The Los Angeles Clippers have suffered an injury setback, with guard Russell Westbrook set to remain sidelined after fracturing his hand during their 140-115 blowout victory over the Washington Wizards.
Westbrook, whose move to the bench helped the Clippers reverse an early loss after the James Harden trade, appeared to hurt himself badly while defending Jordan Poole in the second quarter.
The Clippers were still easily able to get past Washington without Westrbook as their superstar trio of Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George all topped 20 points in the victory.
Kyle Kuzma, meanwhile, led the way for the Wizards – who have now lost 14 games in a row – with 32 points.
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Curry leads Warriors to road victory | 00:58
CELTICS CONTINUE DOMINANT CHARGE
Elsewhere, the Boston Celtics, fueled by 32 points from Jayson Tatum and 21 three-pointers, held off a 37-point triple-double from Luka Doncic to beat the Dallas Mavericks 138-110 on Friday and extend their NBA winning streak to 10 matches.
Tatum took a while to warm up, missing all four of his shots in the first quarter, but the All-Star forward scored 16 in the third quarter as the Celtics took control.
Down by seven at halftime, the Mavs got within two points midway through the third.
But Jaylen Brown and Tatum connected on straight three-pointers and the Celtics pulled away relentlessly.
Brown scored 25 points and Kristaps Porzingis, who carried the offensive load early, added 24 as seven Boston players scored in double figures.
They simply outplayed the Mavs, despite Doncic’s 12th triple-double of the season. Doncic added 12 rebounds and 11 assists and Kyrie Irving scored 19 points despite connecting on just nine of 23 shot attempts.
“Simply put, we have a very good team,” Tatum said after the league-leading Celtics became the first team this season to win 10 straight.
“Every night will be a little different. As long as we continue to form good habits and win, everything will work itself out.
Lebron takes control in Lakers comeback | 01:41
THE WARRIORS TOO GOOD DESPITE THE NIGHTMARE OF THE TRAVEL
The Golden State Warriors overcame a travel nightmare to extend their road winning streak to eight games with a 120-105 victory over the Raptors in Toronto.
Stephen Curry scored 25 points and Jonathan Kuminga added 24 for the Warriors, who found themselves delayed six hours at the airport after their win over the New York Knicks on Friday.
Trailing by three points at halftime, the Warriors pulled away after the break. Klay Thompson, back in the starting lineup, scored all 14 of his points in the second half.
“Fantastic win,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who took his team to task after watching them sleepwalk through the opening minutes.
“Last night was brutal – it was the worst travel circumstance I’ve ever been involved in in the NBA,” Kerr added.
“I think we went to bed at eight this morning. The guys slept during the day, woke up and came to the game. So it was quite hard. But I’m proud of the group for the way they competed, like I said after that slow start — which was understandable — we really came through and did a good job.
RJ Barrett led Toronto’s scoring with 23 points. All-Star Scottie Barnes had 10 points and six rebounds before leaving late in the first half with a left hand injury.
CAVS AND SIXERS CLAIM IMPORTANT VICTORY
Cleveland guard Darius Garland made eight three-pointers, including six in an 18-point second quarter, to fuel the short-handed Cavaliers in a 110-100 victory over the Pistons in Detroit.
With Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert sidelined due to injuries, Garland scored a game-high 29 points. Evan Mobley added 22 points and 17 rebounds for the Cavs, who led by 26 early in the fourth quarter.
That lead dwindled to just seven points before the Cavs sealed it at the free throw line.
Cade Cunningham scored 21 points and distributed 10 assists for the Pistons, who suffered their 50th loss of the season.
In Philadelphia, Tobias Harris scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Tyree Maxey added 33 points to power the 76ers to a 121-114 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
It was a well-deserved victory for the 76ers, who are trying to maintain playoff position while awaiting the hoped-for return of reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, who had surgery in February. ‘an injury to the left knee.
