NBA round-up: Knicks turn back Joel Embiid and host 76ers
Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 30 points and 10 rebounds, his 15th straight game hitting at least 30 and 10. Embiid appeared to tweak his ankle in the opening minute and looked to be limping at times.
Tyrese Maxey added 27 points and nine assists for Philadelphia, and Tobias Harris scored only five points and was ruled out for the fourth quarter with a left ankle injury. The Sixers were already missing De'Anthony Melton with back soreness.
Philadelphia drew within 13 points with 11:06 left in the game before the Knicks went on a 21-1 run. Brunson hit a driving layup, Grimes then completed a three-point play and Hartenstein scored in the paint for a commanding 114-81 lead. The Knicks led by as many as 39 points down the stretch.
Pacers 150, Hawks 116
Myles Turner scored 27 points and Tyrese Haliburton added 10 points with 18 assists as Indiana leaned into their high-powered offence to earn a victory over Atlanta at Indianapolis.
Bennedict Mathurin scored 18 points and Bruce Brown had 17 as the Pacers had eight players score in double figures while increasing their season-best winning streak to six games. Indiana had a franchise-best 50 assists, including 10 from T.J. McConnell, who also had 10 points.
Dejounte Murray scored 30 points for the Hawks on 13-of-19 shooting from the floor (68.4 per cent). Atlanta entered with consecutive victories but gave up at least 150 points for the second time in a loss to Indiana this season. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 16 points and Trae Young added 13 on just 4-of-18 shooting.
Nets 124, Thunder 115
Spencer Dinwiddie and Nic Claxton scored 23 points apiece as Brooklyn took control in the first half, survived a shaky fourth quarter and stopped a five-game losing streak with a victory over visiting Oklahoma City.
Brooklyn halted their second five-game losing streak of the season and won for the third time in their past 13 contests. Facing the Thunder for the second time this week, the Nets led for the final 41-plus minutes and led by as many as 32 and survived getting outscored 36-23 in the final quarter.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 of his 34 points in the third quarter as the Thunder dropped consecutive games for the third time this season. Jalen Williams added 12 of his 20 in the fourth while Chet Holmgren finished with 17 as the Thunder fell to 8-3 in their past 11 games.
Cavaliers 114, Wizards 90
Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 26 points, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert put up double-doubles and Cleveland completed a two-game sweep of visiting Washington.
In a game with far less scoring than Cleveland's 140-101 romp on Wednesday, the Cavaliers used 48.5 per cent shooting on three-pointers to outscore the visitors 48-27 from beyond the arc and account for most of the margin of victory.
Demonstrating there would be no letdown in the wake of their most lopsided win of the season, the Cavaliers got a three-pointer from Mitchell 19 seconds into the game and never trailed. Tyus Jones had 16 points to pace the Wizards, who were outshot 53.2 per cent to 41.7 per cent. Jones also found time for five assists.
Bulls 104, Hornets 91
Coby White had 22 points and 10 rebounds and DeMar DeRozan added 17 points as the Bulls defeated visiting Charlotte to snap a two-game losing streak.
They led by as many as 21 points en route to handing Charlotte their 12th loss in the past 13 games. The loss marked the Hornets' fourth straight to the Bulls. Starters Zach LaVine (15 points) and Nikola Vucevic (11 points) returned after missing time due to injuries but began the game on the bench with minutes restrictions.
The Bulls overcame a game-high 28 points from the Hornets' Miles Bridges. Terry Rozier (15 points), Cody Martin (13) and Nick Smith Jr. (10) also finished in double figures for Charlotte, who shot 40.4 per cent compared to 54.1 per cent for Chicago.
Clippers 111, Pelicans 95
Paul George scored a game-high 24 points and the surging Clippers cooled off hosts New Orleans.
George made six of 10 three-pointers and the Clippers finished 15 of 36 from beyond the arc. Kawhi Leonard added 19 points, Ivica Zubac scored 15 and Normal Powell 13, and James Harden finished with 13 assists and eight points to lead LA to their fifth consecutive victory and 14th in the last 16 games.
Jonas Valanciunas had 13 points and 11 rebounds, rookie Jordan Hawkins added 13 points and CJ McCollum, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram scored 12 each to lead the Pelicans, who had won four straight and nine of 12 but shot just 35.9 per cent (33 of 92) from the floor.
Magic 122, Nuggets 120
Paolo Banchero had 32 points, a career-high 11 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first career triple-double, Jalen Suggs scored a career-high 27 points and visiting Orlando rallied to beat Denver.
Banchero sank two free throws to give the Magic a two-point lead with 9.7 seconds left before Jamal Murray missed a jumper at the buzzer for the Nuggets. Cole Anthony scored 23 points and Moritz Wagner had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Orlando, who swept the season series from Denver.
Nikola Jokic scored 29 points, Michael Porter Jr. finished with 22, Murray contributed 20, Aaron Gordon scored 16 and Reggie Jackson added 11 points for the Nuggets.
Celtics 126, Jazz 97
Jayson Tatum collected 30 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 25 minutes and Boston improved their home record to 17-0 by routing Utah.
Tatum made 13 of his 14 free throw attempts and scored 23 points in the first half, when the Celtics led by as many as 36 points. Boston scored at least 120 points for the ninth consecutive game, which tied the franchise record set during the 1959-60 season. Kristaps Porzingis added 19 points for the Celtics.
Utah's three-game winning streak came to an end. Lauri Markkanen had 17 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Jazz. Collin Sexton finished with 13 points, and John Collins had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Timberwolves 122, Rockets 95
Anthony Edwards scored a game-high 24 points, Karl-Anthony Towns tallied 22 points and Minnesota rolled over hosts Houston.
Towns added eight rebounds and six assists while Edwards dished out five assists. Both shot 8 for 17 from the floor for the Timberwolves, who shot 52.3 per cent and scored 60 points in the paint in the opener of a four-game road trip. Rudy Gobert added 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Jalen Green led the Rockets with 20 points, while Alperen Sengun added 19, with his streak of 20-point games snapped at seven. Jabari Smith Jr. paired 16 points with nine rebounds for Houston, who have lost four of their last six.
Mavericks 139, Trail Blazers 103
Kyrie Irving led six scorers in double figures with 24 points to guide short-handed Dallas to a rout of visiting Portland.
Irving also grabbed nine rebounds to step up in the absence of fellow star guard Luka Doncic, who missed the contest due to right ankle swelling. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jaden Hardy each added 19 points for the Mavericks.
Jerami Grant netted 18 points as Portland failed to avoid a sweep in the four-game season series with Dallas. Scoot Henderson contributed 17 points and 10 assists, while Duop Reath chipped in 16 points and seven boards.
Suns 113, Heat 97
Grayson Allen tied the franchise record with a career-high nine three-pointers and scored 31 points to lead Phoenix past visiting Miami.
Bradley Beal had 25 points, nine assists and eight rebounds to help Phoenix win for the fifth time in six games. Devin Booker produced 20 points and 10 assists. Phoenix star Kevin Durant (hamstring) missed his third straight game. Allen is the sixth Suns player to make nine three-pointers in a game.
Bam Adebayo registered 28 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, who have dropped three of their past four games. Kevin Love scored 20 points off the bench. Miami's Jimmy Butler missed his third straight contest due to a toe injury and his seventh of eight overall. He missed the first four because of a calf injury.
Warriors 113, Pistons 109
Stephen Curry brushed aside a poor shooting night from long range to bury two key three-pointers in the final 65 seconds, and Golden State held off a determined effort by Detroit in San Francisco.
After giving Golden State the lead for good on a pair of free throws with 1:32 remaining, Curry, who missed eight of his first 10 treys, nailed 28-footers 19 seconds apart, the latter giving the hosts a 110-103 cushion with just 46.1 seconds left.
He led the Warriors with 26 points, followed by Klay Thompson with 19 points. Cade Cunningham scored 30 points for Detroit, although he made just one of seven of his three-point attempts. He made 12 of his 15 shots from inside the arc. Jalen Duran added 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Pistons.
Grizzlies 127, Lakers 113
Jaren Jackson Jr. recorded 31 points, nine rebounds and three blocks and Memphis hit its stride in the fourth quarter to beat the Lakers
The Grizzlies also got 29 points from Marcus Smart, who knocked down eight three-pointers. Bane finished with 24 points and a career-high 13 assists, and Ja Morant chipped in 21 points to go along with seven helpers.
LeBron James netted 32 points and Anthony Davis had 31 for the Lakers, who have lost four straight games and nine of their past 11. Austin Reaves flirted with a triple-double for Los Angeles, going for 19 points, a career-best 12 assists and seven boards.
Kings 135, Raptors 130
Domantas Sabonis recorded his second straight triple-double, this time with 24 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists, as hosts Sacramento withstood a late charge by Toronto.
Sacramento led by 23 midway through the third quarter before escaping with the win after Immanuel Quickley missed a game-tying three-pointer with two seconds left. Scottie Barnes and Quickley led Toronto with 20 points apiece.
Seven players scored in double figures for the Kings, who made 21 three-pointers - shooting a blistering 55.3 per cent from long range - and won for the fourth time in their last five games. De'Aaron Fox scored 24 points, and Keegan Murray had 18 points and 12 rebounds.
