Houston Rockets guard James Harden continues to put up sensational numbers this season as his 51 points helped his team overcome the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
Harden continues to strengthen his case for the MVP award with his 33rd 30-point game of the season and it is the ninth time that he has scored 40 or more this year.
However, it wasn’t easy for the Rockets to see off the Kings with DeMarcus Cousins having a stellar night of his own with a triple-double. ‘Boogie’ led Sacramento with 24 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists while he also tied a career best with six blocks.
Staying in the West, the playoff race continued to take twists and turns as while the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Dallas Mavericks in a thriller, the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Mavs were able to withstand a triple double from Russell Westbrook who finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, while Anthony Morrow scored 32 points and Enes Kanter added 30 in a high-scoring contest.
However, Monta Ellis (26 points) and a whole host of Mavs players chipped in to ensure it was in a losing cause as the Pelicans inched closer to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Anthony Davis had 20 points in the win over the Lakers, and that is New Orleans’ third straight win which coupled with OKC’s loss moved them to within one-and-a-half games of their rivals.
Jordan Clarkson continues to impress for the Lakers as he finished the game with 18 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
Elsewhere, the Chicago Bulls slipped to a disappointing loss to the Milwaukee Bucks while the Boston Celtics picked up a key win in the playoff race over the Indiana Pacers.
The Brooklyn Nets also kept up the pace with a closely fought win over rivals the New York Knicks with Brook Lopez tipping in a late game-winner, while the San Antonio Spurs secured their playoff berth with a fifth consecutive win and have now gone 15-3 since February 27.
NBA Results
Detroit Pistons 78-102 Charlotte Hornets
San Antonio Spurs 103-91 Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers 93-106 Washington Wizards
Indiana Pacers 87-100 Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets 100-98 New York Knicks
Sacramento Kings 111-115 Houston Rockets
Chicago Bulls 91-95 Milwaukee Bucks
Toronto Raptors 113-99 Minnesota Timberwolves
Dallas Mavericks 135-131 Oklahoma City Thunder
Denver Nuggets 84-98 Utah Jazz
Los Angeles Clippers 126-122 Portland Trail Blazers
New Orleans Pelicans 113-92 Los Angeles Lakers
COMMENTS