Basketball: Paul helps Rockets end losing skid, Warriors win seventh straight

Chris Paul (right) drives around D'Angelo Russell during the match between the Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center, New York on Nov 2, 2018. PHOTO: REUTERS/USA TODAY SPORTS

(REUTERS) - Chris Paul scored a season-high 32 points, and the Houston Rockets opened a five-game road trip by rallying from a 14-point deficit to record a 119-111 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night (Nov 2).

Paul helped the Rockets snap a four-game skid and avoid their first 1-6 start since 2010-11 by shooting 13-for-27 from the field. Paul also made five three-pointers, including two that beat the buzzer in the second and third quarters. Carmelo Anthony drained six threes and scored 28 points in 31 minutes off the bench.

The Rockets played their third straight game without James Harden (strained left hamstring). Harden worked out on the court before the opening tip, and coach Mike D'Antoni said he would probably play on Saturday in Chicago.

Caris LeVert scored a career-high 29 points for the Nets, who lost for the fourth time in five games. Joe Harris added 18 while Spencer Dinwiddie contributed 12.

Warriors 116, Timberwolves 99

Klay Thompson saved 10 of his 22 points for the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, helping host Golden State overcome a deficit to beat Minnesota.

Kevin Durant led all scorers with 33 points, and Stephen Curry dropped in 28 with nine rebounds and seven assists for the Warriors, who won their seventh straight but failed to reach 120 points for the first time during the streak.

Andrew Wiggins had 22 points, and Jimmy Butler scored 21 for the Timberwolves, who lost Derrick Rose five minutes into his first stint off the bench with an ankle injury. Rose was coming off a career-high 50-point explosion on Wednesday at Utah.

Thunder 134, Wizards 111

Russell Westbrook had 23 points and 12 assists, Jerami Grant scored 22 and visiting Oklahoma City routed Washington, spoiling the debut of Dwight Howard.

Westbrook hit 10 of 16 field-goal attempts, and Grant made nine of 11 for the Thunder, who pulled away in the second quarter. Paul George scored 17 points, and Dennis Schroder added 16 off the bench as Oklahoma City, playing the second of road back-to-backs, won its fourth straight game.

Bradley Beal led Washington with a game-high 27 points. Howard, who missed training camp, preseason and the team's first seven games due to a strained piriformis muscle in his lower back, scored 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting in 23 minutes. But he finished with just three rebounds and without a block as the Wizards lost their fifth straight game.

Pacers 107, Bulls 105

Darren Collison's 19-footer broke a tie with 18.5 seconds remaining, helping Indiana survive a see-saw battle with hosts Chicago.

After watching Antonio Blakeney improbably rally the Bulls from a 105-101 deficit with a four-point play with 30.5 seconds to go on a foul by Collison, the Pacers called a timeout and got the game-winning shot from Collison 12 seconds later.

The win was the Pacers' fourth straight on the road and the fourth overall in their last five games as Victor Oladipo recorded a game-high 25 points, 14 rebounds.

Chicago, meanwhile, were led by Blakeney's 22 points and Zach LaVine's 21. The Bulls dropped a third straight in the midst of a four-game homestand.

Knicks 118, Mavericks 106

Undrafted rookie guard Allonzo Trier scored 23 points and led four bench players in double figures as New York earned its first road win of the season over struggling Dallas.

The Knicks, who entered the game ranked 25th in the NBA in scoring (106.0 points per game) and 26th in field-goal percentage (.431), had seven players score in double figures. New York shot 54.8 percent overall despite going just 7 of 29 from beyond the arc.

Trier's fellow rookie Mitchell Robinson also had a fine game, as the center flashed his athleticism on his way to a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Mavs reserve Dorian Finney-Smith scored a season-high 19 points, rookie point guard Luka Doncic had 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists and Harrison Barnes added 14 points on just four-of-14 shooting while being shut out in the second half.

The Mavericks were undone by their 18 turnovers to the Knicks' 12. That number, however, already represented an improvement for stumbling Dallas, who came into the contest averaging more than 21 turnovers per game over their last three.

Grizzlies 110, Jazz 100

Mike Conley scored 28 points, and Shelvin Mack added 19 off the bench to rally Memphis to a 10-point victory over host Utah.

Marc Gasol added 17 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals to help the Grizzlies notch their second road win over the Jazz. Memphis has won three straight and five of its past six overall.

Ricky Rubio scored 22 points to lead Utah. Joe Ingles added 19 points, and Jae Crowder chipped in 18. Rudy Gobert collected 16 rebounds. The Jazz remain winless at home, dropping to 0-3 in Salt Lake City. Utah played without guard Donovan Mitchell, who was sidelined with right hamstring tightness.

Raptors 107, Suns 98

Kawhi Leonard scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds and added five assists as visiting Toronto defeated Phoenix, which has lost seven in a row after winning its season opener.

Kyle Lowry added 11 points, 12 assists and six rebounds for the Raptors, who have won eight of their first nine games this season. It was the seventh consecutive game in which Lowry has had 10 or more assists, matching a team record. It was his sixth double-double of the season.

Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points, seven rebounds and four blocks for Toronto while Serge Ibaka added 14 points and Pascal Siakam had 10. Leonard left the game and went to the dressing room with 2:42 to play with what was described as a jammed foot.

Clippers 120, Magic 95

Los Angeles stopped a two-game losing streak with a blowout win at Orlando.

Lou Williams led Los Angeles with 28 points in just 21 minutes off the bench, including shooting 5-for-5 from 3-point range. Tobias Harris scored 21 with seven rebounds against his former team, and Boban Marjanovic posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in his first start with the Clippers.

Marjanovic got the nod ahead of Marcin Gortat, who was healthy but did not play Friday night. Gortat had started 186 straight games but was averaging just 3.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game through eight starts this season.

He had been especially poor in the Clippers' last game against the Philadelphia 76ers, going scoreless with two rebounds in nine minutes.

Orlando were led by Nikola Vucevic's double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds.

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