5 days Ago By Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — James Harden moved into second place on the NBA’s career 3-point list and had 20 points and 11 assists to help the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Utah Jazz 116-105 on Sunday night (Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, PH time) to end a three-game losing streak. Harden scored his 2,974th 3-pointer and moved past Ray Allen with 6:08 left in the first quarter as Los Angeles jumped out to a 35-25 lead.
The only player ahead of Harden — who was 2 of 8 from 3-point range — is Golden State’s Stephen Curry at 3,782. The Clippers led 66-45 at halftime and weathered a late run when the Jazz pulled within seven points with 3:18 remaining. Ivica Zubac had 22 points and 11 rebounds for Los Angeles and Norman Powell added 18 points.
The Clippers led by 23 points in the first half to win their fourth consecutive game in the new Intuit Dome. Jordan Clarkson scored 21 points for Utah, while Lauri Markkanen had 18 points and 10 rebounds. They are 0-2 on a four-game trip.
Mo Bamba made his Clippers debut after opening the season with a left knee soreness. He had nine points with eight rebounds in 15 minutes. Utah is 2-5 on the road this season.
After losing their first four games in the Intuit Dome, the Clippers have a four-game winning streak in their new building. Harden’s first-quarter 3-pointer that moved him past Allen came during a 10-3 run that gave the Clippers a 22-13 lead. Harden needed 1,086 games and 8,189 3-point attempts to move past Allen, who needed 1,300 games and 7,429 attempts to set his mark of 2,973.
Cavaliers 128, Hornets 114 CLEVELAND — Darius Garland scored 25 points, Ty Jerome matched his career-high with 24 in place of Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers stayed unbeaten with a 128-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets. The Cavs are the fourth team to start 15-0, joining the Golden State Warriors (2016), Houston Rockets (1994) and Washington Capitols (1949). The Warriors set the league record by winning their first 24 games on the way to a 73-9 season.
Evan Mobley had 23 points and 11 rebounds and Jarrett Allen had 21 and 15 rebounds for Cleveland, which will play at defending champion Boston on Tuesday. Although they wanted to keep their winning streak alive, the Cavs felt getting Mitchell rest was more important. It’s a long season with bigger games ahead, and first-year coach Kenny Atkinson, who has yet to lose with Cleveland, said sticking to the plan with Mitchell was a priority.
LaMelo Ball had 31 points and 12 assists, while Miles Bridges scored 19 for the Hornets. Earlier, Ball was fined $100,000 by the NBA for making “an offensive and derogatory comment” during an interview following Saturday’s win at Milwaukee. The Hornets showed some fight in the second night of a back-to-back, but couldn’t get stops down the stretch.
The Cavaliers barely missed a beat without Mitchell, who was coming off a season-high 37-point performance. One of the many plusses during the winning streak is that it’s allowing Atkinson to further develop his bench. With Charlotte still hanging around, Garland kicked it out to Jerome for a 3-pointer — and his 12th assist — from the corner with 2:45 left.
Cleveland shot 67 percent (26 of 39) in the first half. Jerome tied a career-best with eight assists. Elsewhere, the Minnesota Timberwolves won 120-117 over the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks edged Oklahoma City Thunder 121-119, New York Knicks beat Brooklyn Nets 114-104 and Houston Rockets routed Chicago Bulls 143-107.
/ AP.
