(Basketball news) The Los Angeles Lakers suffered their successive loss as they lost 133-96 to the Denver Nuggets. For the Nuggets Hyland followed up a 17-point game against Portland with career highs of 27 points and 10 rebounds as Nikola Jokic had 17 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds for his eighth triple-double of the season, while Jeff Green scored a season-high 26 points in Denver's second straight blowout victory. All five Nuggets starters scored in double figures. For the Lakers LeBron James had 24 points and nine rebounds, but made just 9 of 23 field goals. Russell Westbrook, who was just 15 for 59 in the previous four games, had 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting.With this result the Lakers fell below 500 with their record currently at 21-22, on the other hand the Nuggets leapfrogged into 6th in the standings as their stands at 22-20.

''It meant a lot to me. It took some stress off my shoulders and made me relax more and it also made me more comfortable knowing me and Coach have that connection,'' Hyland said

''We've just got to make a decision we're going to play hard,'' Westbrook said. ''Sometimes, the schemes and how you play, it doesn't really matter. You've just got to play hard sometimes. Teams are playing harder than us, so it's as simple as that.''

'Nikola gets a triple-double in 28 minutes, Bones gets his first career double-double, the bench was great, the starters were great,'' Malone said

''We've got to get back to the drawing board and get our defense right,'' Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. ''We haven't performed well enough in the last two games on that side of the ball.''

The Golden State Warriors lost their second game in a row as they lost 119-99 to the Minnesota Timberwolves. For the Timberwolves Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 11 rebounds, Jaylen Nowell scored 17 points and Malik Beasley added in 16 with five second-half 3-pointers on an especially productive night for the reserves for the Timberwolves. Jordan Poole scored 20 points and Jonathan Kuminga had 19 points for the Warriors, who lost for the fifth time in seven games. They missed 16 straight shots over one stretch in the second half as they played without Steph Curry and Draymond Green on Sunday night. With this result the Timberwolves improved their record to 21-22 and jumped into 7th in the Western Conference standings

''We're really close. We like to see each other succeed. That right there is one of the hardest things to find in teams, I feel like,'' Nowell said. ''None of us on the team are selfish.''

''We don't just want be in the play-in game. We want to be set in the playoffs. We're trying to figure out how to get a nice little win streak to get us above the hump,'' Beasley said.

'Got some and-ones, got some layups, utilized my finishing ability. For this team to grow, I have to grow as well,'' Towns said
''You can't trust what I say, because I say I can play 40 minutes, but I'm not a sports scientist,'' Thompson said. ''That's what our training staff is for. I trust them, and I don't want to get over eager in just my fourth game in. I want to peak come playoff time”

Also read: NBA: The MVP race is hotting up as the season heads towards its midpoint

The other results were:

• Bucks 96 - 103 Raptors
• Wizards 110 - 115 Trail Blazers
• Nets 120 - 105 Pelicans
• Hawks 108 - 117 Knicks
• Thunder 102 - 107 Cavaliers
• Heat 98 - 109 76ers
• Celtics 114 - 112 Bulls
• Spurs 101 - 94 Clippers
• Mavericks 108 - 92 Magic
• Pistons 108 - 135 Suns
• Kings 112 - 118 Rockets

Tomorrow's fixtures are:

• Wizards vs 76ers
• Cavaliers vs Nets
• Grizzlies vs Bulls
• Clippers vs Pacers
• Hawks vs Bucks
• Magic vs Trail Blazers
• Heat vs Raptors
• Spurs vs Suns
• Mavericks vs Thunder
• Lakers vs Jazz

(Basketball news) The Milwaukee Bucks made a statement as they won 118-99 against the in form Golden State Warriors. For the Bucks, Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists to help Milwaukee rout the Golden State Warriors as Khris Middleton added 23 points, Bobby Portis 20 and Grayson Allen 15 for the Bucks. For the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins led the team with 16 points. Jonathan Kuminga had 15, Curry 12 and Thompson 11 as no one could really get the grips of the game. Antetokounmpo had his third triple-double of the season and 28th of his career as head coach Budenholzer's return from the NBA's COVID-19 protocols. With this result the Bucks improved their record to 27-17 as they moved to 4th in the Eastern Conference standings.

''I think Coach Darvin did a great job stepping up, leading the team, coaching the team and keeping us accountable,'' Antetokounmpo said. ''But, obviously, it's great to have Coach Bud back healthy, happy and getting us ready to go.''

'I think there was a good focus from us tonight,'' Budenholzer said. ''I think when it starts on the defensive end, usually that's when we're at our best. A team like the Warriors, a player like (Stephen) Curry and (Klay) Thompson, they bring out the best in you. They bring out the highest focus.''

'We just got off to a terrible start where everything went wrong on both ends of the floor,'' Curry said.

''I know we just got our butts kicked, but we're just in a rough patch in our season,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. ''It happens to every team, every year pretty much with very few exceptions. We're in a little bit of a rut and we were playing a team that was ready and played a great, great first half. We're a little out of sorts. We've just got to get back on track, and we will.'

The Memphis Grizzlies made it 11 straight victories as they won 116-108 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. For the Grizzlies, Ja Morant had 16 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and John Konchar added 15 points and a career-best 17 rebounds as Desmond Bane scored 21 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 20 to create history for their franchise.  For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 30 points. D'Angelo Russell had 29 points and six assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 25 points and nine rebounds. With this result the Grizzlies improved their record to 30-12 and moved up to 3rd in the Western Conference standings. 

''It's all about attention to details,'' Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. ''It's all about the small things. It's all about the winning plays. . You're going to be in close games, and that's going to win you games, and that, right now, is not what we're doing.''

''He just does a lot on the floor for us,'' Morant said, adding of Konchar's shooting ''You really can't leave him open. He's just a spark plug for us off the bench.''

''We don't have time to take the Ls that we should have won. Tonight, I definitely feel we should have won this game, and, especially New Orleans,'' Edwards said, adding: ''These games hurt when you don't have everything right and you come down to the very end and you can't get a rebound to finish a possession.''

Also read: NBA: Lakers slump to their second loss in a row as Nets thump the Chicago Bulls

The other results were:

• Pelicans 113 - 89 Clippers
• Nets 109 - 130 Thunder
• Nuggets 140 - 108 Trail Blazers

Tomorrow’s fixtures are:

• Pacers vs Suns
• Hornets vs Magic
• Pistons vs Raptors
• 76ers vs Celtics
• Bulls vs Warriors
• Heat vs Hawks
• Spurs vs Cavaliers
• Kings vs Rockets 
• Grizzlies vs Mavericks

(Basketball news) Los Angeles Lakers won two back to back matches after a long time as they won 108-103 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. LeBron James scored 26 points, Malik Monk added 22 and the Lakers hung on to beat them for the first time this season. Westbrook finished with 20 points, three rebounds, five assists and nine of the Lakers' 28 turnovers, the Lakers (19-19) climbed back to .500, with their veterans carrying them in the fourth quarter. Carmelo Anthony scored five in a row to help erase a four-point deficit. Anthony hit a 3-pointer, got fouled and made the free throw. He finished with 14 points. For the Timberwolves, Naz Reid led the Wolves with season highs of 23 points, Jaylen Nowell added 17 points off the bench. With this result the Lakers moved to 7th in the Western Conference standings.

“We did a good job of holding our own, gutting it out,'' said Westbrook, who had just one turnover in the second half.

''He's done a great job for us all year,'' Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. ''He's brought a great deal of basketball integrity to our team, making sure guys are playing the right way offensively.

''We're playing good basketball of late,'' James said. ''Even with some of the losses we've had, we're still trending in the right direction.''

''We're not here solely just to develop talent,'' Wolves coach Chris Finch said. ''We're trying to win these games.''

The Phoenix Suns continued their golden run as they routed past the Charlotte Hornets 133-99.  Devin Booker scored 24 points, Jalen Smith tied a career high with 19 points and 12 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns hammered the Hornets. For the Suns, Shamet added 17 points, Mikal Bridges had 15, and Cam Johnson and Cam Payne 14 each. Seven Suns players scored in double figures to blow out the Hornets. For the Hornets LaMelo Ball had 17 points and Kelly Oubre Jr had 15 points. With this victory the Suns improved their record to 28-8 as they are currently second in the Western Conference standings.

''It's so great to see,'' Paul said. ''We have been waiting for that emotion from him for a year. You just never know when you are going to get your opportunity and to see him play with that emotion. ... You can get down in this league especially when you are on a team as good as ours and you find yourself out of the rotation. But he's been working and has stayed ready.''

''This was all you can ask for, especially after you just took it on the chin against Boston,'' Young said. ''Sometimes as a coach in your heart you feel like you are doing the right thing and you think it's going to resonate, and when it does come to fruition it's rewarding.''

''The whole time I have been picking his brain and he's been able to tell me how to get on the court and how to keep him improving,'' Smith said.

Also read: Lakers slump to their fourth successive defeat as Warriors continued winning

The other scores were:

• Raptors 120 - 105 Knicks
• Cavaliers 108 - 104 Pacers
• Celtics 116 - 111 Magic
• Kings 115 - 113 Heat
• Thunder 86 - 95 Mavericks

Tomorrow's fixtures are:

• Wizards vs Hornets
• 76ers vs Rockets
• Nets vs Grizzlies
• Pelicans vs Jazz
• Bucks vs Pistons
• Bulls vs Magic
• Mavericks vs Nuggets
• Warriors vs Heat
• Trail Blazers vs Hawks
• Clippers vs Timberwolves
   

(Basketball news) Lakers suffered an embarrassing loss to Timberwolves as they lost 110-92. For the Wolves, Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points and 10 rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Los Angeles Lakers for a second time this season as Malik Beasley and D'Angelo Russell each had 17 points and Jarred Vanderbilt grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds to help them win their third straight game. They played without star Anthony Edwards, who was under NBA's health and safety protocols. For the Lakers, their squad was depleted with Covid protocols as LeBron James had a quiet 18 points and 10 rebounds, Isaiah Thomas made his season debut with 19 points, Russell Westbrook had 14 points and Kent Bazemore had a season high with 11 points. With this result the Lakers stayed 6th in the Western Conference with a record of 16-14.

''I'm going to let people make their assumptions and make their judgment. I just know that every day when I come here I play the game with a tremendous amount of confidence .I wanted to set the standard. I wanted to try to impose myself into the game real quick, understanding Ant's not here,'' Towns said.

“They definitely played a more physical brand of basketball tonight, and we've got to be better,'' Lakers coach Frank Vogel said.

The Golden State Warriors extended their winning run as they won 111-107 against the Boston Celtics. Andrew Wiggins scored 27 and Kevon Looney had 10 rebounds for the Warriors as Steph Curry top scored with 30 points, who won their third straight game on an East Coast road trip. It was Kerr's 400th victory as a coach in 576 games over eight seasons. He is third on the franchise win list, behind Al Attles (557) and Don Nelson (422). For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, and Jaylen Brown had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics. With this win the Warriors reclaimed their top spot in the Western conference with a record of 24-5. 

''We're coming off the emotional roller coaster ... a lot going on around the league,'' Curry said after scoring 30 points in a 111-107 victory over the Celtics on Friday night. ''You try not to get distracted by all the things that are outside the locker room.''

''On a five-game trip, guaranteeing us at least three wins makes this a good trip,'' coach Steve Kerr said. ''Now tomorrow is more of a free swing.''

''It means I'm incredibly lucky to coach a bunch of talented guys,'' said Kerr, who won the NBA championship in his first season and two more in the next three years. ''From my first game coaching in the NBA until now, I've had nothing but talented teams.''

Also read: Suns go joint top as the Nets extended their lead in the Eastern Conference

The results of the other matches were:

• Magic 105 - 115 Heat
• Hawks 115 - 133 Nuggets
• Pelicans 116 - 112 Bucks
• Jazz 126 - 128 Spurs
• Kings 105 - 124 Grizzlies
• Trail Blazers 125 - 116 Hornets

The matches for tomorrow are:

• Celtics vs Knicks
• Nets vs Magic
• Raptors vs Warriors
• Thunder vs Clippers
• Bucks vs Cavaliers
• Jazz vs Wizards