NBA roundup: Embiid returns to lead 76ers win; Suns finally Warriors after 18 losses
PHILADELPHIA – Joel Embiid had 33 points and 12 rebounds in his first game in nearly a month, leading the Philadelphia 76ers past the Indiana Pacers 106-89 on Sunday.
Embiid returned to the lineup after being sidelined by a sore left knee. The Sixers went 4-4 without the All-Star center as they battle for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.
With Embiid back, the Sixers (42-25) moved into a tie with Indiana for third in the East, and they hold the tiebreaker over the Pacers by virtue of their 3-1 record in the season series.
The Pacers missed 17 of 20 shots in the third quarter and scored only 11 points while falling behind 72-70 after holding a 14-point lead. The Pacers went the final 6:55 of the third without scoring a basket and never got going in the fourth.
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pacers with 18 points.
SUNS 115, WARRIORS 111
OAKLAND, Calif. – Devin Booker scored 13 straight Phoenix points during a decisive fourth-quarter stretch and finished with 37, and the Suns snapped the NBA’s longest active losing streak to one opponent at 18 games by beating Golden State.
The Suns beat Golden State for the first time since a 107-95 victory on Nov. 9, 2014, and earned their first road win in 20 tries against the Western Conference this season.
Klay Thompson’s two free throws with 1:04 to go made it 111-108. Andre Iguodala secured a rebound after two missed Suns shots but Stephen Curry missed on a 3 with 23 seconds left. Booker then converted two free throws.
Golden State star Kevin Durant had 25 points before leaving with a bruised right ankle midway through the fourth on a night his teammates struggled from near and far. The cold-shooting Warriors couldn’t overcome Booker’s late onslaught in losing to lowly Phoenix.
ROCKETS 94, MAVERICKS 93
DALLAS – Eric Gordon scored 26 points and Chris Paul blocked Jalen Brunson’s jumper in the final seconds, sending Houston to its eighth straight win.
James Harden shook off foul trouble to score 20 points for the Rockets. Clint Capela added 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Dallas lost for the 10th time in 11 games.
Luka Doncic had 19 points and a career-high 15 rebounds for the Mavericks, and fellow rookie Brunson finished with 18 points.
Doncic appeared to hurt his left knee in the fourth quarter and limped off the court for a timeout with 4:17 to play, but he stayed in the game.
RAPTORS 125, HEAT 104
MIAMI – Kyle Lowry had 24 points and 10 assists, Pascal Siakam scored 20 and Toronto tied a franchise record with 21 3-pointers.
The Raptors finished with eight players in double figures. Danny Green scored 15 points, all on 3-pointers. Norman Powell also scored 15, and OG Anunoby and Jeremy Lin each scored 11.
Toronto’s only other game with 21 3s was against Philadelphia in 2005.
Bam Adebayo scored 19 for the Heat, who had won four in a row. Dion Waiters and Dwyane Wade each scored 15, and Rodney McGruder added 13.
PISTONS 131, BULLS 108
DETROIT – Blake Griffin scored 17 of his 28 points in the third quarter, helping Detroit to its fifth straight win.
Detroit has won 12 of 14 to take a half-game lead over Brooklyn for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons and Nets play Monday night in Brooklyn.
Reggie Jackson scored 21 points for Detroit, and Andre Drummond added 16 points and 15 rebounds.
The Bulls have lost four of five, including twice to Detroit in three days.
Chicago played without Zach LaVine, who was sidelined by a right patellar tendon strain. Wayne Selden led the Bulls with 18 points.
HAWKS 128, PELICANS 116
ATLANTA – Kevin Huerter scored 17 of his 27 points in the second quarter, taking the scoring load from cold-shooting fellow rookie Trae Young, and Atlanta stopped a three-game slide.
The Hawks also got a solid all-around performance from John Collins, who finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. Young had 10 points and 10 assists while shooting only 2 of 14.
Frank Jackson and Julius Randle each scored 23 points for the Pelicans, who have lost three straight. Elfrid Payton had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
New Orleans star Anthony Davis had 15 points and eight rebounds in about 21 minutes after missing Friday night’s loss to Toronto with back spasms.
GRIZZLIES 105, MAGIC 97
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Mike Conley scored 14 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, helping Memphis to its third straight win.
Avery Bradley had 21 points for the Grizzlies, and CJ Miles finished with 13 points. It’s the first three-game win streak for Memphis since it won five in a row in mid-November.
Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Terrence Ross added 15 points. Orlando has lost three of its last four, again failing to work its way into the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.
SPURS 121, BUCKS 114
SAN ANTONIO – LaMarcus Aldridge had 29 points and 15 rebounds, and the Spurs rallied for their fifth straight win.
San Antonio has beaten the top three teams in the East at home after topping Philadelphia in December and Toronto in January.
Milwaukee’s lead atop the Eastern Conference was cut to two games ahead of Toronto.
DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points for San Antonio. Reserves Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills both had 16 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points and 13 rebounds for Milwaukee, and Eric Bledsoe added 21 points.
TIMBERWOLVES 103, KNICKS 92
MINNEAPOLIS – Taj Gibson scored a season-high 25 points, powering short-handed Minnesota to the win.
Jeff Teague had 20 points and 10 assists for the Timberwolves. Rookie Keita Bates-Diop scored a career-high 18 points.
Minnesota played without two of its top three scorers. All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns was sidelined by right knee inflammation, while forward Andrew Wiggins sat out with a thigh contusion.
Damyean Dotson led New York with 26 points on 10-for-19 shooting. Allonzo Trier added 15, and Mitchell Robinson had eight points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks.