Kevin Durant scored 23 points before being ejected for a flagrant foul late in the third quarter as the host Brooklyn Nets beat the Detroit Pistons 117-91 Sunday night.
Durant was ejected with 3:23 remaining in the third quarter and the Nets leading 85-68. He was thrown out when his right forearm and elbow hit Kelly Olynyk’s face just outside the paint. Durant shot 10 of 13 from the field before getting ejected.
James Harden produced his 59th career regular-season triple-double with 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds as the Nets led by as many as 30. It was Harden’s 13th triple-double with the Nets.
The Nets shot a franchise-record 65.3 percent from the field, making 47 of 72 attempts. Their previous high was 65.2 percent on April 17, 1982, at Detroit.
The Pistons rested rookie Cade Cunningham. Cory Joseph led the Pistons with 13 points and Josh Jackson added 12 as Detroit shot 40.5 percent from the field. Jerami Grant was held to 11 points on 5-of-15 from the floor.
Lakers 95, Rockets 85
Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points and Russell Westbrook added 20 points, nine assists and eight rebounds as Los Angeles routed visiting Houston.
LeBron James added 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Lakers, who led by as many as 28. The teams meet again at the Staples Center on Tuesday. Anthony made 5 of 8 attempts from 3-point range in 25 minutes and is averaging 25.0 points over his last three home games. Anthony Davis recorded 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Eric Gordon scored 17 points for Houston and Christian Wood chipped in 16 points and 13 rebounds. The Rockets committed a season-high 27 turnovers while shooting 21.4 percent (6 of 28) from beyond the arc.
Mavericks 105, Kings 99
Luka Doncic stalled a late Sacramento rally with a 3-pointer to cap a game-high 23-point performance as host Dallas rebounded from an embarrassing loss at Denver two days earlier to win.
Doncic also found time for a game-high 10 assists and team-high-tying eight rebounds for the Mavericks, who shot 44.4 percent from the field after having been held to 29.5 percent in the 106-75 loss to the Nuggets on Friday.
Richaun Holmes recorded a 22-point, 13-rebound double-double for the Kings, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Hornets 125, Trail Blazers 113
LaMelo Ball scored 27 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 26 off the bench to lift host Charlotte to victory over Portland.
Ball also had nine rebounds and seven assists to highlight a performance that was in stark contrast to his previous two games. The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year totaled just 13 points on 5-of-28 shooting from the floor in a win over Orlando on Wednesday and a loss to Miami on Friday.
Oubre made six 3-pointers and Ball and a returning Terry Rozier each sank four for Charlotte, which made 20 of 42 shots from beyond the arc (47.6 percent). Rozier had missed the previous four games with a sprained ankle.
Jazz 107, Bucks 95
Donovan Mitchell scored 28, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and Mike Conley Jr. netted 20 points in his return to the lineup as visiting Utah defeated Milwaukee.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but Milwaukee still fell at home for the third time in its three-game homestand. Kris Middleton didn’t play because of a non-COVID-19 illness.
Utah led for most of the game — and never trailed — but the Bucks got within four points late in the fourth quarter after trailing by as many as 17. Grayson Allen’s hot hand played a big role in that rally, as the former Jazzman scored seven of his 18 points in the final minutes.
–Field Level Media
