Kevin Durant was his usual self, and Reggie Jackson came through in a big way as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 103-99, on Tuesday night in Manchester, England.
NBA scores: Kevin Durant finds rhythm late as Thunder edge Sixers, Lakers hold off Nuggets in nightcap
The Thunder and Sixers did battle across the pond, while the Nets and Wizards entertained fans stateside in an overtime thriller. That was only part of the story on a busy Tuesday night of preseason basketball.
Jamie McDonald
Jackson had a game-high 29 points, and despite a slow start, Durant added 21 on 9-of-18 shooting from the field, including 3-of-6 from the three-point line. The All-Star started slow, going just 3-of-10 for starters, but then found a rhythm in the third quarter when he scored 14 in the frame.
The Sixers showed heart and balance, as evidenced by five players scoring in double figures and every player on the bench registering points on the stat sheet. Tony Wroten led the way for Philadelphia with 20 points, while Evan Turner chipped in with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Russell Westbrook was not with the Thunder for the trip as he continues to rehab from a knee injury that caused him to miss time last season.
Los Angeles Lakers 90, Denver Nuggets 88
The Lakers built up a 17-point halftime lead and withstood a second-half rally to beat the Brian Shaw’s Nuggets at Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif.
Pau Gasol had 14 points and eight rebound, and Jordan Hill grabbed 12 rebounds in 16 minutes for the Lakers (2-1), who led 48-31 at halftime. J.J. Hickson had a double-double for the Nuggets with 13 points and 10 rebounds, but missed six of his nine free throw attempts.
Neither team put on a shooting display, as Denver missed 17 free throws and was just 2-of-14 (14.3%) from three-point range. The Lakers made just 4-of-18 (22.2%) from distance in the win.
Denver fought nearly all the way back to within two points in their final possession of the game, but misses by Jordan Hamilton and Anthony Randolph left the Nuggets a bucket short.
Brooklyn Nets 111, Washington Wizards 106
The Nets needed an extra frame to defeat the Wizards, as Jason Kidd won his debut as an NBA head coach.
Tyshawn Taylor scored 16 points and added six assists to lead the way for Brooklyn, despite committing seven turnovers in 34 minutes of action. Brook Lopez turned in a strong performance in just 12 minutes, adding 15 points on 6-of-7 from the field and added one blocked shot.
Paul Pierce registered more fouls (four) than points (three) and managed a steal and a blocked shot.
For the Wizards, Nene led the way with 19 points, while John Wall added 16 points and eight assists. Both teams struggled to take care of the ball, as Washington committed 23 turnovers and the Nets totaled 25.
Cleveland Cavaliers, 99, Milwaukee Bucks 87
Tristan Thompson led all scorers with 17 points and added eight rebounds as the Cavaliers defeated the Bucks at Quicken Loans Arena. Kyrie Irving added 14 points and dished out three assists on 5-of-10 shooting and connected on 2-of-4 from the three-point line.
Andrew Bynum didn't log any minutes due to a coach's decision, but No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett showed he's fully healthy by pouring in seven points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He struggled from distance, going 0-for-3 from beyond the arc and shot a dismal 2-of-12 from the field, making just three of his eight foul shots.
Larry Sanders scored six points and continued to play the role of defensive stopper with three blocked shots in 19 minutes, adding five rebounds.
Atlanta Hawks 87, Charlotte Bobcats 85
Dennis Schroder hit a runner with 2.1 seconds left in the game to lift the Hawks past the Bobcats on the road. Mike Scott led all scorers with 19 points for Atlanta, going 8-for-11 from the field and 2-of-3 from the three-point line while adding six rebounds.
Ramon Sessions had a team-high 17 points for the Bobcats and added six assists.
Detroit Pistons 91, Maccabi Haifa 69
Andre Drummond scored 17 points, and six players scored in double figures as the Pistons made quick work of Maccabi Haifa of Israel at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
The Pistons’ big man added nine rebounds and three blocked shots, and Jennings was efficient, going 4-of-8 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line while adding three assists and rebounds apiece.
Detroit collectively shot just 39 percent from the field but mitigated their own mediocre shooting by holding their opponents to just 40 percent.
Utah Jazz, 101, Golden State Warriors 78
John Lucas III scored a game-high 16 points and added three rebounds as the Jazz held the Warriors to just 33 percent from the field. The Jazz shot 46 percent, and that made all the difference as they used a 34-21 second quarter to pull away from their opponents for good.
Marreese Speights led the Warriors with 13 points, David Lee had 10 points and seven rebounds and Andrew Bogut scored six points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Golden State shot just 61 percent from the free throw line, failing to overcome their lackluster shooting.
More from SB Nation NBA:
See More:
