THE PHOENIX SUNS erased a 12-point third-quarter deficit to beat San Antonio 115-110 and push their NBA winning streak to 10 games on a Sunday that saw Atlanta rally for a seventh straight win.
The lead changed hands nine times in the fourth quarter and the Suns trailed by two with 2:19 remaining when Devin Booker drained back-to-back three-pointers to put Phoenix ahead for good.
The Suns became the first team in the league to reach 40 wins, pushing their NBA-best record to 40-9.
Booker led the way with 28 points. Mikal Bridges added 26 and veteran point guard Chris Paul had 20 points and 19 assists.
Doug McDermott led the Spurs with 24 points and Lonnie Walker IV added 22 off the bench.
🏀 Dropping DIMES 🏀@CP3 goes for 20 PTS, 8 REB and 19 AST as the @Suns extend their win-streak to 10-straight! pic.twitter.com/VOCMVL7n9s
— NBA (@NBA) January 31, 2022
In Atlanta, Trae Young scored 36 points and handed out 12 assists as the high-flying Hawks won their seventh straight with a 129-121 come-from-behind win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Young scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and reserve Onyeka Okongwu, the US son of Nigerian immigrants, added 12 of his 16 points in the fourth to spark a rally from a 101-91 deficit after three quarters.
The Lakers were without four-time NBA champion LeBron James, who missed a third consecutive game with a sore left knee.
Malik Monk, who led the Lakers with 33 points and 10 rebounds, noted that the superstar playmaker is “missed tremendously” but, he added: “It’s our job to figure out how to play without him.”
Anthony Davis had 27 points and Russell Westbrook chipped in 20 and 12 assists for Los Angeles.
The Hawks opened the fourth with a 16-5 run to seize the lead.
ICE TRAE 🥶
— NBA (@NBA) January 30, 2022
The CLUTCH bucket from Trae Young extends the @ATLHawks lead on NBA League Pass!
Watch the final minute: https://t.co/L8Rrlv9ZoR pic.twitter.com/C02AU2GfMF
The Lakers pulled level on a Monk three-pointer with 1:52 left, but Young answered with a 30-foot three-pointer and two free throws as the Hawks pulled away.
“We have what it takes to win games,” Okongwu said. “No matter if we’re up or down, no matter how the game’s going, as long as we lock in.”
In Detroit, the Pistons played a dismal first half but rallied to beat the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers 115-105.
Detroit rookie guard Cade Cunningham’s game was emblematic of the Pistons’ night. Scoreless in the first half, Cunningham finished with a triple-double of 19 points 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the hosts seized the lead for the first time in the fourth quarter and held on for the win.
Saddiq Bey scored 31 points for the Pistons, who snapped a four-game skid and ended Cleveland’s four game winning streak.
🏁 19 PTS, 10 REB, 10 AST 🏁@CadeCunningham_ puts up his second triple-double as the @DetroitPistons complete the comeback for the home win! #NBARooks pic.twitter.com/7i8Sh7Ul3P
— NBA (@NBA) January 31, 2022
The Chicago Bulls also shook off a slow start on the way to a 130-116 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Portland made seven of their first nine three-point attempts, but Chicago clamped down on defense and clawed back for the win.
Coming off a big defeat in San Antonio, the Bulls rebounded with at least 20 points from all three of their All-Stars.
Nikola Vucevic scored 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in his 26th double-double of the season. DeMar DeRozan added 23 points and 10 assists and Zach LaVine chipped in 20 points for the Bulls, who are a half-game behind the Miami Heat atop the Eastern Conference.
In Orlando, the Magic’s Franz Wagner drove for a go-ahead layup with less than a minute to play in a 110-108 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Orlando, who own the worst record in the league, withstood a triple-double by Mavs guard Luka Doncic of 34 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists – the 43rd of the Slovenian star’s career tying him for 10th on the all-time list.
There was little suspense in Milwaukee, where NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic scored 18 points with nine rebounds and 15 assists to lead the Denver Nuggets’ 136-100 rout of the reigning champion Bucks.
Jokic out-dueled former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 22 of his 29 points in the first half. Despite Antetokounmpo’s early exploits, the Nuggets led by three after the first quarter and never trailed the rest of the way.
Utah’s 126-106 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves was made even more painful by a first-quarter knee injury suffered by Australian forward Joe Ingles.
Ingles’ knee buckled on a drive to the basket and he fell to the court before being helped to the locker room.
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They have some neck.
@Patrick Breen: Could still go to the DRA after this and maybe even a court case, who knows?
@Patrick Breen: they’re dead right. Why not just replay the last free again, the idea they have to replay the whole game is a fair solution is madness.
@Paul Mallon: the fact that they blatantly cheated and think they should get away with it is madness.
@Paul Mallon: replay the last free, seriously. So we’ll just make up a new sport..
@Patrick Breen: the more I think about this I’ve changed my mind from it’s 100% a replay to it only warrants a fine! Realistically the chances of a goal with the last kick of the game is unlikely, especially when it’s a 45 with the packed defence fully set up. And it’s telling that the referee allowed the 45 to be taken before the substitutions had been complete properly – Kilmacud will argue that as the subs were not being managed correctly! Players off players on before 45 can take place – clearly ref was going to allow it be taken quickly which added to the panic & confusion. In my view KMc won this game and an extra man on for 24secs over 70+ mins had NO bearing on the outcome. If this was reversed I don’t general public wud be questioning if Glen won it
@BMJF: It’s not really about the likelihood of a goal. Nobody knows what effect the 16th player had, direct or indirect, even as a distraction to the player in possession. The real issue is what happens if there’s no real sanction. Teams will be making substitutions and making sure the player being replaced is at least very slow leaving the pitch. Now we see Glen have pulled out of the appeals process because a replay is unworkable.
@BMJF: especially when it’s an overpacked defence.
@Thomas O’ Donnell: don’t be silly. The GAA will simply learn to make substitutions like every other sporting organisation!! That’s what will happen. Play will pause before a free is taken etc and Players will have to come off before the replacements go on and ref won’t restart the game until they’re in position. It’s not rocket science. GAA should have accepted some responsibility, read their rules and issued a hefty fine the next morning and that would have been the end of it
I’d watch a live stream of that hearing
Hope they throw the book at them and just award the final to the other team.
@Reggie: haha, don’t know about that now Reg. Certainly interested to hear what their grounds for appeal will be though…..seems cut and dried to me that the rule was broken and one of the consequences have been invoked.
The tone of the anti Kilmacud comments is telling. An anti Dub vibe off them. I’m guessing that If this was reversed and Glen had 16 men for 24secs over a 70+ min game, defending a 2point lead with last play of the game, the general public wud be saying that on balance Glen should remain the winners, and that the extra man for 24 secs didn’t really impact the outcome! But because it’s a big Dub club everyone has knickers in a knot!!
If GAA had issued a fine quickly I think Glen would have accepted the result , as their manager did straight after the game
@BMJF: I would say the opposite, the Ulster team (as always) are being portrayed as the bad guys here… maybe I’m wrong
Kilmacud won fair and square on the field of play. Glen will be looked upon as sore losers. There’s no way Kilmacud will replay the match. They are prepared to hand the cup over to Glen. If the Glen club wants to avoid the lasting legacy of poor losers they really should withdraw the objection and gear themselves up to trying to win the title next year on the field of play. That would give the club a lot of respect.
@Brendan Daniel Naughton: ‘fair and square’, hahahaha, are you well.
Great stuff