Paul George scored 23 points, and his teammate Ivica Zubac added 15 points while grabbing 20 rebounds, a season-high, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 117-106 victory over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA last night. The Clippers achieved this win despite the continued absence of their injured star Kawhi Leonard, who has not participated in four consecutive games due to a left thigh issue.
James Harden contributed 16 points and provided 13 assists to his teammates, while Russell Westbrook added 14 points, helping the Clippers secure their 11th win in the last 13 games. Amir Coffey started in place of Leonard for the fourth consecutive game and scored 13 points last night, with teammate Norman Powell also contributing the same number of points.
Ja Morant was Memphis's top scorer with 19 points along with 10 assists. Morant had missed his team's previous game last Thursday, which resulted in a loss against the Denver Nuggets due to illness. Last night’s loss marked Memphis's first defeat in five games since Morant's return from suspension.
In another matchup, despite missing Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Houston Rockets 131-127 thanks to the stellar performance of Tyrese Maxey, who scored 42 points, the highest in the game. With the support of their bench players, Philadelphia managed to withstand a strong comeback from the home team in the fourth quarter, where both teams exchanged leads multiple times. Fred VanVleet was Houston's top scorer with 33 points, but the team lost for the third consecutive time.
Additionally, in other games last night, the Orlando Magic defeated the New York Knicks 117-108, and the Sacramento Kings won on the road against the Atlanta Hawks 117-110. The Oklahoma City Thunder also secured a road victory against the Denver Nuggets, winning 119-93.
