KYLE Kuzma scored 24 points and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a road trip by defeating the host Charlotte Hornets 101-93 on Tuesday night (Wednesday in Manila).
The Lakers weren’t exactly clicking on offense, but they bounced back from a loss to the New York Knicks a night earlier and finished with a 4-3 record on the road stretch.
Alex Caruso made key contributions in the last minute, finishing with 13 points and six assists off the Los Angeles bench.
Dennis Schroder posted 19 points for Los Angeles, which shot 41.5 percent from the field.
The Lakers hit 17 of 18 free throws.
Devonte’ Graham poured in 19 points for Charlotte. Caleb Martin racked up 17 points in a rare starting role and Jalen McDaniels, also a recent addition to the starting lineup, had 16 points for the Hornets, who’ve lost both games since returning from a four-win, six-game road stretch.
In other games, it was the Celtics 116, Blazers 115; Nets 127, Wolves 97; Clippers 126, Pacers 115; Hawks 108, Raptors 103; Suns 106, Heat 86; and Jazz 106, Thunder 96.
Celtics 116, Blazers 115
Jayson Tatum recorded 32 points, nine rebounds and five assists to lead the Boston Celtics to a victory over the host Portland Trail Blazers.
Jaylen Brown scored 24 points and Kemba Walker contributed 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as Boston won for the fourth straight game and sixth time in the past seven. Robert Williams III added 16 points and seven rebounds and Marcus Smart had 13 points and seven assists.
Damian Lillard posted 28 points and 10 assists, and Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting for the Trail Blazers. Norman Powell added 20 points and CJ McCollum had 16 points as Portland lost for the fifth time in the past seven games.
Tatum nailed a clutch 3-pointer with 7.8 seconds remaining to give Boston a four-point lead. Powell buried a 31-foot, 3-pointer with five seconds left to move Portland within one.
But Lillard’s 80-foot heave was well wide of the mark at the horn.
Nets 127, Wolves 97
Kevin Durant scored 31 points on 11-for-15 shooting to lead short-handed Brooklyn to a comfortable victory over host Minnesota in Minneapolis, snapping a five-game losing streak at Minnesota.
The game was played without fans after being rescheduled from Monday in the wake of the police shooting of Daunte Wright, which sparked protests around Minneapolis. Wolves center Karl-Anthony Towns did not play, instead spending time with his family mourning the one-year anniversary of his mother’s death as a result of COVID-19.
Joe Harris scored 23 points and went 5-for-8 from 3-point range while Landry Shamet totaled 19 points, five rebounds and five assists off the bench. Rookie Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 27 points and eight rebounds while D’Angelo Russell finished with 15 points off the bench. — Field Level Media
