By: Associated Press
Michael Porter Jr. had his second double-double in three games with 20 points and 14 rebounds, and the short-handed Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-100. Jerami Grant scored 19 points and Nikola Jokic had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Nuggets. Denver again had three of the team's top five scorers absent while playing on back-to-back nights. Karl-Anthony Towns outplayed his rival Jokic with 28 points and eight rebounds and Josh Okogie added 16 points for Minnesota. Still, the Timberwolves dropped their sixth straight game.
The Celtics had dropped three in a row before Jayson Tatum delivered 27 points in just 29 minutes of a 139-107 thrashing of the Western Conference-leading Lakers. Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown each chipped in 20 points and Enes Kanter added 18 with 11 rebounds as Boston stayed a half-game behind the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors.
Walker had gone 0-28 in his career against LeBron James, second in NBA history only to Sherman Douglas' 0-30 head-to-head record against Michael Jordan. JaVale McGee had 18 points for Los Angeles, which lost for only the second time in 12 games. James finished with 15 points, 13 assists and six boards in the loss.
The Rockets’ losing streak has reached a season-worst four games after they coughed up a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter of a 112-107 setback against the Thunder. Oklahoma City ripped off 13 straight points and outscored the Rockets, 41-20 in the final period. Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul scored 27 of his 28 points in the first half against his former team, while Danilo Gallinari finished with 25.Rockets guard James Harden had 29 points but was a miserable 1-for-17 from 3-point range. Former Thunder guard Russell Westbrook had 32 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for Houston.
Giannis Antetokounmpo registered a triple-double of 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in just 31 minutes of the Bucks’ seventh straight win, 111-98 against the Bulls. Khris Middleton contributed 24 points as the Bucks improved to a league-best 39-6 at home, including 21-2 at home.
Kendrick Nunn provided 25 points and James Johnson added 22 on 9-for-11 shooting as the Heat outlasted the Kings, 118-113 in overtime. Goran Dragic scored 18 as the Heat improved their league-best home record to 19-1. Bam Adebayo finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds for Miami, which is 7-0 in OT.
Norman Powell furnished 17 of his 27 points in the final period as the Raptors hung on to beat the Hawks, 122-117. Fred VanVleet had 20 points, including three free throws with 14.2 left after Toronto blew most of a 21-point lead. Trae Young had 42 points and 15 assists for Atlanta, which pulled within 117-115.
Ben Simmons tied a career high with 34 points and chipped in 12 rebounds and 12 assists to guide the 76ers past the Nets, 117-111. Simmons shot 12 for 14 from the field in his career-best fifth straight game with 20 or more points and fourth triple-double of the season. Al Horford added 19 points for the 76ers, who won their fourth consecutive game.
Utah won for the 17th time in 19 games as Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points in a 118-88 blowout over the Pacers. Rudy Gobert had 20 points and 14 rebounds to help the Jazz beat Indiana for the first time in four tries. Utah shot 54% from the field, scored 60 points in the paint and finished with a 53-30 advantage in rebounds.
Damian Lillard set a Trail Blazers record with 61 points, including a career-best 11 3-pointers to lead their 129-124 overtime victory against the Warriors. It was Lillard’s seventh career game with at least 50 points, and his 3-point total set a Portland record. Hassan Whiteside added 17 points and 21 rebounds as the Blazers snapped a two-game skid despite trailing by 12 in the third quarter.
The Grizzlies’ seven-game winning streak is over after the Pelicans set a franchise record with 21 3-pointers in a 126-116 victory at Memphis. Jrue Holiday matched his season high with 36 points in his return after a five-game absence caused by a strained elbow. Brandon Ingram scored 25 points and Nicolo Melli added 15 for New Orleans.
The Spurs wasted a 20-point, second-half lead before Bryn Forbes nailed a go-ahead, 3-pointer with 2:33 left in a 120-118 triumph over the Suns. Forbes scored all 24 of his points on eight 3-pointers and Derrick White scored a season-high 25 points for San Antonio. Devin Booker poured in a game-high 37 points but missed a long 3 with about two seconds left that would have won it.
Evan Fournier scored 26 points and the Magic finished 3-3 on their six-game road trip by slamming the Hornets, 106-83. Nikola Vucevic had 24 points and 10 rebounds for Orlando, which shot 14 of 28 from 3-point range. Malik Monk scored 20 points and P.J. Washington had 19 in Charlotte’s seventh consecutive loss.
The Wizards ended a three-game skid as Bradley Beal scored 29 points and Ian Mahinmi added 21 in their 106-100 decision over the Pistons. There were 10 lead changes before Washington scored nine straight to take a 95-87 lead with 7:06 remaining. Andre Drummond’s 18 points and 16 rebounds didn’t stop Detroit from losing in Washington for the 10th straight time.
The Knicks picked up a 106-86 win at Cleveland as Marcus Morris Sr. and Julius Randle each scored 19 points. New York trailed by one before outscoring Cleveland, 30-14 in the third quarter. The Knicks won for just the second time in 10 games and dealt the Cavaliers their fifth consecutive loss.