NBA: Knicks, Cavaliers extend win streaks | Loop Jamaica

Josh Hart notched a triple-double to complement Karl-Anthony Towns’ 32 points and 13 rebounds as the New York Knicks stayed red-hot with Monday’s 126-106 win over the lowly Washington Wizards.

New York posted their eighth consecutive victory behind Hart’s 23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists and Towns’ 13-of-19 shooting display.

Washington, which played the Knicks tough in a 136-132 overtime loss on Saturday, were led by Jonas Valanciunas’ 22 points and nine rebounds. Rookie Alexandre Sarr and Malcolm Brogdon each had 18 for the Wizards, with Brogdon adding seven assists.

The Wizards, who own the Eastern Conference’s worst record at 5-25, were also competitive for much of Monday’s rematch, as they trailed by just a point late in the third quarter before the Knicks began pulling away.

Hart and Miles McBride each buried 3-pointers during a 13-5 spurt that pushed New York’s lead to 97-88 entering the fourth quarter.

Towns then put up 11 points in the final period as the Knicks outscored Washington, which went 1 of 12 from 3-point range in the fourth, by a 29-18 margin the rest of the way.

Cavaliers win seventh straight, extend Warriors’ slump

The Cleveland Cavaliers extended a lengthy winning streak of their own by handing the cold-shooting Golden State Warriors a 113-95 loss.

Darius Garland scored 25 points and Donovan Mitchell contributed 23 to the NBA-leading Cavaliers’ seventh-straight win. Cleveland also delivered on the defensive end, holding the scuffling Warriors to a season-low 33.3 field goal percentage and a 23.7 per cent rate from 3-point range.

Stephen Curry finished 4 of 14 from the field while managing just 11 points in Golden State’s seventh loss in nine games. Jonathan Kuminga tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds despite a 4-of-15 shooting performance.

Moses Moody did shoot the ball for the Warriors, going 7 of 8 from the field while posting a team-high 19 points off the bench. Golden State also received a 16-point, 16-rebound double-double from Trayce Jackson-Davis.

The Warriors’ offensive struggles were most pronounced during the second quarter, as they made just 4 of 24 shots as Cleveland turned an early seven-point deficit into a 46-38 lead at half-time.

Mitchell then caught fire in the third quarter, putting up 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range for the period. The star guard’s efforts helped ignite a 20-5 run to start the second half that staked the Cavs to a commanding 66-43 advantage.

Cleveland maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way, with the Warriors never getting their deficit under 15 points from then on.

Westbrook posts rare triple-double as Nuggets outscore Jazz

Russell Westbrook became the second player in NBA history to record a triple-double with no turnovers and without missing a shot in the Denver Nuggets’ 132-122 win over the Utah Jazz.

Westbrook went 7 of 7 from the field and 2 of 2 from the foul line while amassing 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to join Sacramento Kings star Domantas Sabonis as the lone players to accomplish the feat. Sabonis did so against the Toronto Raptors on November 6. 

The Nuggets also got a triple-double from Nikola Jokić, his league-leading 13th of the season, to win for the seventh time in 10 games. The three-time NBA MVP registered 36 points, 22 rebounds and 11 assists.

Michael Porter Jr. added 21 points for Denver, while Christian Braun and Jamal Murray had 20 points each in the victory. Murray contributed 10 assists as well.

Jordan Clarkson led Utah with 24 points and Collin Sexton had 22 in the loss. Walker Kessler compiled 12 points and 13 rebounds in the Jazz’s fourth straight defeat.

Though down 66-64 at half-time, the Nuggets never trailed after Jokic buried a hook shot that snapped a 76-76 tie with just under seven minutes left in the third quarter. The star center later closed out the period with back-to-back baskets that sent Denver into the fourth up 98-89.

The Jazz fought back to pull within 109-107 entering the midway stage of the final quarter, but a Jokic 3-pointer started a 7-0 run that helped keep Utah at bay.

Monday’s scores
Washington Wizards 106, New York Knicks 126
Charlotte Hornets 108, Chicago Bulls 115
New Orleans Pelicans 113, Los Angeles Clippers 116
Utah Jazz 121, Denver Nuggets 132
Sacramento Kings 110, Dallas Mavericks 100
Portland Trail Blazers 103, Philadelphia 76ers 125
Golden State Warriors 95, Cleveland Cavaliers 113