NBA 2014-15: Dante Exum shines for Utah, while Golden State crashes against Memphis
DANTE Exum broke his own single-game points record, while the Golden State Warriors’ winning streak came to an end. FULL NBA WRAP HERE.
DANTE Exum broke his own single-game points record, while the Golden State Warriors’ winning streak came to an end.
Catch up on all today’s NBA action in our full wrap of every game below.
HOW THE AUSSIES FARED
Dante Exum had the best game of his young NBA career, posting a career-best 12 points on red hot five-of-seven shooting for the Utah Jazz.
Exum scored seven points in the first half, then added another two on the three-quarter time buzzer, when he grabbed a rebound and threw an opportune jumpshot at the hoop.
The Australian teenager also had two assists, two rebounds, a block and a steal in another performance that gave a glimpse of his potential. And it had pundits raving.
This Dante Exum kid is a stud. Supreme athlete.
— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) December 17, 2014So this is Dante Exum's best overall game of his career. Without looking at the stats I'm certain of it
— Tony Jones (@Tjonessltrib) December 17, 2014Dante Exum can defend. Like, he can REALLY defend. Once he gets strength he will be a nightmare for ballhandlers
— Tony Jones (@Tjonessltrib) December 17, 2014Terrific play by Dante Exum, who caught an offensive rebound and threw it back up and in before coming down to beat the quarter buzzer.
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) December 17, 2014Joe Ingles was rarely sighted in a quiet night, playing just 12 minutes and failing to score on either of his shot attempts.
Andrew Bogut again game dressed in a suit for Golden State, with his knee injury again keeping him off the court. Without him, the Warriors had trouble stopping Memphis tall Marc Gasol, who had 24 points and seven rebounds.
GRIZZLIES 105 — WARRIORS 98
It had to happen eventually.
The Andrew Bogut-less Golden State Warriors’ 16-game dream run finally came to an end against Memphis, with the Grizzlies outlasting the NBA leaders 105-98.
Marc Gasol scored 24 points for Memphis, which came into the game in second place in the Western Conference, two games behind Golden State.
The result snapped the Golden State Warriors’ league and franchise-best 16-game winning streak.
Mike Conley and Zach Randolph each scored 17 points for the Grizzlies and Randolph grabbed 10 rebounds as Memphis earned its fifth straight win. Vince Carter added a season-high 16 points and Jon Leuer had 11.
Golden State lost for the first time since November 11 against the Spurs, who were also the last team to beat Memphis. This was the first time in NBA history in which both teams had 19 or more wins in the first 24 games.
Golden State star Stephen Curry missed back-to-back three-point attempts in the final 10 seconds and finished with 19 points, but was nine of 25 from the field.
PELICANS 119 — JAZZ 111
Anthony Davis returned from a chest injury and scored 31 points to help the New Orleans Pelicans overcome a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the reeling Utah Jazz 119-111.
Davis, who sat out most of his team’s last win — against Cleveland — and all of Monday’s loss to Golden State, played with a protective vest that did not appear to inhibit him. He had nine rebounds and three blocks, with all three rejections coming in the pivotal final four minutes.
Ryan Anderson hit six three-pointers and finished with 28 points for New Orleans, while Tyreke Evans added 19 points, scoring nine during New Orleans’ 41-point fourth quarter.
Enes Kanter scored 29 points for Utah, which has lost three straight and 12 of 13. Gordon Hayward scored 17 for the Jazz, which lost despite shooting 50 per cent and scoring 68 points in the paint.
WIZARDS 109 — TIMBERWOLVES 95
John Wall scored 21 points and equalled a career high with 17 assists as the Washington Wizards won their fifth game in a row, 109-95 over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Washington scored 14 straight to take a 14-2 lead less than five minutes into the game. Wall had 10 points and six assists in the first quarter alone.
Thaddeus Young, who led a third-quarter charge, had a season-high 29 points for Minnesota, which has lost nine of 10. Shabazz Muhammad had 21, while Rasual Butler had 23 for Washington
Foul shooting badly hurt the Timberwolves. They shot just 20 for 35, and missed 10 of 14 in the first half as they trailed 46-36.
Young led Minnesota back in the second half, scoring 19 points in the third quarter and shooting nine from 10 from the field. The Wizards led 74-69 after three quarters.
Butler led Washington with 18 fourth-quarter points as his team pulled away early in the quarter, leading 89-75 with 8:43 to play.
The Wizards now have an 18-6 record and are 12 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 1978-79 season.
MAVERICKS 107 — KNICKS 87
Tyson Chandler had three dunks during Dallas’ sizzling start to his return to New York, while Dirk Nowitzki scored 16 points to help the Mavericks beat the Knicks 107-87.
Monta Ellis added 14 points for the Mavericks, the NBA’s highest-scoring team that executed perfectly during a nearly unstoppable start that gave them the lead for good.
Chandler Parsons had 13 points after missing a game with a sore lower back.
Carmelo Anthony scored 26 points for the Knicks. Tim Hardaway Jr had 14 but was five from 17 in another poor shooting effort.
Chandler came to New York a few months after helping the Mavs win the 2011 NBA championship, and won a Defensive Player of the Year award while helping the Knicks to a division title and two playoff appearances. But he had a disappointing season in 2013-14 and was dealt back to Dallas on the eve of the draft along with Raymond Felton for Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert and Shane Larkin.
Chandler came in shooting 68.2 per cent from the field and went four of five for eight points with 14 rebounds.
HEAT 95 — NETS 91
The Miami Heat had five players hit double figures, including three reserves, as they held off the Brooklyn Nets by four points.
Dwyane Wade scored 28 points to lead the Heat, while starting forward Luol Deng had 18 and rookie Shabazz Napier 11.
The game was delayed for 29 minutes in the first quarter when the installation of a new green roof at Barclays Center led to a water leak.
Mason Plumlee had 21 points and nine rebounds for Brooklyn and Joe Johnson scored 16 points. Deron Williams added 15 points and 11 assists.
The Heat led by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter but the Nets closed to 93-91 on a Bojan Bogdanovic’s three-pointer with 35 seconds left.
After a Miami time-out Wade missed a long three, but Bogdanovic was called for a loose ball foul on Deng, who made both free throws with 11 seconds remaining.
Jarrett Jack missed a wide-open layup following a Nets time-out. Norris Cole was then fouled by Johnson, but he missed both free throws.
Wade scored Miami’s first 10 points of the game and had 17 before half-time. The Heat extended their lead to 15 points on several occasions in the second quarter before settling for a 55-45 half-time lead.
The Nets then opened the second half with a 12-3 run, pulling within one on a Johnson layup with 8:15 left in the third. But Wade then scored for the Heat, who put together an 18-8 surge to increase their advantage to 11.
THUNDER 104 — KINGS 92
Russell Westbrook had 32 points and seven assists, Kevin Durant scored 26 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the reeling Sacramento Kings 104-92 on Tuesday night for their seventh straight win.
Sacramento lost in its first game since Michael Malone was fired as coach and lead assistant Tyrone Corbin was promoted to the head job. The Kings dropped to 2-8 without franchise centrepiece DeMarcus Cousins, who is recovering from viral meningitis.
The Thunder went ahead by 16 in the first quarter, led by just seven at the half and pulled away again in the closing minutes behind their star duo. Oklahoma City improved to 7-1 since Durant returned from a fractured right foot.
Rudy Gay scored 22 points, and reserve Carl Landry added 14 points for the Kings.
Originally published as NBA 2014-15: Dante Exum shines for Utah, while Golden State crashes against Memphis
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