LOS ANGELES (AP) – Sa harap ng kanilang Hall of Fame center na si Shaquille O’Neal ginapi ng Los Angeles Lakers ang Minnesota Timberwolves sa overtime, 130-119.
Ginulat ni O’Neal ang mga fans nang bigla siyang dumating sa Staples Center at kasabay nito’y binigyang inspirasyon ng dati niyang koponan na binigyan niya ng tatlong sunod na NBA titles noong 2000-2002.
Bumalikwas ang Lakers mula sa 15 puntos na pagkakaiwan upang mapataob ng Timberwolves .
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“The whole arena turned into ‘Oh my gosh, Shaq is here,’” ani Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr..”He deserves it and it was an honor getting to play on his night. I’m just glad we got the win.”
“There was a better energy in the building because of Shaq,”wika naman ni Lakers coach Luke Walton. “We didn’t get to channel that until the second half when the second unit came in and began defending. It definitely brings a little extra.”
Nagposte si Jordan Clarkson ng kanyang career high na 35 puntos at walong 3-pointers upang pangunahan ang Lakers sa pagputol ng kanilang six-game losing skid buhat sa 5 puntos mula sa 1-of-9 shooting na kanyang ginawa sa nakaraang pagkatalo nila sa Clippers.
“He seemed to have that spark back that he’s played with most of the year,”ayon kay Walton.
Nagdagdag naman si Julius Randle ng 23 puntos at 12 rebound para sa Lakers na nakamit ang kanilang ikalawa pa lamang panalo mula noong All-Star break.
Namuno naman si Andrew Wiggins na may 36 puntos at Karl-Anthony Towns na may 25 puntos at 13 rebound para sa Minnesota na nalasap ang ikalimang sunod nilang pagkatalo.
“We’ve done this so many times,” ani Towns. “That’s the most discouraging thing.”
Lamang na sila ng walong puntos may nalalabi na lamang dalawang minuto at 30 segundo sa overtime bago sila na-outscore ng Lakers, 9-1.
“We talked about being up on the screens and not giving up 3s, and we sat back and gave them 3s, so that’s it,”pahayag ni coach Tom Thibodeau. “That’s the name of the game.”
Nauna rito, umabot ang laban sa overtime matapos ang floating bank shot ni Randle na tumapos sa inilatag nilang 9-0 bago na-split ni Wiggins ang kanyang free throws na nagtabla sa iskor sa 109.
Dinomina ng Lakers ang extra session, matapos umiskor ni Clarkson ng pitong puntos at itala nila ang unang walong puntos sa extension para sa 117-109 na bentahe.
“We needed every point of his 35,” ayon kay Nance. “It was one of those games where everything he was throwing up went in.”
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Umiskor si Stephen Curry ng 27 puntos, 7 rebound at season-high 12 assist upang pamunuan ang Golden State Warriors sa paggapi sa Sacramento Kings 114-100.
“We didn’t have the 3-point game going tonight, but I liked the fact that everybody was sharing,” ayon kay coach Steve Kerr . “Some nights, Steph’s only going to have a handful of them and some nights like tonight he gets 12. It doesn’t matter to me as long as the ball’s moving and as long as we’re taking care of it.”
Nagdagdag naman si Draymond Green ng season-best 23 puntos at 8 assist, at si Ian Clark ng 10 puntos upng tulungan ang Warriors na umangat sa kanilang NBA-best 58-14 record.
Kapwa nahirapan ang dalawang koponan sa kanilang opensa bago nagsimulang magpapasok ang mga tira ng Warriors para kumawala sa second half.
Sinimulan ni Green ang kanilang paglayo sa ipinukol nitong back-to-back 3-pointers sa third quarter,habang nagtala naman si Curry ng tatlong 3-pointers sa fourth canto.
Tumapos ang Golden State na may 37 assist, ang kanilang franchise-record 44th time ngayong season kasunod ng kanilang dating record na 43 noong nakaraang season.
“That’s when we’re at our best, when the ball’s hopping and everybody gets involved,”ani Curry. “Thirty-seven assists ... that’s pretty crazy considering we missed 21 3s. That’s how we create good-to-great shots, with our ball movement.”
Nagtala si Buddy Hield ng career-high 22 puntos bukod pa sa 8 reboundat 7 assist, habang nagtapos naman si Ty Lawson na may 20 puntos para sa Sacramento.
