Bazemore scores 32 points, Hawks rally to beat Mavs 111-104
By PAUL NEWBERRY
ATLANTA (AP) _ Kent Bazemore scored 32 points, including a thunderous slam with just over a minute to go, and the Atlanta Hawks rallied from a 26-point deficit in the first half to stun the Dallas Mavericks 111-104 on Wednesday night.
Trae Young added 17 points on a tough shooting night, bouncing back in the fourth quarter to help the youthful Hawks complete their comeback in a rookie showdown with Luca Doncic of the Mavericks.
Doncic finished with 21 points, but hit only 3 of 10 shots over the final two quarters.
The Hawks made it a night to remember at newly rechristened State Farm Arena, which hosted its first game after a $192.5 million renovation that was largely completed over the last two offseasons. The crowd spent much of the first half enjoying the amenities, including a barber shop overlooking the court, but really got into the game as the home team kept creeping closer and closer to Dallas.
“Thank you Atlanta,” Young told the fans after the game. “This is just the beginning.”
Coming off a 35-point, 11-assist performance in a victory at Cleveland, Young struggled with his shot and kept turning the ball over to help Dallas race to a 51-25 lead only 4 minutes into the second quarter. But the Hawks turned things around before halftime, closing to 58-48 at the break, and they finally passed the Mavs when Young was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 5:13 remaining. He made all three free throws, putting Atlanta up 96-95.
Bazemore finished with a flourish , spotting an opening down the middle of the lane and jamming it through with the left hand to make it 105-101 with 1:06 remaining.
Young and Doncic are two of the NBA’s most touted rookies, and they figure to be linked together for the rest of their careers.
The Hawks selected the 19-year-old Slovenian with the No. 3 overall pick, only to deal him to the Mavericks in exchange for Young, who was chosen at No. 5. Atlanta also picked up 2019 first-round selection in the deal.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Coach Rick Carlisle was asked before the game how his team could improve its defense against the 3-pointer. “Get closer to them,” he quipped. Dallas took his jab to heart, limiting the Hawks to 39.5 percent on 15-of-38 shooting beyond the arc. Coming into the game, the Mavericks were giving up nearly 55 percent from 3-point range. … Wesley Matthews led the way with 23 points.
Hawks: Taurean Prince had 24 points, while DeAndre’ Bembry grabbed 16 rebounds in just 29 minutes of playing time. … F Alex Poythress left the game in the first half with an injured knee and did not return.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Travel to Toronto on Friday to take on the Raptors.
Hawks: Host Chicago on Saturday before going back on the road for two games.
Oladipo scores 21 as Pacers rout Spurs 116-96
By RAUL DOMINGUEZ
SAN ANTONIO (AP) _ Victor Oladipo had 21 points and the Indiana Pacers led for all but the opening seconds in a 116-96 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
Indiana led by 29 points at one point while handing San Antonio its first home loss. Seven Pacers scored in double figures, including 19 points by Tyreke Evans and 16 by Domantas Sabonis.
DeMar DeRozan had 18 points to lead the Spurs, his lowest total since joining the team in an offseason trade from Toronto. Marco Belinelli added 16 points and LaMarcus Aldridge and Bryn Forbes had 15 each.
The Pacers dominated with a strong combination of inside muscle and outside shooting.
Indiana shot 53 percent on 3-pointers, opening the game 9 for 11 on 3s.
Sabonis also had a monstrous dunk against Spurs forward Davis Bertans early in the second quarter, winding up and dunking with his left hand around the reach of a leaping Bertans.
The Spurs only lead came when Rudy Gay scored the game’s opening points on an 11-foot fadeaway jumper. Gay finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
TIP-INS
Pacers: Indiana entered the game second in the NBA by shooting 43 percent on 3-pointers. … After having nine players score in double figures against
Brooklyn on Oct. 20, the Pacers had seven do so against the Spurs. … Indiana has won three straight over San Antonio. … The Pacers held an opponent under 100 points for the second time this season.
Spurs: Forbes is the first starting point guard for the Spurs other than Tony Parker to score in double figures in each of his first four games since Maurice Cheeks in 1989. … The Spurs played their 1,700th game in San Antonio. They are 1,270-429 at home, which is the best home record of any team in league history.
UP NEXT
Pacers: At Cleveland on Saturday night.
Spurs: Host L.A. Lakers on Saturday night.
Utah downs Rockets 100-89, Harden leaves game in 4th
By KRISTIE RIEKEN
HOUSTON (AP) _ Donovan Mitchell scored 38 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 100-89 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night in a game James Harden left with a hamstring injury.
The Rockets got within five points midway through the fourth quarter but Harden headed to the locker room soon after and didn’t return. He said after the game he felt tightness in his left hamstring.
With Harden out the game, the Jazz regained control, scoring the next 10 points to make it 94-79 and cruise to the victory.
Harden scored 29 points and Carmelo Anthony had a season-high 22 for the Rockets, who were missing two starters. Chris Paul finished up a two-game suspension for his role in a fight with the Lakers last week and James Ennis sat out with a strained right hamstring.
Eric Gordon made his second straight start in place of Paul and Michael Carter-Williams made his first start of the season with Ennis on the bench.
Utah got this season’s series with Houston off on a good note after the Rockets beat the Jazz 4-1 in the Western Conference semifinals after winning all four regular-season meetings.
The Jazz had a 15-point lead early in the fourth after scoring the first six points of the quarter. Houston got going after that, scoring the next seven points, with the first four from Clint Capela and a 3 from Anthony to make it 81-75 with about nine minutes left.
Mitchell hit a 3-pointer with less than eight minutes to go to leave the Jazz up by nine. Harden re-entered the game soon after that and made a jump shot after a steal by P.J. Tucker. Tucker grabbed another steal on the next possession and dished it to Harden, who found Capela ahead of the defense for a slam dunk that cut the lead to 84-79 and had Jazz coach Quin Snyder calling for a timeout as Harden implored the crowd to get louder.
The Jazz led by eight at halftime after holding Houston to just 15 points in the second quarter and had pushed the lead to 16 midway through the third after a 3-pointer by Joe Ingles. The Rockets went on a 10-4 run after that, capped by a steal by Carter-Williams and 3-pointer by Tucker to cut the lead to 68-58 with about four minutes left in the quarter.
Utah extended the lead to 11 late in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Jae Crowder and was up 75-66 entering the fourth.
TIP-INS
Jazz: Raul Neto missed his fourth straight game with a hamstring injury. . Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 13 rebounds. … Ingles added 11 points.
Rockets: Centers Nene (right calf tightness) and Zhou Qi (left knee sprain), and forward Marquese Chriss (left ankle sprain) did not play. … Anthony hadn’t scored more than nine points in any of the first three games.
UP NEXT
Jazz: Visit New Orleans on Saturday.
Rockets: Host Clippers on Friday.