NBA round-up: Bucks beat Clippers for 10th straight win
Jrue Holiday had 19 points and Jevon Carter added 13 as the Bucks won without Khris Middleton (rest). Milwaukee has its first double-digit-game winning streak since earning 18 victories in a row during the 2019-20 season.
Brandon Boston Jr. scored 20 points and Paul George added 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers. Los Angeles was without star Kawhi Leonard, who was on his own load-management rest after a previous knee injury.
Norman Powell had 16 points and Marcus Morris Sr. scored 15 for Los Angeles, which has lost two games in a row.
Mavericks 122, Kings 114
Despite the absence of Luka Doncic for the fourth straight game, Dallas exploded for 45 points in the first quarter and remained unbeaten in the Kyrie Irving era, downing host Sacramento. The Western Conference playoff contenders meet again Saturday night, also in Sacramento.
Playing his second game for Dallas since a trade from Brooklyn, Irving paced the Mavericks with 25 points while also contributing a game-high 10 assists. Seven Dallas players scored in double figures.
Shortly after finding out he'd been added to the All-Star team, the Kings' De'Aaron Fox had 33 points. However, he shot just 1-for-5 from 3-point range as the Kings were outscored 54-27 by the guests from beyond the arc. Domantas Sabonis put up 18 points, 11 rebounds and a team-high seven assists for the Kings.
Pistons 138, Spurs 131 (2OT)
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 32 points, rookie Jalen Duren added a career-high 30 points and 17 rebounds and host Detroit topped San Antonio in double overtime.
Detroit's Jaden Ivey supplied 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Isaiah Stewart had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Hamidou Diallo put up 14 points and Isaiah Livers chipped in 11 points and 10 rebounds for Detroit, which snapped a three-game losing streak.
Devonte' Graham poured in 31 points in his San Antonio debut. Graham was acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans just before the trade deadline on Thursday. Zach Collins had 29 points and 11 rebounds while Malaki Branham contributed 27 points and Keita Bates-Diop had 15 for the Spurs, who have lost 11 straight.
Cavaliers 118, Pelicans 107
Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points and Evan Mobley added 28 points, 13 rebounds and three steals to help Cleveland notch an easy victory over host New Orleans.
Jarrett Allen contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds as Cleveland won its fifth straight game and recorded its 26th double-digit victory of the campaign. Caris LeVert added 13 points, matched his season best of nine assists and grabbed six rebounds, while Darius Garland had 11 points and seven assists for the Cavaliers.
Brandon Ingram registered 25 points and eight assists, but the Pelicans had their three-game winning streak snapped. Trey Murphy III scored 17 points, CJ McCollum added 12 and Herbert Jones and Larry Nance Jr. tallied 11 apiece.
Heat 97, Rockets 95
Jimmy Butler dunked off a 35-foot in-bounds pass from Gabe Vincent with just 0.3 seconds left as host Miami defeated Houston.
Tyler Herro led Miami with 31 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. He had game highs in all three categories, making 11-of-20 from the floor. Bam Adebayo added 20 points and nine rebounds, and Butler scored 16 points as the Heat won their eighth straight home game.
Jabari Smith Jr. led Houston with 22 points and eight rebounds. Houston's Jalen Green had appeared to send the game to overtime with his baseline drive that tied the score 95-95 with 0.7 seconds left.
Celtics 127, Hornets 116
Although they were without Jaylen Brown (facial fracture), host Boston sank 25 3-pointers and defeated Charlotte for the fourth time this season.
Jayson Tatum made five 3-pointers, including the 1,000th of his career, and finished with a game-high 41 points. Tatum, 24, is the youngest player in NBA history to make 1,000 3-point field goals. Derrick White added a career-high eight 3-pointers and finished with 33 points. Center Robert Williams III had 16 rebounds for the Celtics, who attempted 55 3-pointers.
Terry Rozier (27 points) and LaMelo Ball (24) led the Charlotte offense, and center Mark Williams had 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Hornets have lost six in a row overall and their last seven road games.
Suns 117, Pacers 104
All five Phoenix starters scored in double figures and the visiting Suns never trailed en route to a win over Indiana in Indianapolis.
Phoenix came into the contest a day removed from acquiring Kevin Durant in a trade but he was not available to play against the Pacers. Chris Paul scored 19 points and dished nine assists, while Devin Booker - appearing in just his second game since leaving the Suns' Christmas Day game less than five minutes in - went for 21 points and five assists.
Bennedict Mathurin came off the bench to score a team-high 22 points in the Pacers' third consecutive loss and 14th defeat over the last 16 games. Tyrese Haliburton scored 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor.
76ers 119, Knicks 108
Joel Embiid scored 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lift host Philadelphia past New York.
Tyrese Maxey finished with 27 points off the bench, James Harden had 20 points and 12 assists and Georges Niang contributed 13 points for the Sixers, who snapped a two-game losing streak.
New York's All-Star Julius Randle amassed 30 points and 10 rebounds, and Jalen Brunson added 30 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. RJ Barrett added 19 points and Immanuel Quickley had 13 for the Knicks, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Jazz 122, Raptors 116
Walker Kessler and Lauri Markkanen each scored 23 points and visiting Utah overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Toronto.
Markkanen also posted nine rebounds and five assists, and Collin Sexton added 22 points for the Jazz, who ended a three-game losing streak. Kelly Olynyk added 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Rudy Gay had 12 points for the Jazz, who took both games with the Raptors this season.
Pascal Siakam scored 35 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Raptors, who had their three-game winning streak end. Gary Trent Jr. scored 19 points for the Raptors in the second game of a five-game homestand. Fred VanVleet added 17 points, Precious Achiuwa scored 16 and Scottie Barnes had 12.
Grizzlies 128, Timberwolves 107
Behind a balanced offensive effort, led by Ja Morant, Memphis rolled to a lopsided home victory over Minnesota.
Morant had 32 points, including 20 in the first half, nine assists and nine rebounds. Desmond Bane added 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Jaren Jackson Jr. tallied 15 points and six rebounds.
Jaylen Nowell led Minnesota with 21 points off the bench on 9 of 16 shooting from the field, including 3 of 7 from behind the arc. Anthony Edwards added 17 points and five assists.
Thunder 138, Trail Blazers 129
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander equaled his career high with 44 points while lifting Oklahoma City over Portland for its third win in four games.
Gilgeous-Alexander shot 13 of 16 from the floor and made a career-high 18 free throws as the Thunder concluded a winning three-game road trip (2-1). Josh Giddey added 19 points for Oklahoma City while Luguentz Dort, coming off the bench for the first time since his rookie season in 2019-20, added 18 points on 6-of-6 shooting.
The Trail Blazers lost for the third time in four games despite getting 38 points and nine assists from Damian Lillard. Jerami Grant added 23 points, and Cam Reddish, acquired in a Wednesday deal with the New York Knicks, started and finished with 11 points in 17 minutes.