by Cam Thomas played from the bench as the exhausted Brooklyn Nets came from behind to beat the Washington Wizards 125-123 on Saturday.
Already without Ben Simmons and talisman Kevin Durant, the Nets suffered another blow when Kyrie Irving was ruled out with a calf problem.
Irving’s injury came just a day after news broke that he was looking to leave the Nets after the point guard submitted a trade request.
The former Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics star was not present at the Barclays Center, though that decision was made in conjunction with the team’s management.
A dismal end to the week looked set to get worse as the Warriors held a healthy 23-point lead, but the Nets fought back in part thanks to Thomas’s efforts.
He scored a career-high, game-leading 44 points, while Edmond Sumner came in with 29 as the Wizards – who lost to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday – became the first team in the past 25 seasons to throw out more than a 20-point lead. on consecutive days.
Kristaps Porzingis leading scorer for the Wizards with 38 points.
James closes in, but Pelicans end the losing streak
LeBron James is now just 36 points away from breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s longtime NBA record, but his efforts weren’t enough for the Los Angeles Lakers against the New Orleans Pelicans.
James added 27 more points to his tally on Saturday, even though the Lakers lost 131-126 to a Pelicans team that had suffered 10 consecutive losses.
While Anthony Davis was the Lakers’ standout with a double-double of 34 points and 14 rebounds, Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 35 points as they went to .500 for the season.
Curry Care for Warriors
Stephen Curry scored 21 points, added six rebounds and provided seven assists, but limped out of the Golden State Warriors’ 119–113 victory over the Dallas Mavericks with a knee injury in the third quarter.
Curry now has to wait for the results of an MRI scan, which will take place on Sunday, to determine the seriousness of the problem.
Reigning NBA champions Golden State nevertheless got the job done without him in the final quarter, as he crossed the line against a Dallas team that missed their star man Luka Doncic.
Draymond Green’s 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists were crucial, while Spencer Dinwiddie’s game-high 25 points weren’t enough for the Mavs, who lost seven in 11.
Nuggets tie with Celtics
The Boston Celtics lost for the fourth time in six games on Friday, and the Denver Nuggets tied as leaders of the joint NBA.
Denver defeated the Atlanta Hawks 128-108, with Nikola Jokic (14 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists) claiming his 18th triple-double of the season, while Jamal Murray turned on the style with his season-best 41 points.
The Nuggets are now tied with the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics at 37-16 for the season and have won 19 of their last 20 home games.
