Late Fightback Lifts Lakers Past Mavericks, Bucks Sink Jazz
8th January 2019
Walton had called out Ingram and Ball after a disappointing 108-86 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday
- Young stars Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball answered Los Angeles coach Luke Walton's call for more fire on Monday, leading the Lakers to a 107-97 NBA victory over the Mavericks in Dallas
- Ingram scored 29 points, Ball added 21 and the Lakers erased a 13-point halftime deficit to halt a three-game skid and post just their second victory in seven games since superstar LeBron James suffered a groin injury
- Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points, Malcolm Brogdon added 21 and the Bucks clamped down defensively in the second half to bounce back from a loss to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday
LOS ANGELES, United
States- Young stars Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball answered Los Angeles
coach Luke Walton's call for more fire on Monday, leading the Lakers to a
107-97 NBA victory over the Mavericks in Dallas.
Ingram scored 29 points, Ball added 21 and the Lakers erased
a 13-point halftime deficit to halt a three-game skid and post just their
second victory in seven games since superstar LeBron James suffered a groin
injury in a Christmas Day victory over two-time defending champions Golden
State.
Walton had called out Ingram and Ball after a disappointing
108-86 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
Although the Lakers again found themselves in an early hole
in Dallas, Walton said he saw more energy from the opening tip off, and when
his team played smarter in the second half they were able to turn things
around.
"I was actually very pleased with our competitive
spirit in that first half," Walton said. "I thought guys were giving
it their all."
Walton said he urged his players to "mentally turn it
up" in the second half, and they responded by outscoring the Mavericks
32-13 in the third quarter.
"We knew that was our mistakes," Josh Hart said of
the halftime deficit. "We had a couple of offensive rebounds that we gave
up that should have had, a couple of miscommunications in the first half that
we cleaned up in the second half. It was a good mental game for us."
In Milwaukee, the Bucks rallied from a 62-58 halftime
deficit to beat the Utah Jazz 114-102.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points, Malcolm Brogdon
added 21 and the Bucks clamped down defensively in the second half to bounce
back from a loss to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.
"The big thing that stands out to me is after
(allowing) 62 points in the first half to hold them to 40 in the second,"
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "We weren't very happy at halftime with
our defense.
"the way we improved and got better in the second half gave
us a chance to find a way offensively in the fourth quarter."
Thon Maker scored a season-high 15 points off the bench for
the Bucks, who trailed by three going into the fourth quarter.
Maker's dunk knotted the score at 92-92 with 8:51 left to
play. Antetokounmpo's driving layup and ensuing foul shot gave Milwaukee a
three-point lead and they wouldn't trail again.
Irving returns
Kyrie Irving returned from injury to lead the Boston Celtics
with 17 points in a 116-95 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
Irving, who missed two games with an eye injury, led eight
Celtics players in double figures with Jayson Tatum adding 16 points and Al Horford,
Gordon Hayward, Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart all chipping in 12 as Boston
notched a third straight win.
Boston's top scorer Irving hadn't played since both of his
eyes were injured in a clash with Marco Belinelli in a New Year's Eve game
against San Antonio.
Up by 11 at halftime, the Celtics saw that lead dwindle to
five points early in the third, but they regained their offensive rhythm to
rebuild the advantage.
"Thirty-seven assists tonight, it's fun when we play
like that," Hayward said.
San Antonio's longtime coach Gregg Popovich tied Jerry Sloan
for third place on the NBA's all-time coaching wins list with the Spurs'
119-107 victory over the Pistons in Detroit.
DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points with nine assists and seven
rebounds as the Spurs notched a fifth straight win and their 13th in 16 games.
Popovich now has 1,221 coaching victories, tied with Sloan
and trailing only Don Nelson and Lenny Wilkens.
In New Orleans, Anthony Davis scored 36 points, grabbed 13
rebounds and blocked three shots as the New Orleans Pelicans downed the
struggling Memphis Grizzlies 114-95.
It was another big night from reigning NBA Most Valuable
Player James Harden, who scored 32 points and dished out 14 assists in the
Houston Rockets' 125-113 victory over Western Conference leaders Denver.
Clint Capela added a career-high 31 points for the Rockets,
who stretched their home winning streak to 10 games.