The Dallas Mavericks’ comeback bid against the LA Clippers fell short in a 120-111 loss despite another strong showing from Dante Exum to continue the Aussie’s impressive NBA return.
Exum scored 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting with six rebounds and two steals in a career-high 40 minutes. It marked seven-straight double figure scoring games from Exum – also a personal best feat, according to NBA reporter Kane Pitman – still in a more prominent role while Dallas deals with injuries to Kyrie Irving and Josh Green.
Watch an average of 9 NBA Regular Season games per week LIVE on ESPN, available via Kayo. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today >
Luka Doncic posted a triple-double with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but is wasn’t enough in the end as the home side was outduelled by the Kawhi Leonard (30 points, 10 rebounds) and James Harden (17 points, 11 assists) led Clippers.
The Mavericks trailed by as much as 22 halfway through the second term of Thursday’s contest (all times AEDT) before they gradually clawed things back down the stretch of the period and in the third term.
Exum’s three-pointer early in the fourth quarter gave Dallas a 95-94 lead – its first since the opening term – while Exum later in the term got a steal and layup to tie up the scores again at 100-100.
But the Clippers closed the door on the Mavs inside the last three and a half minutes after going on a 14-2 run led by Leonard.
Tyron Lue’s squad, who was without Paul George (illness), won its ninth in a row to improve to 17-10 and claim the Western Conference’s fifth seed from the 16-11 Mavericks.
It comes after the Clippers started the Harden era 0-5 and were once 3-7 overall in a wild resurgence from the once struggling franchise.
EMBIID EXPLODES FOR SEASON-BEST 51 POINTS
Joel Embiid exploded for a season-best 51 points, and we (very nearly) had one of the most epic plays of the season in an epic clash of the big guns.
The Philadelphia 76ers pulled away from the Minnesota Timerwolves in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s game behind a 51-point explosion from Embiid, who added 12 rebounds in another dominant performance from the star centre.
It marked Embiid’s third-straight game with 40-plus points, while he also accomplished feats unseen for more than a half-century.
The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player sparked the Sixers (19-8) to their seventh victory in eight games and snapped the four-game win streak of the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves, who slipped to 20-6.
Embiid became the first NBA player with 12 consecutive games of 30 or more points and 10 or more rebounds since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1972.
He also became the first 76er since Wilt Chamberlain in 1967 with three consecutive games of 40 or more points and 10 or more rebounds.
It was all the more impressive against a Timberwolves team featuring a Towns-Rudy Gobert frontcourt that is ranked No. 1 defensively in the NBA.
“He does it every night so consistently,” 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey said of Embiid. “We expect it of him and he goes out there and performs every single night.”
Embiid said the triumph avenged a loss at Minnesota last month when he was unable to play due to a hip injury.
“That’s one of the best teams in the league and the best in the West,” Embiid said. “We felt like we had to get them back and I’m glad everybody just showed up.
“To start the third quarter, we had some rough patches, but we stuck together and we kept pushing and we got the win.”
The 29-year-old Cameroonian 7-footer (2.13m), the NBA’s top scorer with 34.4 points per game, lifted the Sixers to their largest leads in the final minutes.
Embiid scored 20 points in the first half, 19 more in the third quarter and completed the seventh 50-point performance of his career — and second of the season — on a jumper with 1:46 remaining.
Embiid made 17-of-25 shots from the floor and 17-of 18 free throws while adding three assists, two steals and a blocked shot in humbling the NBA’s top defensive team and its big men, Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Maxey added 35 points for the 76ers, forming a deadly duo with Embiid and taking up the scoring slack when the MVP was resting.
“All-Star starter,” Embiid said of Maxey. “He has been doing that all season. Just give him the ball and he has been carrying us every single fourth quarter. You see what happens when he’s impressive.”
Maxey added: “He puts the responsibility on me because he believes in me. I go out there and try to put in the work and help him as much as I possibly can.”
In the second quarter of the contest, Edwards nearly threw down an epic poster dunk on Embiid.
Edwards got a cutting pass from Karl-Anthony Towns past a Sixers defender to get a clear runway to the hoop. Only one thing stood in his way – Embiid.
The Wolves star rose up and flew through the air to the hoop. But when he threw down the ball, it hit the back of the rim and bounced straight back the other way.
Edwards finished with 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Towns had 23 points and 13 boards.
ELSEWHERE …
Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 31 points and added 15 rebounds and six assists to lead the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets to victory at Toronto 113-104 despite 30 points by the Raptors’ Scottie Barnes.
DeMar DeRozan had 27 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to spark Chicago over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 124-108.
The Bulls had eight double-digit scorers and remarkably improved to 7-3 since Zach LaVine was struck down with injury to continue their shock resurgence, now sitting 12-17 overall.
LeBron James had 25 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, two blocked shots and a steal for the Lakers, who also got 19 points and 14 rebounds from Anthony Davis.
Julius Randle scored 26 points and Donte DiVincenzo added 23 to lead the New York Knicks over Brooklyn 121-102 while Sam Merrill had 27 points off the bench to lead Cleveland over visiting Utah 124-116.
Tyler Herro had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to spark Miami’s 115-106 victory at Orlando.
Buddy Hield scored 25 points and Tyrese Haliburton added 19 points and 13 assists in Indiana’s 144-113 home win over Charlotte.
ALL RESULTS
TIMBERWOLVES 113 76ERS 127
HEAT 115 MAGIC 106
HORNETS 113 PACERS 144
JAZZ 116 CAVALIERS 124
KNICKS 121 NETS 102
NUGGETS 113 RAPTORS 104
HAWKS 134 ROCKETS 127
LAKERS 108 BULLS 124
CLIPPERS 120 MAVERICKS 111