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Wizards hold 123-122 NBA win over Nets
(Agence France-Presse) – January 4, 2021 – 10:48 am
LOS ANGELES – Thomas Bryant filled in the lead dunk with 14.9 seconds left and the Washington Wizards held on for a 123-122 NBA victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday (Manila time).
Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 27 points and 10 rebounds and assisted in Bryant’s decisive basket, which held firm when Nets stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant missed on the final possession of the game.
It was a drama-filled finale at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot put Brooklyn ahead 122-121 with an open layup with 28.2 seconds to go.
After a timeout, a double-team Beal managed to find Bryant under the basket.
Irving, who led all scorers with 30 points, missed a triple with less than six seconds remaining. Brooklyn cornered the rebound, but Durant’s latest effort also failed.
Russell Westbrook finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Wizards, adding five rebounds after scoring triple-doubles in his first four games with Washington.
Bryant scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Washington, which has won two in a row after a 0-5 start to the season.
In Memphis, defending champion Los Angeles Lakers posted their third straight road win, with LeBron James scoring 13 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter of a 108-94 win over the Grizzlies in Memphis.
The Grizzlies, without reigning Rookie of the Year Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. due to injury, used a 17-0 scoring run to take an 11-point lead late in the first quarter and led by as many as 12 in the first. half.
But the Lakers closed the half on a 20-9 streak scoring to lead by two in the interval and with a determined James leading the way he finally walked away in the final period.
Lakers star Anthony Davis scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half, including six in the fourth quarter, when the Lakers scored the Grizzlies 31-19.
Spanish big man Marc Gasol, who started his NBA career in Memphis, played there for the first time since the Grizzlies traded him to the Toronto Raptors two seasons ago.
He finished with seven points, six rebounds for the Lakers, along with four points on a cut over his left eye.
The Lakers bench contributed 40 points, led by 16 from Montrezl Harrell.
“My team looks to me for energy, to pick things up when guys aren’t in the right rhythm or flow,” Harrell said. “I just come and try to do everything I can.”
Tatum, Brown lifts the Celtics
Jayson Tatum gave the game win in the Boston Celtics’ 122-120 win over the Pistons in Detroit, his jump on miss with 2.9 seconds left that made the difference as the Celtics recovered from a narrow loss to the Pistons in the same court on Friday. .
It was tied at 120-120 when Marcus Smart carried the ball onto the court and found Tatum, whose swift movement to the left caused Detroit defender Blake Griffin, back after missing a game with a suspected concussion, stumble.
Tatum took a jump shot and then blocked Griffin’s effort at the other end to seal the victory.
Tatum finished with 24 points and 12 assists. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 31 points from an impressive 13-for-16 shooting performance.
Brown shot five of eight from 3-point range, his 22 points in the first half giving the Celtics a 61-57 lead at halftime.
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