MINNEAPOLIS: Rudy Gobert scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away for a 109-80 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night in Minneapolis. Julius Randle finished with 18 points for Minnesota, which picked up its second straight win. Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 15 points apiece off the bench, and fellow reserve Donte DiVincenzo had 11 points and nine assists. D’Angelo Russell scored 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting to lead Los Angeles. Anthony Davis had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and LeBron James contributed 10 points on a difficult night in which he shot 4-for-16 from the field. The Lakers seemed to run out of energy in their second game in as many nights. They were outscored 30-16 in the fourth quarter and 53-36 in the second half.
Hawks 124, Pelicans 112
De’Andre Hunter celebrated his 27th birthday by scoring 22 points to lead Atlanta past visiting New Orleans, extending the Hawks’ season-best winning streak to four games. Hunter shot 8-for-14 from the field and made 4 of 7 3-point attempts to help the Hawks reach the .500 mark for the first time since Oct. 28. Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson added 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. New Orleans got 29 points from CJ McCollum, and Yves Missi added 23 points and 12 rebounds. The Pelicans played without Zion Williamson (hamstring), Brandon Ingram (leg), Jose Alvarado (hamstring), Herbert Jones (shoulder) and Jordan Hawkins (back).
Celtics 108, Heat 89
Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 29 points and grabbed seven rebounds as Boston beat Miami to run its home winning streak to five games. Payton Pritchard added 25 points while hitting five 3-pointers for the Celtics, who received 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds from Derrick White and 18 points and 11 boards from Jayson Tatum. Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr. each tossed in 19 points for the Heat, who were without Jimmy Butler (knee). Miami took its second loss in two days.
Bulls 128, Nets 102
Josh Giddey amassed 20 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists while leading the host Chicago Bulls to a 128-102 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night. The triple-double was Giddey’s first of the season. Giddey has 12 career triple-doubles. Nikola Vucevic added a team-high 21 points in addition to 10 rebounds, helping the Bulls end a two-game losing streak. Rookie Matas Buzelis added a career-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting off the bench, making 4 of 5 3-point attempts.
Chicago’s Zach LaVine contributed 18 points, Ayo Dosunmu put up 16 points and six assists and Talen Horton-Tucker scored 11 points. The result was a welcome turn for the home crowd, as it marked the Bulls’ third win at home in 10 attempts this season. The Nets disappointed again on offense, as their starting lineup failed to yield a 20-point scorer for the second time in three games. Dennis Schroder led the Nets’ starters with 16 points, while Dariq Whitehead paced the team with 18 points off the bench.
Brooklyn’s Tyrese Martin chipped in 15 points, Shake Milton added 14 points, Trendon Watford scored 12 points and Nic Claxton logged 11 points and eight rebounds. Overall, the Bulls outscored the Nets 36-22 in the third quarter. The Nets took their third consecutive loss after the Magic swept them in New York with wins on both Friday and Sunday. Chicago took a six-point advantage into halftime, 56-50, outscoring the Nets 27-21 in the second quarter after an even first. LaVine buried a 3-pointer with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter that stretched the Bulls’ lead to 21 and helped the hosts enter the fourth quarter with a 92-72 lead.
The Bulls shot 48-for-92 (52.2 percent) from the field for the game and made 16 of 47 attempts (34 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc. They outrebounded the Nets 54-41 and outscored them 32-15 in fastbreak points. In addition, the Bulls outscored the Nets 62-40 in the paint. The Nets made 38 shots on 95 attempts (40 percent), sinking 14 of 42 (33.3 percent) from 3-point range. They did manage to force 17 Bulls turnovers. — Reuters