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James Harden has a triple-double, but Clippers lose their fifth game in a row

Vit Krejci scored a career-high 28 points off the bench, Kristaps Porzingis added 20 and the Atlanta Hawks opened a four-game trip with a 105-102 victory over the Clippers on Monday night.

Jalen Johnson had 16 points and 10 rebounds as the Hawks overcame a 17-point deficit to win consecutive games for the second time this season. Krejci made a career-best eight three-pointers in 10 attempts.

Porzingis (illness) and Johnson (quad) both returned after missing Sunday’s 20-point home victory over the Lakers, while Trae Young (knee) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (back) remained out.

James Harden had 35 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in the Clippers’ fifth straight loss. Ivica Zubac added 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn each scored 11 points for the Clippers, who were without star Kawhi Leonard (ankle) for a fourth consecutive game, while Bradley Beal (hip) was ruled out.

Krejci’s biggest three-pointer came with 36 seconds remaining and gave the Hawks a 105-98 lead. Harden converted a four-point play with 25 seconds remaining to get the Clippers within a possession but missed a tying three-point attempt with 12 seconds left.

The Clippers led 36-19 early in the second quarter before the Hawks erased the deficit with a 20-3 run to take a 42-41 lead with 4:09 remaining before the half. Krejci made four three-pointers in the run, including three consecutive at one point.

The score was tied at 52 at halftime after Krejci made six of Atlanta’s seven three-pointers over the first two quarters. The Hawks pushed in front 79-76 after three quarters.

Harden tied the score 92-92 with 5:01 remaining on consecutive three-pointers before another three-pointer from Krejci put the Hawks up 95-92 with 4:25 remaining. Harden scored 19 points in the fourth quarter on six-of-10 shooting and four of seven from three-point range.

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No. 3 UCLA women’s basketball beats feisty San Diego State

The No. 3 UCLA women’s basketball team won its first game of the season, defeating feisty San Diego State 77–53 on Monday at the Honda Center.

The Bruins (1–0) built an eight-point lead in the first quarter, but the unranked Aztecs (0–1) managed to cut the deficit by three by the end of the period.

San Diego State struggled to score in the second quarter when UCLA went on a 12–2 run.

The scoring gap continued to increase as the Bruins extended their lead to 15 points, ending the first half with a 37–22 advantage.

UCLA center Lauren Betts scored 21 points and grabbed four rebounds, guard Gabriela Jaquez recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds and guard Charlisse Ledger-Walker, who returned to the court after redshirting last season, contributed 12 points and five assists.

The Bruins opened the third quarter with a 16–0 run. Although the Aztecs fought hard to close the gap, the Bruins maintained control, ending the quarter with a 58–38 lead.

San Diego State pushed UCLA again in the fourth quarter, but the Aztecs couldn’t make a meaningful dent in their deficit.

Aztecs sophomore guard Kaelyn Hamilton came off the bench to lead her team with 11 points, while guards Nat Martinez and Nala Williams scored 10 points apiece.

UCLA will play its home opener Thursday against UC Santa Barbara.

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