Golden State fall as last unbeaten team this year finally fall…
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The Los Angeles Lakers finally ended their wait for a win this season as they overcame the Charlotte Hornets at the Staples Center on Sunday night.
After five straight losses to open the season, the Lakers fans had reason to celebrate with their win but coach Byron Scott conceded that the locker room was fairly quiet after the game given their overall disappointing start.
Kobe Bryant and Jeremy Lin each scored 21 points while Carlos Boozer added 16 as the Lakers ensured that the Philadelphia 76ers are the only remaining NBA team still waiting for a win at 0-7.
Al Jefferson scored 23 points while Kemba Walker added 17 for the visitors, but it wasn’t enough as they now slip to 0-3 on the road and 3-4 overall.
Meanwhile, the league’s last unbeaten team also fell to defeat on Sunday as the Golden State Warriors lost to the Phoenix Suns.
Goran Dragic had 19 points while Isaiah Thomas scored 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Suns outscored their rivals 36-16 in the final 12 minutes.
Stephen Curry responded with 28 points but he was plagued by missed shots and foul trouble in the second half despite securing another double-double with 10 assists. Draymond Green added 22 points and nine rebounds for the Warriors (5-1) but they were shorthanded and it showed with Klay Thompson out with a sprained hand.
Staying in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder improved to 2-5 after defeating the Sacramento Kings behind 17 points and nine rebounds from Jeremy Lamb. Rudy Gay had 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the in-form Kings, but defeat means they slip to 5-2 for the season.
Elsewhere, there were wins for the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors over the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers respectively, while the Miami Heat picked up an impressive road win over the Dallas Mavericks with Luol Deng scoring 30 points.
NBA Results:
Orlando Magic 96-104 Brooklyn Nets
Utah Jazz 97-96 Detroit Pistons
Sacramento Kings 93-101 Oklahoma City Thunder
Philadelphia 76ers 88-120 Toronto Raptors
Miami Heat 105-96 Dallas Mavericks
Golden State Warriors 95-107 Phoenix Suns
Denver Nuggets 100-116 Portland Trail Blazers
Charlotte Hornets 92-107 Los Angeles Lakers
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