NBA Wrap: Dante Exum dunk not enough for Utah Jazz win, Mavs hold Pelicans, Rockets smash 76ers
DANTE Exum is handling life in the NBA fairly well, performing solidly once again, despite limited minutes.
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DANTE Dante Exum continued his NBA education with an encouraging display against Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers.
AUSSIES IN ACTION
Chris Paul gave Dante Exum a torrid time in the pre-season, but the Aussie rookie responded strongly when it mattered.
Exum contributed seven points, two assists and a block in almost 17 minutes against a player whom many regard to be the best guard in the league.
With no answer to Paul’s speed and guile, Exum committed eight turnovers in just 22 minutes in a lamentable pre-season outing against the Clippers. The 19-year-old showed substantial improvement in a pre-season rematch against Paul, and displayed more encouraging signs today.
Exum had some moments of brilliance with a dunk in the second quarter and highlighted his athletic ability in the end of the third quarter. In a one-on-one against veteran Jordan Farmar, Exum crossed over from behind the arc and raced towards the basket for a lay-up, leaving defenders for dead.
Exum continued his great form in the fourth quarter, blocking Famar’s shot which directly led to a Rudy Gobert dunk for the lead.
The Australian representative made three from six field goals and outscored starting guard Trey Burke for the second straight match.
Next up for Exum is a visit from compatriot Matthew Dellavedova and LeBron James.
Fellow Aussie Joe Ingles turned in a solid performance against the Los Angeles franchise that cut him on the eve of the NBA season.
He contributed two assists in 10 minutes.
CLIPPERS 107, JAZZ 101
Blake Griffin compiled 31 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks as the Clippers improved their record to 3-1.
Star guard Chris Paul showed his class with his first triple-double since December 29, 2009. Paul scored 13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists to record the first triple-double of the NBA season.
In a game that had eight lead changes it was the Clippers that always seemed to find a way to maintain an edge. Fourteen-year veteran Jamal Crawford, who scored 19 points, became one of just 137 players in NBA history to record 15,000 points.
The Jazz, led by Gordon Hayward, who scored 27 points, outscored the Clippers in the third quarter to set up a thrilling end. But it was not enough.
The Clippers improved their offence after struggling in the first three games. They were on song by shooting 51 per cent while making 15 from 17 free throws.
SIXERS 93, ROCKETS 104
One of the NBA’s highest scoring teams, the Houston Rockets, matched their best start to a season in 18 years with an 11-point victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Led by James Harden — who scored 35 points, nine rebounds and five assists — Houston confirmed their status as one of the NBA’s premier attacking teams. The Rockets are averaging 105 points per game.
New Houston recruit Trevor Ariza contributed with 24 points, including six-from-nine from the three-point line and seven assists. With victory over the Sixers, Houston remain one of three unbeaten teams in the Western Conference alongside Golden State and Memphis.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, are one of four winless teams so far this season. The Sixers are missing incumbent rookie of the year Michael Carter Williams, who remains sidelined due to a shoulder injury.
Tony Wroten had a team-high 20 points, five rebounds and four assists for Philadelphia.
NETS 116, THUNDER 85
Things can’t get much worse for Oklahoma City, who are struggling to contend with the absence of their two biggest stars and reeling from a 31-point defeat to Brooklyn.
Centre Brook Lopez returned from an 11-month absence with a team-high 18 points, while point guard Deron Williams contributed 17 points and nine assists for the home team.
Oklahoma City were always going to struggle after trailing by 19 points at half-time. The Thunder have struggled without injured stars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, although Reggie Jackson provided some cause for optimism with 23 points and five assists after missing the first three games.
Nineteen-year veteran Kevin Garnett appeared in his 1,380th regular season game to become eighth on the NBA career games list.
The Nets are 3-0 in home openers since relocating to Brooklyn.
GRIZZLIES 93, PELICANS 81
Memphis are off to a franchise-best start to a season after winning their fourth straight game, this time against New Orleans at home.
Zach Randolph recorded his fourth straight double-double to start the season, finishing with 15 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis.
He wasn’t alone. The Grizzlies ended with three players recording double-doubles — centre Marc Gasol had 16 points and 11 rebounds while guard Tony Allen added 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Anthony Davis had a quiet game for the Pelicans, scoring just 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
Guard Tyreke Evans, by contrast, led the team with 21 points and seven rebounds for New Orleans, who shot a modest 34 per cent from the field.
MAVERICKS 118, CELTICS 113
A pair of forwards led the way for Dallas as Chandler Parsons and Dirk Nowitzki scored 29 and 27 points respectively in the Mavericks’ five-point win over Boston.
Both displayed brilliant touch from the three-point line, with Parsons shooting four-from-five and Nowitzki sinking all four attempts. The Mavericks scored 40 points in the first quarter and had a commanding 26-point half-time lead.
Boston, who have not won in a Western Conference arena in 20 months, were looking to star guard Rajon Rondo to hit form. Rondo missed most of training camp with a broken hand, but still contributed 15 assists for the Celtics.
He was boosted by the presence of fellow guard Avery Bradley, who nailed 32 points, including four-from-six from behind the arc.
Forward Jeff Green scored a team-high 35 points for Boston, but it was not enough to stop the Mavericks from improving their season record to 3-1.
Summer recruit Tyson Chandler, who returned to Dallas from New York, played 30 minutes. He recorded 12 rebounds and four blocks.
NUGGETS 105, KINGS 110
The Denver Nuggets suffered a poor shooting night, making just 38.7 per cent of field goals in a five-point defeat to Sacramento.
Kings guard Darren Collison led his side with a game-high 21 points, including five free throws in the final 16 seconds.
After a huge double-double in his last game against the Clippers, Kings centre DeMarcus Cousins had a fairly quiet night with just 19 points and five rebounds.
Denver had seven players who scored double figures, but it was not enough as they lost their second straight game.
Originally published as NBA Wrap: Dante Exum dunk not enough for Utah Jazz win, Mavs hold Pelicans, Rockets smash 76ers
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