Paul George shot 8-for-9 from 3-point range and scored 36 points to lead the visiting Los Angeles Clippers to a 121-99 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points, Lou Williams had 15 and Serge Ibaka added 14 points for Los Angeles, which finished 4-2 on its road trip. Ivica Zubac had 10 points and 16 rebounds in a reserve role for the Clippers.
Collin Sexton scored 16 of his 27 points in the first half for Cleveland, and Darius Garland contributed 23 points. Andre Drummond had 13 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes after missing Cleveland’s 100-98 win against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday due to a sore lower back.
Jarrett Allen, who started for Drummond on Monday and totaled 23 points and 18 rebounds, had seven points, nine rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes off the bench Wednesday.
New York Knicks 107 – Chicago Bulls 103
Julius Randle scored 27 points and Elfrid Payton added 20 to help visiting New York snap a two-game losing streak with a victory over Chicago.
The Knicks avenged an eight-point loss to the Bulls on Monday, earning a split of the back-to-back series by shooting 48.3 percent, including 50 percent from 3-point range. RJ Barrett had 17 points for the Knicks while Mitchell Robinson snagged 11 rebounds.
Poor perimeter shooting plagued the Bulls, who shot 6-for-36 (16.7 percent) from long range, including just two makes from deep in the second half. Zach LaVine had 24 points and seven assists for Chicago, which has lost four of five.
New Orleans Pelicans 123 – Phoenix Suns 101
Zion Williamson scored 28 points as host New Orleans defeated Phoenix.
Williamson made 12 of 14 field-goal attempts while contributing seven rebounds and six assists. New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram scored 23, Lonzo Ball added 18 and Steven Adams returned from a one-game absence caused by a sore calf to score 11 points and grab 13 rebounds.
Devin Booker scored 25, Deandre Ayton added 13 points and 11 rebounds, Abdel Nadar had 11 points and Chris Paul scored 10 to lead Phoenix.
Oklahoma City Thunder 104 – Houston Rockets 87
Kenrich Williams scored a season-high 19 points off the bench to help Oklahoma City to a home win over Houston.
The Rockets had their six-game winning streak snapped while the Thunder won at home for just the second time this season. The Rockets shot just 12 of 46 (26.1 percent) from behind the arc as their scoring total and 3-point shooting percentage were both season lows.
Darius Bazley added 18, Al Horford 17 and Hamidou Diallo 16 for Oklahoma City. The Thunder were without a pair of starters, including leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and lost a third (Luguentz Dort) in the first half. Eric Gordon led the Rockets with 22 points.
Milwaukee Bucks 130 – Indiana Pacers 110
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his third triple-double of the season, propelling Milwaukee to a runaway victory over visiting Indiana.
Antetokounmpo needed just 31 minutes to put up 21 points, a game-high 14 rebounds and a season-high-tying 10 assists. With his 21st career triple-double, Antetokounmpo moved into a tie for 22nd on the NBA’s all-time list with four others, including Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Domantas Sabonis complemented a game- and season-high 33 points with a team-high 12 rebounds for the Pacers, who have lost three of four.
Philadelphia 76ers 118 – Charlotte Hornets 111
Joel Embiid scored 34 points and Tobias Harris added 26 to help Philadelphia complete a perfect three-game road trip with a victory over Charlotte.
Danny Green finished with 16 points, Ben Simmons scored 15 along with nine assists and Shake Milton added 13 off the bench for the 76ers.
Gordon Hayward and rookie LaMelo Ball each scored 22 points and Devonte’ Graham had 18 points and seven assists for the Hornets, who saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt.
Dallas Mavericks 122 – Atlanta Hawks 116
Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. combined to score 73 points as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a win at Atlanta.
Doncic scored 27 points, his eighth straight game with 25-plus points, and added eight rebounds and 14 assists. Porzingis finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds while Hardaway came off the bench to make five 3-pointers and score 22.
Atlanta was led by John Collins, who matched his career high with 35 points and grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds. Kevin Huerter added 21 points and 10 assists, and Trae Young scored 21 points while handing out nine assists.
Washington Wizards 103 – Miami Heat 100
NBA leading scorer Bradley Beal posted a game-high 32 points to lead Washington past host Miami. The Wizards recorded just their second win in the past seven games.
With the Wizards ahead 101-100, Miami’s Goran Dragic missed a closely guarded drive with 9.9 seconds left. Ish Smith grabbed the deflected rebound for the Wizards and made two free throws with 5.8 seconds remaining. The Heat’s last possession resulted in Tyler Herro’s unsuccessful 3-point attempt from beyond the top of the key.
Miami, which lost its second straight game, was led by Herro’s 20 points, and Jimmy Butler had 19 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Washington’s Russell Westbrook, coming off a triple-double on Tuesday in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, was rested on Wednesday.
Sacramento Kings 116 – Boston Celtics 111
De’Aaron Fox scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and also had 11 assists to lead Sacramento past visiting Boston.
Harrison Barnes added 24 points and rookie Tyrese Haliburton matched his season best of five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 21 points off the bench for the Kings. Buddy Hield contributed 15 points and a season-high 11 rebounds as Sacramento won for the fifth time in the past six games.
Jayson Tatum recorded 27 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds and Jaylen Brown scored 21 for the Celtics, who have lost six of their past nine games. Boston’s Kemba Walker (knee) was held out for rest on the second night of a back-to-back.
San Antonio Spurs 111 – Minnesota Timberwolves 108
DeMar DeRozan poured in 30 points, 16 of those in the fourth quarter, as San Antonio roared back from a 16-point deficit in fourth quarter to defeat visiting Minnesota.
Jakob Poeltl scored a season-high 19 points for the Spurs, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Dejounte Murray scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Malik Beasley led Minnesota with 29 points. D’Angelo Russell had 20 and Anthony Edwards 14 for the Timberwolves, who have lost nine consecutive road games.
–Field Level Media
