got to find that continuity, that connectivity from the start of the game to the end."

 Hot shooting from Manhattan Jaspers forward, Warren Williams, provided just a drop in the bucket as Jamaica suffered a lopsided 52-94 defeat at the hands of Nicaragua, at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Central American and Caribbean Pre-Qualifiers on Saturday.

Williams was an immovable force on the low block, as he scored 24 points off 63 percent shooting, and was just shy of a double-double after also grabbing 9 rebounds.  He was, however, the only Jamaica player in the line-up to get to double figures.

The effort was dwarfed by the Nicaraguan trio of Jared Ruiz, Norchad Omier, and Larel Pacheco.  Ruiz led the way with 26 points but also filled out the rest of the stat sheet with 9 rebounds and 5 assists.  Omier and Pacheco were perfect from the field, scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively.  Omier also grabbed 13 rebounds to register a useful double-double.

The Central Americans got off to a strong start and found themselves leading the Caribbean team 27-11 at the end of the first quarter and led 49-21 by halftime, before cruising the rest of the way to victory.

The loss was the first of the tournament for the Jamaicans, who recorded a 69-67 win over Costa Rica in their opener and a 107-87 win over Guyana.

Steve Kerr was "in awe" of the quality on show in an NBA thriller between his Golden State Warriors side and the in-form Boston Celtics.

The Celtics extended their winning run to six games with a 119-114 victory at TD Garden on Saturday despite being 16 points down in the first half.

Steph Curry's 47-point haul could not prevent Boston from coming out on top in a pulsating contest, with Jayson Tatum scoring 44 points and claiming 10 rebounds.

Kemba Walker weighed in with 26 points for the Celtics, who are 31-26 and sit fourth in the Eastern Conference.

Warriors head coach Kerr said: "First of all, I'm in awe of what I watched tonight.

"From a skill level and level of competition, it felt like a playoff game out there. Both teams were just gassed and competed like crazy, and just incredible shot-making, particularly from Steph and Jayson.

"So, what a basketball game. It hurts to lose, but I told the team I feel like they got better tonight."

Tatum and Curry had a court-side conversation after the Celtics small forward spoke of his admiration for the Warriors legend.

He said when asked what the pair had discussed: "Just mutual respect. Obviously two big performances. I was glad that we got the win, but obviously he's one of the all-time greats.

"Just to earn his respect and get a win on the same night ... it was a good night."

Golden State are 28-29 following this setback, languishing down in ninth in the Western Conference.

Andre Drummond is itching to experience more of the thrills of a home-court win with the Los Angeles Lakers after helping see out an overtime victory against the Utah Jazz.

Acquired at the end of March, Drummond found out for the first time how it felt to earn a win at the Staples Center as a Lakers player, as around 1,700 fans saw Los Angeles earn a 127-115 overtime triumph over the NBA Western Conference leaders.

The Lakers had previously seen a 14-point advantage evaporate, with the Jazz taking the lead towards the end of the fourth quarter, before Dennis Schroder tied things up with three seconds to play.

Still without the injured LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Drummond finished with 27 points, eight rebounds and three assists to aid the team's cause, while the impressive Schroder had 25 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Since joining the Lakers, Drummond is averaging 9.2 points, 1.2 assists and 9.2 rebounds and he feels the depleted Lakers – fifth in the Western Conference – are beginning to gel.

"With the fans being in the arena it was kind of a surreal moment for me because I've been on the other side," he said. 

"Seeing them win, seeing the streamers come down, to be on this end it was definitely a great feeling and something I want more of.

"I think tonight was a good game for all of us, for me personally I think it was a pretty solid game. 

"As a unit we clicked on all cylinders. We didn't allow adversity to get us out of our game, they did have a hell of a run down the stretch to tie up the game and take the lead. 

"The chemistry is getting there, we're having fun day by day doing it."

Head coach Frank Vogel was impressed by the way his Lakers side kept their cool after seeing their lead wiped out.

"We made more in-game adjustments than we have all year just to counter their attack," Lakers Vogel said. 

"To have a team storm back and take the lead and [us] not panic is definitely something we can draw on going forward. We'll have this experience to know that we’ll prevail."