Terence Davis amassed a game-high and season-best 31 points off the bench and teamed with Kevin Huerter for 12 of Sacramento’s 20 3-pointers Tuesday night, propelling the Kings to a 153-121 thrashing of the visiting Brooklyn Nets.
Huerter finished with 19 points, Domantas Sabonis 17, Harrison Barnes 16, Malik Monk 15, De’Aaron Fox 14 and Trey Lyles 12 as the Kings won for the fourth straight time after a 3-6 start to the season. The 153 points were the most scored by a Kings team since 154 against the Philadelphia 76ers in January 1993.
Kevin Durant used 11 free throws to put up a team-high 27 points for the Nets, who lost their second straight after opening a three-game California swing with a victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Riding the momentum of a 122-115 home win over the defending champion Golden State Warriors on Sunday, the Kings led by 25 in the first half, then 115-82 by third quarter’s end.
Durant was a one-man show in his 31 minutes for the Nets, who were still missing suspended Kyrie Irving. Durant outscored his closest teammate (Edmond Sumner) by nine points and had six of Brooklyn’s 25 assists and four of its 29 rebounds.
Pelicans 113, Grizzlies 102
CJ McCollum scored 30 points and Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr. added 19 each as host New Orleans defeated Memphis.
Ja Morant, returning from a one-game absence due to ankle soreness, scored a game-high 36 points. Dillon Brooks added 19, and Jaren Jackson Jr., making his season debut after being sidelined by a foot injury, had seven points (on 3 of 14 shooting, including 0 of 7 on 3-pointers) and six rebounds in 25 minutes.
Trey Murphy III scored 13 points, Jose Alvarado added 12 and Herbert Jones Jr. had 10 as the Pelicans played without leading scorer Zion Williamson, who is day to day because of a bruised foot. Alvarado and Jones hit 3-pointers to help the Pelicans increase the lead to 104-91 as the Grizzlies scored four points during the first six minutes of the fourth quarter.
Mavericks 103, Clippers 101
Luka Doncic scored 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Dorian Finney-Smith hit seven 3-pointers en route to 21 points and Dallas outlasted visiting Los Angeles.
The Clippers went a blistering 23 of 32 (71.9 percent) from the floor in the second half and erased a 25-point deficit entirely when Nicolas Batum connected on a 3-pointer with 4:12 left in the game that gave the visitors an 89-87 lead.
Los Angeles led inside of the three-minute mark, but Finney-Smith knocked down one 3-pointer and Reggie Bullock sank two on three straight Dallas possessions, turning a three-point Clippers lead into a six-point Mavericks advantage in just 91 seconds. Paul George led the Clippers with 23 points, but also committed 10 turnovers.
Knicks 118, Jazz 111
Jalen Brunson scored 25 points and dished out eight assists to lead New York past Utah in Salt Lake City.
Brunson, who signed a four-year contract with New York in the offseason after helping defeat Utah in the first round of the 2022 playoffs with Dallas, scored eight consecutive Knicks points during the fourth quarter as the visitors built a double-digit lead and seized control for good.
Kelly Olynyk scored a season-high 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to top Utah, but the Jazz had an off night from the field (43.4 percent) and fizzled in the fourth quarter. The Jazz pulled within six after a Jordan Clarkson 3-pointer followed by a pair of Olynyk free throws with 2:31 remaining, but Cam Reddish hit a pair of foul shots to end Utah’s last push.
Trail Blazers 117, Spurs 110
Jerami Grant recorded 29 points and eight rebounds to lead Portland over visiting San Antonio.
Anfernee Simons scored 23 points and Damian Lillard added 22 points and 11 assists as Portland won for the 10th time in 14 games to start the season. Shaedon Sharpe scored 13 points off the bench as the Trail Blazers snapped a four-game skid against San Antonio.
Jakob Poeltl scored a career-best 31 points and collected 14 rebounds for the Spurs, who lost for the seventh time in the past eight games. Devin Vassell had 21 points and Keldon Johnson added 20.
—Field Level Media
