Paul George scored 29 points, Kawhi Leonard added 24 and the Los Angeles Clippers overcame a career-high 47 points from Cam Thomas in his first start to beat the short-handed Brooklyn Nets 124-116 in the NBA on Monday night.
Ivica Zubac added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers, who won for the eighth time in 10 games and finished 4-2 on their six-game Eastern Conference road trip.
Thomas, who scored 44 to rally the Nets past Washington on Saturday, was even better on the day the Nets completed the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Dallas. But Los Angeles outscored Brooklyn 25-9 over the final 6:20.
Nic Claxton had 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Nets, while Edmund Sumner chipped in 23 points for Brooklyn. Before the game, the deal that sent Irving and forward Markieff Morris to Dallas for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and multiple draft picks was announced.
WARRIORS 141, THUNDER 114
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 42 points with a season-high 12 3-pointers, Jordan Poole added 21 points and 12 assists starting in Stephen Curry’s place, and Golden State Warriors beat Oklahoma City Thunder.
Thompson sat down for the night to a roaring ovation with 4:41 left to finish 15 for 22 from the floor and 12 of 16 on 3s. Thompson now has eight games with 10 or more 3-pointers, second in NBA history behind Curry’s 22.
Andrew Wiggins scored 18 points in Golden State’s first game since reigning NBA Finals MVP Curry injured his left leg during Saturday’s win against Dallas — and the Warriors went 26 of 50 from deep without the league’s career 3-point leader.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points, Aaron Wiggins added 19 and Tre Mann had 18 off the bench for the Thunder.
MAVERICKS 124, JAZZ 111
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Josh Green and Jaden Hardy each scored career highs of 29 points and short-handed Dallas Mavericks, playing without Luka Doncic, stunned Utah Jazz after completing a trade for Kyrie Irving.
The Mavericks acquired the eight-time All-Star along with Markieff Morris from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick and two future second-round picks.
Irving and Morris arrived in Dallas on Monday to undergo physicals and were not available for the game. But their new team rallied behind Green, who averages 8.1 points, and Hardy, who scores 5.6 per game.
Jordan Clarkson paced Utah with 26 points on 7-for-19 shooting and Lauri Markkanen added 19 — the first time he has failed to reach 20 points in the last 21 games.
CELTICS 111, PISTONS 99
DETROIT (AP) — Jayson Tatum started slow and finished strong with 34 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, leading Boston Celtics over Detroit Pistons.
The All-Star forward missed his first five shots and had as many fouls (three) as field goals after missing 10 shots in the first half. Tatum made three 3-pointers and an array of driving layups in the third, scoring 18 points in the quarter to turn a seven-point halftime lead into a 18-point cushion.
Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, who averages 27 points, missed the game with a non-COVID illness. Sam Hauser filled in, making his first start in two seasons, and had five 3-pointers in the first half when he scored all of his 15 points.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 21 for the Pistons, who have won just one-fourth of their games and are likely vying with Houston and Charlotte for the No. 1 pick and a chance to select 7-foot-3 French phenom Victor Wembanyama.
CAVALIERS 114, WIZARDS 91
WASHINGTON (AP) — Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen scored 23 points apiece and Donovan Mitchell added 21 to lead Cleveland Cavaliers to a rout of Washington Wizards.
All five Cleveland starters were in double figures by halftime, and the Cavaliers won for the fourth time in five games. Evan Mobley finished with 16 points and Isaac Okoro contributed 12.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 18 points for Washington, which have lost three straight following a six-game winning streak. The Wizards were playing without Bradley Beal (left foot soreness) and Kyle Kuzma (left ankle sprain).
Washington led by at least 20 in each of their previous two losses, but the Wizards didn’t have to worry about blowing a big lead on this night. In fact, they were never ahead at all.
BUCKS 127, TRAIL BLAZERS 108
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Brook Lopez scored 27 points and Milwaukee Bucks stretched their winning streak to eight games with a victory over Portland Trail Blazers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points and 13 rebounds as the Bucks led the whole way, pushing their advantage to 26 in the second half.
Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 28 points. Antetokounmpo and Lillard were selected the NBA’s players of the week earlier in the day.
Lillard averaged 38.3 points and 6.8 assists last week for his second straight POTW honor, while Antetokounmpo averaged 41 points and 17.3 rebounds.
BULLS 128, SPURS 104
CHICAGO (AP) — Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Andre Drummond set season highs with 21 points and 15 rebounds, and Chicago Bulls handed San Antonio Spurs their ninth straight loss.
Zach LaVine scored 20 points and DeMar DeRozan had 19, helping the Bulls match a season high with their third straight win. They also got some payback for a loss at San Antonio in October.
It was tied at 85 late in the third quarter when Chicago went on a 23-3 run that buried the team with the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Two more losses and the Spurs will match their worst skid of the season.
Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 21 points. But the Spurs opened a season-high, nine-game trip on an all-too-familiar note.
KINGS 140, ROCKETS 120
HOUSTON (AP) — Keegan Murray had a career-high 30 points and set a franchise rookie record with eight 3-pointers to help Sacramento Kings snap a two-game skid with a win over Houston Rockets.
Murray, the fourth overall pick in last year’s NBA draft, shot 8 for 12 from beyond the arc on a night when the Kings made 21 3-pointers. The previous team mark for 3s by a rookie was set by Ricky Berry with seven in 1989.
Malik Monk added 20 points off the bench and Domantas Sabonis had 17 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in the first of consecutive games between the teams. De’Aaron Fox had 16 points and eight assists for Sacramento after missing two games for personal reasons.
Jalen Green had 27 points for the Rockets, who dropped their third straight.