NBA: Doncic leads the Lakers, Fontecchio pushes Miami forward

Rome, 21 January (LaPresse) – Seven regular season NBA games were played last night. Simone Fontecchio had a good performance, coming off the bench to contribute to the Miami Heat’s 130-117 win over the Sacramento Kings. The Italian scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 19 minutes. Bam Adebayo scored 25 points and Norman Powell added 22 to secure the third win in the last five games. DeMar DeRozan’s 23 points and Russell Westbrook’s 22 were not enough to avoid a second consecutive defeat. The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets 115-107, led by Luka Doncic (38 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists). LeBron James added 19 points. The number 77 celebrated his All-Star Game start in style by recording his fifth triple-double of the season. It was his 52nd career triple-double with at least 30 points (surpassing Nikola Jokic for second place all-time behind Wilt Chamberlain with over 100). Houston came from behind to win at home against San Antonio in the Texas derby: a 111-106 victory with 21 points from Reed Sheppard and 18 from Kevin Durant, and a near triple-double from Alperen Sengun (20 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists). Golden State, playing their first game without Jimmy Butler, lost 127-145 at home to Toronto, led by Immanuel Quickley with 40 points and 10 assists. Jonathan Kuminga’s 20 points (7/10 shooting in 21 minutes) after 17 games on the bench were not enough for Golden State. Minnesota also lost at Utah (43 points for Keyonte George) 127-122, while Phoenix won at Philadelphia 116-110, led by Devin Booker’s 27 points and Jalen Green’s 12 points in his third appearance of the season. The Chicago Bulls cruised to an easy 138-110 win over the Clippers, with Coby White scoring 27 points and Matas Buzelis adding 21.