Russell Westbrook achieved the first triple double of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City (yesterday at dawn in Lebanon), but the holders of 17 NBA titles collapsed late in the game to lose against the Thunder, so far without a victory. In the absence of LeBron James, who suffered an ankle problem, Westbrook shared the offensive burden with Anthony Davis, finishing with 20 points, 13 assists and 14 rebounds at the Paycom Arena. But Westbrook and Davis, who scored 30 points, could not prevent a superb comeback from the Thunder, who was up to 26 points behind at the end of the second quarter before recovering after the break to clinch a first success in five meetings this season.
The Lakers had scored 41 points in the first quarter, and seemed to be heading for victory by returning to the locker room at the break with a clear advantage (72-56). But Oklahoma City turned the situation around in the third quarter, to take a narrow lead (97-96) at the start of the fourth quarter. Derrick Favors gave the Thunder the lead (118-115) with 31 seconds remaining, and the Lakers then missed three straight shots in the closing seconds. The team coached by Mark Daigneault was able to rely on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, author of 26 points, while Josh Giddey and Darius Bazley each scored 18 points.
Westbrook’s game ended in an inglorious fashion, as the former Thunder was sent off in the final two seconds after protesting a spectacular, unopposed dunk from Darius Bazley. “It’s a disappointing loss,” said Lakers coach Frank Vogel. “Our focus, intensity and defensive effort waned, but we learned the lesson. We cannot take our foot off the accelerator against anyone, ”he stressed.
In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 40 points, caught 16 rebounds and delivered 7 assists, but the Bucks, reigning NBA champions, lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves. D’Angelo Russell was Wolves’ leading scorer with 29 points, while Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns both scored 25 points in a game Minnesota led from start to finish, after accumulating 44 points in the first quarter. “There are a lot of things we have to work on,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer explained.
Miami wins in Brooklyn
Bam Adebayo was on the verge – with 24 points – to allow the Miami Heat to win among the Brooklyn Nets, in a clash between rivals in the Eastern Conference. Adebayo was one of five Heat players to score at least 14 points in the hotly contested duel, which saw Miami recover from an eight-unit deficit early in the third quarter before breaking away in the fourth. Kevin Durant scored 25 points for Brooklyn, but James Harden was limited to 14 points.
Meanwhile, in Boston, the Celtics are still awaiting their first home win of the season after suffering another loss, this time against the Washington Wizards. Hub Montrezl Harrell led the way for the Wizards with 25 points off the bench, while point guard Spencer Dinwiddie added 22 points. Finally, the Los Angeles Clippers lost at home, against the Cleveland Cavaliers, for the second time in three games, despite the 16 points of Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum, top scorers for their team.
Here are the full results of the matches:
LA Clippers-Cleveland 79-92
Boston-Washington 107-116
Brooklyn-Miami 93-106
Toronto-Indiana 118-100
Phoenix-Sacramento 107-110
Portland-Memphis 116-96
Milwaukee-Minnesota 108-113
Oklahoma City-LA Lakers 123-115
Orlando-Charlotte 111-120
New Orleans-Atlanta 99-102.
Source: AFP
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Russell Westbrook achieved the first triple double of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City (yesterday at dawn in Lebanon), but the holders of 17 NBA titles collapsed late in the game to lose against the Thunder, so far without a victory. In the absence of LeBron James, victim of an ankle problem, Westbrook shared the burden …
