Timberwolves beat Lakers 121-104 for first Christmas win

By DAN GREENSPAN
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Minnesota Timberwolves got their first-ever Christmas victory, and with the way things are coming together, it could be the first of many showcase wins.

Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 10 rebounds and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 121-104 on Monday night.

"I'm happy to be part of history for the franchise, but this won't be the first and the only one that we ever win," Towns said. "We'll have a lot more opportunities I'm banking on to do this again and again and again."

Former Southern California standout Taj Gibson had 23 points and nine rebounds for the Timberwolves, who have won four straight. Jamal Crawford added 19 points off the bench.

Lakers rookie Kyle Kuzma scored 31 points, joining LeBron James in 2003 as the only first-year players to score at least 30 points on Christmas Day in the last 30 seasons.

Jordan Clarkson had 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Julius Randle had 16 points and seven rebounds for the Lakers, who have lost three in a row and six of seven.

Minnesota pulled away when Towns and Crawford combined to score all 16 points during a 16-1 run after Randle put Los Angeles up 84-83 with 11:14 to play.

The Lakers cut the deficit to 105-99 with 4:30 remaining, but Gibson knocked down a hook shot and 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to restore a double-digit lead.

"He just has a knack of coming up with big plays when you need it the most," Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau said. "What he has brought to the team and what Jimmy has brought to the team has really changed everything for us."

While the Timberwolves have been able to jumpstart their development with the addition of Butler, Gibson and Crawford, the Lakers showed their potential, even without Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball. Ball sprained his left shoulder against Portland on Saturday, and Ingram missed his second straight game with quad injuries.

Kuzma scored 10 of the Lakers' first 14 points, and kept a short-handed bunch in the mix. The Timberwolves led by 10 with 7:42 left in the second quarter, but the Lakers closed the half on a 22-13 run. Kuzma hit a 3 with 1:07 left to give Los Angeles its first lead before Butler hit a spinning layup to put Minnesota in front 53-52 at the break.

"I like what he's about, how he likes to compete," Lakers coach Luke Walton said of Kuzma, who is averaging 30 points during his last five games. "For us and the way we want to play, we want it to come organically to him, so we're not just running plays for him every time."

TIP-INS

Timberwolves: Towns had 18 points in the second half. ... F Nemanja Bjelica had one point and two rebounds in six minutes after missing 15 games with a sprained left foot.

Lakers: Los Angeles missed out on a chance to break a tie with the New York Knicks for most wins on Christmas Day, dropping to 22-22. The Lakers played on Christmas Day for the 19th consecutive season.

LOOK INTO THE FUTURE?

Even without Ingram and Ball, the Lakers' youth invited comparisons to where the Timberwolves were last season. Thibodeau understands why the parallels are being made and expects Los Angeles to be even more of a pest as the season goes on.

"I've watched their Warrior games, they're all hard-fought games," Thibodeau said. "I think the future is bright, and when you have young guys it takes a little bit of time. A big part of learning is the trial and error of going through games."

SPEED IT UP

Despite barbs from analyst Charles Barkley and the TNT crew about their methodical tempo on offense, the Timberwolves scored 38 points in the fourth quarter.

"We pushed the pace. They were really pushing their pace on us early on and we weren't playing with the energy that we needed," Towns said.

UP NEXT

Timberwolves: Host Memphis on Wednesday night.

Lakers: Host Denver on Wednesday night.

Westbrook scores 31, OKC keeps rolling with win over Rockets

By CLIFF BRUNT
Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Oklahoma City is starting to have the look of a contender.

Russell Westbrook had 31 points and 11 assists to help the Thunder stay hot with a 112-107 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday night.

Paul George scored 24 points and Carmelo Anthony added 20 for the Thunder, who won their fifth straight game and their 11th in their past 14. Oklahoma City shot 54.4 percent from the field against the Rockets, who entered the day with the best record in the Western Conference.

The Thunder started 4-7 after acquiring George and Anthony in the offseason, but they've charged back to the center of the West's playoff picture as they've figured out how to distribute the ball among their stars.

"Every night, teams guard us differently," Westbrook said. "Once we figure that out and see how teams are guarding us - find ways to make the game easier for (George and Anthony), and that's my job."

James Harden led the Rockets with 29 points, but he made just 7 of 18 field goals. The league's leading scorer was coming off back-to-back 51-point games.

"Give them credit," Harden said. "They made big-time shots. We had our chances, though. We had several chances, we just couldn't convert and we couldn't get stops when we needed to."

Trevor Ariza and Eric Gordon each scored 20 points and Clint Capela added 19 points and 10 rebounds for Houston, which lost its third straight.

Houston point guard Chris Paul sat out with a groin strain. The Rockets are 15-1 when he plays and 10-6 when he doesn't.

The Thunder held the Rockets below their league-best average of 115.4 points per game. The Rockets made just 12 of 37 3-pointers.

"I thought tonight we made multiple efforts, which we knew we was going to have to do against a fast-paced team like that, a team that likes to move the ball, play fast, put up a lot of shots, put up a lot of 3s," Anthony said. "We knew that we was going to have to scramble tonight, and I thought we did a great job tonight of not getting frustrated when they did make some tough shots, make some 3s."

Westbrook shot 4 for 14 in the first half but made his last two before the break to help the Thunder lead 58-57 at halftime. Harden had 11 points in the first half but made just 1 of 8 shots.

Westbrook broke away for a fast-break dunk to give the Thunder a 65-59 lead early in the third quarter. The Rockets rallied, and the score was tied at 88 heading into the fourth.

Houston had the ball down by three in the final minute. Harden missed a wild 3-pointer while trying but failing to draw a foul, and the Thunder got control in a scramble. Westbrook found Andre Roberson for a layup with 21 seconds left to put the Thunder up 112-107.

Westbrook scored 11 points in just under nine minutes in the fourth quarter.

"I'm coming," he said. "That's what I bring to the table. Once I hit the floor, it's nonstop."

TIP-INS

Rockets: Capela returned to the starting lineup. He had missed the previous two games with a left heel contusion. ... Houston committed just one turnover in the first quarter and 14 overall.

Thunder: Roberson left in the first quarter but returned later in the period with fingers taped together on his left hand. ... C Steven Adams had 12 points and six rebounds in the first quarter and finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds ... George and Anthony had three fouls in the first half. George finished with five and Anthony with four.

QUOTABLE

Anthony played without his shooter arm sleeves early in the game and didn't feel like himself without them.

"That wasn't me out there," he said. "Honestly I don't know who that was out there. I swear, I don't know who that was."

STAT LINES

Westbrook, George and Anthony combined to make 16 of 22 field goals in the second half.

UP NEXT

Rockets: At Boston on Thursday night.

Thunder: Host Toronto on Wednesday night.

Beal's 25 points carries Wizards by Celtics 111-103

By KEN POWTAK
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) -- Washington's talented guards made themselves at home at Boston's Christmas party.

Bradley Beal scored 25 points, John Wall had 21 points and 14 assists, and the Wizards beat Boston 111-103 on Monday in the Celtics' first Christmas Day home game in franchise history.

"For us to get a win, that was big time," Wall said. "Playing against a great team, one of the hottest teams in the league. They've been in a slump lately, but it's a team that we know we might have to battle later on, and to get a win it was great."

Otto Porter Jr. added 20 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 16, helping Washington take the first meeting between the teams since Boston's Game 7 victory at home in the second round of the playoffs last spring.

"I felt a little nostalgic out there," Oubre said. "It brought me back to the playoffs and all the good memories that we have in here. The fans chanting crazy stuff, it just brought me back to a place where you know it got me locked in man, like it was the playoffs, so it was a great atmosphere out there."

Boston lost for the third time in four games. Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum each scored 20 points for the Celtics, and Terry Rozier had 16.

The Celtics are 11-8 since opening the season 16-2.

"It hasn't been one of the best stretches for us, but we have a resilient group," Irving said. "That right there is enough for us to go on and make progress in the right direction."

Boston forward Al Horford thinks it's just a normal course of a season.

"You go through ups and downs in a season," he said. "Tonight, I felt good about our chances. We put ourselves in position to win the game and we weren't able to do it."

Boston opened a 95-90 lead on Irving's 3-pointer with 6:18 left, but the Wizards responded with a 12-0 run. Beal capped the spurt with a three-point play and a breakaway dunk off a turnover.

Wall added a layup and two free throws down the stretch to help Washington hold on

Last season, the teams had a testy rivalry with lots of trash-talking and a few games filled with hard fouls. It was more civil on Monday, just a tight defensive game with numerous contested shots and a few hard screens.

The Wizards led by two at halftime and opened the third quarter by scoring 13 of the first 17 points, pulling ahead 65-54 on Marcin Gortat's three-point play. Gortat had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

TIP-INS

Wizards: It was Gortat's ninth double-double this season. ... Wall was scoreless in the opening quarter.

Celtics: F Marcus Morris returned after missing 10 of the last 11 games with a sore left knee. ... Reserve F Semi Ojeleye missed the game with a sore back after he tested it during pregame warmups. . Jaylen Brown left the arena with one crutch and appeared to favoring his left leg.

FIRST NOEL

The Celtics played for the 31st time on Christmas, with 28 of the previous games on the road and the other two at neutral sites before Monday.

"As much fun as it is to be with family, this is what our family does," Boston coach Brad Stevens said. "We've been in gyms for most Christmases of our lives, so it's really fun to get a chance to compete on Christmas Day."

GRONK SIGHTING

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was seated courtside wearing a Santa hat. He got a huge ovation when he was shown on the videoboard.

FAMILY TIME

Morris brothers Marcus (Boston) and Markieff (Wizards) were matched up against each other a few times. At one point, it looked as if they were both smiling when Marcus missed a jumper over his brother.

WARM WELCOMING

Injured forward Gordon Hayward walked out to center court before the game and wished the fans a merry Christmas and happy holidays on behalf of the Celtics' organization.

UP NEXT

Wizards: At the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

Celtics: At the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. Boston won the previous game between the teams on Nov. 10 at home.

Durant delivers on both ends, Warriors beat Cavaliers 99-92

By JANIE McCAULEY
Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) LeBron James drove to the basket in the waning seconds and Kevin Durant swatted away any chance Cleveland had at a Christmas Day comeback.

Durant pumped his fist again and again, emphatically shook his head and pounded his chest in delight. It looked a lot like the dominant Durant from the NBA Finals six months ago.

Klay Thompson hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:33 left, Durant delivered on both ends of the floor, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Cavaliers 99-92 on Monday in a festive holiday rematch of the past three Finals.

"There's just so much joy in the arena today because it's Christmas and we all feed off of that," Durant said.

Durant's block against a driving James with 24.5 seconds left went out of bounds off James, who said he thought he was fouled on the play. Durant finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots.

"He's one of the leaders in shot blocks a game and obviously he had five tonight, so he's been doing a heck of a job of first of all taking the individual matchup and protecting the rim, too," James said.

Kevin Love had 31 points and a season-best 18 rebounds, while James contributed 20 points, six rebounds and six assists in a rivalry missing one key piece: Warriors star Stephen Curry, who missed his eighth straight game with a sprained right ankle.

Thompson scored 24 points and Draymond Green had a triple-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. It was Golden State's 12th win in 13 games after its 11-game winning streak was snapped by Denver on Saturday night.

Warriors rookie Jordan Bell traveled with 2:13 left and James tied it. Bell made up for that mistake with a key offensive rebound and pass to Thompson for his fourth 3.

James' 3-pointer with 10:39 left pulled Cleveland within one, but Green answered with a 3 and Andre Iguodala scored two of his nine points the next time down. In another key sequence, Durant blocked Tristan Thompson's shot with 6:23 to go and dunked moments later.

No surprise, the up-tempo, running rivals provided high entertainment once again. The Warriors last June captured a second championship in three years against James and the Cavaliers.

"I forgot all about it," Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said with a chuckle.

The teams will see each other again soon, playing Jan. 15 in Cleveland.

KD requested James for his defensive assignment, to which he explained simply, "I just like guarding my position."

The Cavs, having won six of seven and playing for the first time since Thursday, had their run of scoring at least 100 points end at 26 games.

The Warriors were at nearly full strength again aside from Curry, who could return this week once he goes through some scrimmages at practice.

Center Zaza Pachulia was available but didn't play after sitting out seven consecutive games, while Shaun Livingston came back after missing four games with a sore right knee.

Bell - who addressed the sellout crowd at midcourt moments before tipoff - started at center and had eight points and six rebounds.

SHOOTING WOES

The Cavs' 31.8-percent shooting was the lowest by a Warriors opponent in nearly four years, since Charlotte shot 31.2 percent from the field on Feb. 4, 2014.

"We just didn't make shots," Lue said.

A REAL RIVALRY

Sure, this one felt a little strange without Curry or Kyrie Irving, now in Boston.

"Golden State-Cavaliers, that's a big game, no matter who's playing, who's out," Lue said.

"It will be weird, without Steph, without Ky, especially the battles we've had over the last three years. So both teams look different."

Warriors coach Steve Kerr knows just the uniforms are enough to get everybody going - and this marked the third straight Christmas matchup between the franchises, alternating home floors based on who won the title.

"It's always great to play the Cavs, they're an awesome team," Kerr said. "LeBron is so amazing and it's so fun to feel the energy in the building when the two teams get together. Neither team will look the same as we will even a month from now because Steph and Isaiah Thomas both should be back, hopefully they'll both be back. ... But it doesn't even matter sometimes, just the two uniforms in the same building gets people going."

TIP-INS

Cavaliers: Lue isn't yet ready to guess when Thomas will return following his right hip injury. "He is progressing very well," Lue said. "The most important thing is that he is getting to practice and playing 5-on-5 and having a chance to experience feeling well after it and not having soreness." ... Cleveland is 19-3 since Nov. 11, including 8-3 on the road.

Warriors: Durant averaged 32 points over his seven previous Christmas Day games. ... Golden State played its fifth consecutive Christmas game and seventh in eight. ... The Warriors were 10 of 37 on 3s after they went a dismal 3 for 27 from 3-point range in losing to the Nuggets. ... Kerr began his pregame session by thanking all of the arena staff and Golden State employees for their service and for working on the holiday. ... Thompson's holiday sneakers might have stood out most: neon green on the left foot, neon pink on the right.

UP NEXT

Cavaliers: Visit Kings on Wednesday as they play the middle contest of a three-game West trip.

Warriors: Host Utah on Wednesday.

Embiid, Redick help 76ers beat Knicks, end 5-game skid

By BRIAN MAHONEY
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) Joel Embiid has endured too much misery in the NBA to miss one of the fun days on the schedule.

So as soon as he knew his back felt up to it, he couldn't wait to get on the court for his first Christmas Day game.

Embiid had 25 points and 16 rebounds, JJ Redick scored 24 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 105-98 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday.

"Especially after what we've been through the past four years, I was so excited to play tonight because we've been through so much losing," Embiid said. "And to be able to be one of the few teams in our league that can play on this day, it just shows you how much we've improved."

Neither Embiid nor Redick was cleared to play until going through pregame warmups, and their presence gave the 76ers just enough to win their first Christmas Day appearance since 2001.

Embiid, who has been battling a bad back, powered through a big-man duel with Enes Kanter, who had a season-high 31 points and tied a career best with 22 rebounds. He joined Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Bob Lanier as the only players with a 30-20 game on Christmas, according to research provided to the Knicks by Elias.

"I respect the guy a lot because that guy didn't play three, four years and coming back (at the) level he's playing right now," Kanter said of Embiid. "So it's cool to play against, go against a guy like that."

Redick, who missed the last game with right hamstring tightness, helped the 76ers pull away from an 89-all tie midway through the fourth quarter. He's played in Christmas games before - and made clear again he's not a fan of them - and he thought his young teammates responded well to their first opportunity.

"There's a tendency to try to put on a show instead of just going out and competing, and I think we did a great job of just going out and competing," Redick said.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 22 points for the Knicks, who fell to 22-30 on Christmas with their fifth straight loss on the holiday.

Backup point guard T.J. McConnell had Philadelphia's final eight points of the third quarter, and the 76ers pushed the lead to nine with about 9 minutes left in the game. The Knicks battled back to tied it 89 on Porzingis' three-point play with 5:20 left, but Philadelphia promptly scored the next seven to go up 96-89 on Redick's 3-pointer with 3:34 to play.

Philadelphia's young stars kept the Knicks from getting much closer, with Embiid making a 3-pointer and Ben Simmons stealing Porzingis' pass and dunking it, both times hiking the lead back to eight.

TIP-INS

76ers: Coach Brett Brown called Embiid a "borrowed stud" who they get to "inherit" when he is able to play. "He doesn't practice and he comes in and plays games and we're trying to grow him into a situation where he is a normal part of a team," Brown said. ... The Sixers franchise is 17-13 on Christmas.

Knicks: Hall of Famer Bernard King, who set the Christmas record when he scored 60 points for the Knicks against the Nets in 1984, was at the game. ... New York had won seven straight at home over Philadelphia.

FULTZ UPDATE

No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz, who has missed two months with right shoulder soreness, is on the trip with the 76ers. Brown said the purpose of having the guard from Washington with the team was "to make sure that he understands completely he is a significant part of our future and that we are with him unconditionally."

"We will help move him forward in a timeline that's responsible and I just like having him with his extended family, his teammates, with me, with us," Brown added. "Those types of things."

WHAT COULD'VE BEEN

Porzingis could've been playing for the 76ers instead of against them Monday. The Knicks took him with the No. 4 pick in 2015, one spot after Philadelphia went with Jahlil Okafor, who eventually fell out of the rotation entirely and was dealt earlier this month to Brooklyn. But Brown declined to look back, saying "next question" when asked if he ever wondered "what if?" when it came to Porzingis.

UP NEXT

76ers: Visit Portland on Thursday.

Knicks: Visit Chicago on Wednesday.

NBA roundup: George gets win in return to Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS -- Paul George was held to 12 points in his return to Indiana, but Steven Adams scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 100-95 victory over the Pacers on Wednesday night.

George was booed loudly when introduced and every time he touched the ball throughout the game. The four-time All-Star was traded to Oklahoma City in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis after he told the Pacers he didn't plan to re-sign with the team following the 2017-18 season. George shot 3-of-14 on Wednesday.

Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, despite shooting 3 of 17 from the field, delivered his ninth triple-double of the season with 10 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists.

Oladipo led the Pacers with 19 points but shot 9 of 26 from the floor. Bojan Bogdanovic added 15 for Indiana, and Thaddeus Young had 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals.

ROCKETS 108, HORNETS 96

HOUSTON -- Chris Paul posted a season-high 31 points, Houston seized control with a 25-0 run bridging the first and second quarters to extend their winning streak to 11 games with a victory over Charlotte.

Paul added 11 assists and seven rebounds to his ledger and dominated the game on both ends as Houston extended its winning streak to 11 games and improved to 12-0 with Paul in their lineup. James Harden added 21 points and eight assists while Eric Gordon scored 17 points off the bench for Houston.

Dwight Howard paced the Hornets with 26 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks. Kidd-Gilchrist added 18 points and 11 boards while Kemba Walker was held to 13 points.

WIZARDS 93, GRIZZLIES 87

WASHINGTON -- Bradley Beal scored 18 points and John Wall had 13 in his return from a left knee injury as Washington fended off struggling Memphis.

Wall sat out the previous nine games after receiving injections in his knee Nov. 25 to deal with inflammation. The Wizards went 4-5 without the four-time All-Star.

Andrew Harrison scored 20 points for the Grizzlies, who shot 38.3 percent and lost for the 16th time in 17 games. JaMychal Green totaled 15 and 15 rebounds while Marc Gasol finished with 15 and 10.

CELTICS 124, NUGGETS 118

BOSTON -- Kyrie Irving returned from a one-game absence caused by a quad bruise and scored 33 points as Boston beat Denver.

Jaylen Brown added 26 points and Aron Baynes had 17 as the Celtics overcame a career-high 36 points by Nuggets guards Gary Harris and 28 by Jamal Murray.

Irving added seven assists, and Boston's Jayson Tatum scored 15 points.

TRAIL BLAZERS 102, HEAT 95

MIAMI -- CJ McCollum scored a game-high 28 points and Damian Lillard came alive late as the Portland rallied from a 16-point, second-half deficit to defeat Miami.

Lillard, who has scored more than 30 points 10 times this season, was held to nine points through three quarters. However, he finished with 18 points to help the Trail Blazers snap a season-worst, five-game losing streak.

The Heat were led by reserve guard Wayne Ellington, who had 24 points.

PELICANS 115, BUCKS 108

NEW ORLEANS -- DeMarcus Cousins scored a team-high 26 points, including a 3-pointer from the left wing with 22 seconds left, and Anthony Davis added 25 points to power New Orleans to a victory over Milwaukee.

The Pelicans trailed 94-87 early in the fourth quarter but outscored the Bucks 28-14 in the final 10 minutes. Cousins added 13 rebounds, and Davis had 10 boards. E'Twaun Moore scored 21 points for New Orleans.

Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with a game-high 32 points.

BULLS 103, JAZZ 100

CHICAGO -- Nikola Mirotic scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Robin Lopez scored 16 as Chicago beat Utah for its fourth straight victory.

The Bulls, who have not lost since snapping a 10-game losing streak last week, had all five starters reach double figures. Denzel Valentine and Kris Dunn each added 13 points for Chicago, which also got 12 points from Justin Holiday.

Rookie Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 32 points to pace the Jazz, who dropped their fourth straight and fell to 2-10 on the road.

CLIPPERS 106, MAGIC 95

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Reserve Lou Williams scored 31 points, and Los Angeles beat Orlando.

DeAndre Jordan dominated around the basket with 16 points and 20 rebounds. Sam Dekker had 12 points for the Clippers, who won their third straight.

Jonathon Simmons led the Magic with 20 points and eight assists. Nikola Vucevic had 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Elfrid Payton scored 13 points. Mario Hezonja, in his second start of the season, managed 17 points and nine rebounds.

RAPTORS 115, SUNS 109

PHOENIX -- DeMar DeRozan scored 18 of his 37 points in the third quarter, and Toronto wrapped up a 3-1 Western Conference road trip with a win over Phoenix.

The Raptors, who got 21 points and 13 rebounds from Serge Ibaka and 20 points and 11 rebounds from Jonas Valanciunas, followed up wins over the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings by sweeping the season series from the Suns for only the fourth time in team history.

Troy Daniels had a career-high 32 points including seven 3-pointers for Phoenix. The Suns lost their fifth in a row and fell to 0-4 since losing star Devin Booker to an adductor injury.

Paul, Rockets run past Hornets

HOUSTON -- Earlier in the week, Houston Rockets guard James Harden insisted that backcourt mate Chris Paul assert himself offensively. On Wednesday night, Paul required no such prodding.

Paul ran roughshod with the second unit, and Houston parlayed a run bridging the first and second quarters into a 108-96 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at Toyota Center.

Houston (22-4) extended its winning streak to 11 games as Paul posted a season-high 31 points plus seven rebounds and 11 assists. He finished 5 of 9 on 3-point attempts and 10 of 16 overall, and he was the linchpin of a group that reeled off a 25-0 run to blow the game open.

"I sort of control the pace with that group," Paul said of being paired with the reserves upon re-entering the game late in the first period. "Early in the game, it's both me and James, and we both pick our spots. With that second unit, I dictate the tempo. I just take whatever is there."

Harden added 21 points and eight assists while Eric Gordon scored 17 points off the bench for Houston. The Rockets struggled catching a rhythm before Paul and the bench wrangled control late in the first quarter, turning a 21-18 deficit into a 26-point cushion with a relentless surge.

While Charlotte (10-17) managed just one field goal between a Michael Kidd-Gilchrist dunk at the 3:40 mark of the first quarter and a Kemba Walker pull-up jumper with 8:07 left in the first half, Houston scored 32 points during that stretch, including seven 3-pointers plus a three-point play.

The Rockets' 25-0 run started with a P.J. Tucker jumper with 2:07 left in the first and concluded when Gordon hit the Rockets' third consecutive trey at the 9:52 mark of the second. Paul scored 10 successive points at one point and later sank a 3-pointer before Gordon capped the rally.

"He was extremely aggressive," Harden said of Paul. "We just kind of rode that wave throughout the entire game.

"He's been having to play-make and get his teammates involved for the last several years. Now he doesn't have to do that consistently. He can go out there and get in his bag and shoot threes and show how his handles are crazy."

The Hornets were undone by their bench in the first half. As Houston stretched its lead, Charlotte's reserves totaled two points on 1-for-9 shooting. The Hornets' starters re-entered and managed to cut the deficit to 12 points, but that working deficit proved too large to overcome.

At the half, Charlotte reserve guard Jeremy Lamb and backup forward Frank Kaminsky were a minus-30 and minus-31, respectively, in plus-minus. Lamb finished at minus-32; Kaminsky was minus-38.

"We depend on them and we will continue to depend on those guys," Hornets associate head coach Stephen Silas said of the bench unit. "It was just one of those runs that's disappointing, but we've got to learn from it and move on."

Charlotte's Dwight Howard recorded a season-high-tying 26 points plus 18 rebounds and three blocks against one of his former teams. Kidd-Gilchrist chipped in 18 points and 11 rebounds while Walker added 13 points but on 5-for-15 shooting. Charlotte missed 17 of 21 3-point attempts.

Houston, conversely, was 16 of 35 on 3-pointers before going cold during garbage time in the fourth.

"That's their strength. That's where they're putting a lot of pressure on the league," Hornets forward Marvin Williams said. "They have guys that can shoot from all over the floor, and not just 3-pointers but 2, 3 feet behind the line. And they shoot so many of them.

"They have two great playmakers in James Harden and Chris Paul. They put a ton of pressure on your defense because they do have shooting everywhere."

NOTES: Hornets F Nicolas Batum missed the previous game with a left elbow injury but returned to the starting lineup and finished with nine points and nine rebounds. ... An added benefit to the Rockets' acquisition of G Chris Paul is the lessened workload on G James Harden. Entering Wednesday, Harden was averaging 35.9 minutes per game, his lowest in his six seasons with Houston. He played just 31 minutes against Charlotte. Harden led the NBA in total minutes in 2014-15 (2,981) and 2015-16 (3,125). ... Rockets F Luc Mbah a Moute dislocated his right shoulder after taking an awkward fall following a dunk late in the second quarter. Mbah a Moute is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Thursday morning, with the subsequent results to determine how long he will be sidelined.

Raptors overcome strong effort from Suns' bench

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns' reserves kept the game interesting, but the Toronto Raptors' starting lineup showcased too much firepower.

DeMar DeRozan scored 18 of his 37 points in the third quarter, and Toronto's starters totaled 99 points in a 115-109 win over the Suns on Wednesday.

The Raptors wrapped up a 3-1 Western Conference road trip.

"We had to fight hard for this win, and it's something we can learn from without it hurting us," said DeRozan, who recorded his sixth 30-point game of the season and 86th as a Raptor, second to Vince Carter (91) in team history. "We've had good third quarters this season, and the starters come out and get things rolling."

The Raptors got 21 points and 13 rebounds from Serge Ibaka, plus 20 points and 11 rebounds from Jonas Valanciunas. Kyle Lowry added 12 on 3-of-12 shooting, but it was enough for Toronto to overcome 55 points from Phoenix's second unit, including a career-high 32 points and seven 3-pointers from Troy Daniels.

"We talked about (Daniels) before the game, and he just shot lights out," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said after his team followed up wins over the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings by sweeping the season series from the Suns for only the fourth time in team history. "We couldn't get consecutive stops and kept giving them confidence. But we found a way, executed down the stretch, got the line and made our free throws."

With the starters resting, Toronto let most of a 15-point, third-quarter lead slip away. Alex Len's basket capped a 12-0 Phoenix run to pull the Suns within 92-89 with 9:22 left.

"I felt like if we could just keep it to 10 points at the end of the third they'd have to go to their bench and that's where we can kind of claw back a little and we did," Phoenix interim coach Jay Triano said. "We had a couple of little lapses here and there, and we had a tough time with DeMar, who's an All-Star and tough to guard. They had more guys playing better than we did."

The Suns got as close as 111-109 in the final minute but the Raptors (18-8) made five of six free throws in the final 30 seconds to hold them off.

Daniels made seven of his 10 3-point attempts. He has 60 3-pointers this season, third behind Kyle Korver of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Wayne Ellington of the Miami Heat among NBA reserves.

"My teammates were finding me," Daniels said. "I had a couple go in early, which is very important, and the rest were just falling."

The Suns (9-21) lost their fifth in a row and are 0-4 since losing star Devin Booker to an adductor injury. Greg Monroe added 17 points and 11 rebounds, and TJ Warren had 17 points but needed 15 shots to get them.

The Raptors hit five of seven 3-pointers in the first quarter, and DeRozan and Lowry combined for seven assists on Toronto's 11 baskets. Valanciunas and Ibaka combined for 18 points in the quarter, and a 3-pointer by C.J. Miles with 31 seconds left gave Toronto a 37-31 lead.

"Our big played great," Lowry said. "They got a chance to play against their bigs, and they got the better of them tonight. They scored and rebounded the ball extremely well."

Phoenix's reserves outscored Toronto 29-13 in the first half and got a big lift from Daniels. He had nine of his 14 first-half points from three 3-pointers, the last one capping a 7-0 run to give Phoenix a 46-46 lead with 6:16 left in the half.

The Raptors came right back with an 11-2 run, and Lowry's first two points on two free throws with 17.3 seconds left gave Toronto a 58-53 lead at the half.

NOTES: With four injured players, the Suns received an injury exemption and signed G Isaiah Canaan to a contract. Canaan, who did not play Wednesday, has appeared with three other NBA teams, most recently the Houston Rockets. Canaan can play the point, where depth has been a problem since Phoenix traded Eric Bledsoe to the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 7. ... Phoenix C Tyson Chandler missed the game due to personal reasons. ... Toronto has played the fewest home games in the NBA (10) and won't have a road trip longer than three games or a road game west of the Central time zone for the rest of the year. ... Suns interim coach Jay Triano was 87-142 in three seasons as head coach of the Raptors (2008-11).

Cousins powers Pelicans past Bucks

NEW ORLEANS -- DeMarcus Cousins plays basketball in bold, broad strokes, perhaps because subtlety in the NBA usually is reserved for chumps.

The maddeningly talented New Orleans Pelicans center showed his entire yin-and-yang arsenal Wednesday night in a 115-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at the Smoothie King Center.

He scored a team-high 26 points -- including a 3-pointer from the left wing that sealed the game with 22 seconds left -- grabbed 13 rebounds, dished out seven assists and, not surprisingly, committed nine turnovers.

After finishing one turnover shy of a triple-double, Cousins said decision-making is something he is trying to work on. Cousins was a big reason the Pelicans were able to overcome 21 turnovers against Milwaukee, almost half of which he committed.

"I'm the main culprit of that," said Cousins, who is averaging 5.1 turnovers a game, most in the league next to Russell Westbrook's 4.7. "It just shows how good we could be if we just cut down half our turnovers. Just got to take care of the ball better, make better decisions. I definitely have to make better decisions with the ball. I take full responsibility for the high amount of turnovers."

With the bad comes a lot of good.

Cousins scored nine points in the final 8:12, a key reason the Pelicans (15-14) outscored the Bucks 28-14 in the final 10 minutes to win going away.

Cousins made another key play when he rebounded a missed 3-point attempt by teammate Jameer Nelson and one-handed the ball for a tomahawk dunk, putting the Pelicans up 106-101 with 4:20 left.

"I saw that Jameer was going to miss," Cousins said while laughing. "Something just told me to keep going. When it left his hand, it didn't look too good. I'm not the guy who's (normally) soaring above the rim, but the opportunity kind of presented itself, and I took advantage of that."

New Orleans' Anthony Davis, coming back from a left adductor strain that sidelined him for one game, added 25 points and 10 rebounds, and guard E'Twaun Moore continued his torrid outside shooting, making 4 of 6 from 3-point range to finish with 21 points.

Milwaukee (15-11) got a game-high 32 points and nine rebounds from Giannis Antetokounmpo -- his 12th 30-point-plus game of the season. However, the NBA's second-leading scorer was held to 11 points in the second half on 3-of-9 shooting.

"I thought we did a much better job of pulling in and taking away driving lanes," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. "(Antetokounmpo) likes to drive the ball and then spin. We took that away from him. And then I thought AD did a great job against him, getting into him and being a little more physical with him and making him a jump shooter. We kept him out of the lane."

The Pelicans trailed 94-87 early in the fourth quarter after Milwaukee scored the first nine points of the period, but New Orleans outscored the Bucks 28-14 in the final 10 minutes. After using a 12-4 run to pull back in front 99-98 with 7:01 left, the Pelicans began to pull away, scoring nine of the next 12 points, with Cousins highlighting the 21-7 run with his one-hand rebound of Nelson's miss for the thunderous dunk.

Cousins followed up by feeding Holiday for a layup to put New Orleans up 108-101 with 3:39 left. The Pelicans made 13 of 25 3-point attempts, in part because of excellent movement (35 assists on 45 made field goals).

"We knew coming in they were going to shoot a lot of threes," Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd said. "We didn't do a very good job of taking that away. We didn't guard the 3-point line in the fourth quarter."

"I think they hit threes," Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon said. "Threes have been our killer for the last two years. They made threes down the stretch, and we didn't contest them. That hurts and that wins games."

NOTES: New Orleans G Darius Miller (3 of 5) has made multiple 3-pointers in 13 of his past 16 games. ... Milwaukee C Giannis Antetokounmpo has scored at least 30 points in 12 of 26 games this season. ... The Bucks have scored at least 100 points in 10 consecutive games, but they lost for only the third time in that stretch. ... Pelicans C DeMarcus Cousins had an ugly end of the first half. With the Pelicans milking the final seconds on the clock, holding a 62-61 lead, Cousins turned the ball over at the top the key and the fouled John Henson with one second left. Henson made two free throws for a 63-61 Milwaukee lead. In the second half, Cousins got into a shouting match with a fan sitting at courtside. "He was very disrespectful," Cousins said. "And he was a New Orleans fan."

Lillard leads late rally in Blazers' win over Heat

MIAMI -- The Miami Heat bench players, particularly Udonis Haslem, playfully acted as if they had fainted while watching a strong first-half shooting effort by teammate Wayne Ellington.

In the second half, the Heat wilted -- for real.

C.J. McCollum scored a game-high 28 points and Damian Lillard came alive late as the Portland Trail Blazers rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to defeat Miami 102-95 on Wednesday night at American Airlines Arena.

Lillard, who has scored more than 30 points 10 times this season, had been held to nine points through three quarters. But he finished with 18 points to help Portland (14-13) snap a season-high five-game losing streak.

"You almost hate (Lillard) having a pedestrian box score going into the fourth quarter," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Lillard, who finished the game shooting 5-of-14 from the floor. "You know he's going to put his fingerprints on the game in the fourth."

Lillard shot 2-of-8 through three quarters but had six assists. In the final seven minutes of the game, he made three free throws, two layups and one dunk ... and had no assists.

Portland coach Terry Stotts said Lillard's slow start had partly to do with Miami game-planning for him. But it also had to do with Lillard "reading the game".

"(Lillard) tried to get his teammates involved (early)," Stotts said. "When (Miami) trapped the pick and roll, he was finding the roll man.

"Then he tried to be more aggressive in the second half."

Miami (13-14) was led by Ellington, who had 24 points. He made 8-of-11 shots from the floor, including 7-of-10 on three-pointers.

"That's Wayne," Spoelstra said of Ellington, who was inserted into the game when point guard Goran Dragic picked up two fouls in the first three minutes of the game.

"Wayne is ignitable. He's going to run his patterns full speed every time as if the play is designed for him, even when he is potentially a decoy."

With a win, Spoelstra would have won his 454th game, tying team owner Pat Riley for the franchise record for coaching victories.

But given how Spoelstra's team was outscored 52-35 in the second half while shooting just 34.4 percent from the floor, his impending career milestone was hardly a concern.

Meanwhile, Portland won despite missing its top two centers. The Blazers turned to first-round pick Zach Collins, a 7-0 rookie who had nine points, three rebounds and one block in his first NBA start.

Early on, the Heat had the advantage as Ellington went 5-for-5 on first-quarter three-pointers.

Overall, Miami shot 52.2 percent from the floor in the first quarter, including 8-of-13 on three-pointers (61.5 percent). The Heat also held Portland to 43.8-percent shooting, leading to Miami's 33-21 lead.

Stotts said Portland made a key adjustment to Ellington in the second half. In essence, they didn't lose him in coverage and kept him from getting open.

"We limited him to three shot attempts in the second half," Stotts said, "and the one he made was well-contested."

That tight defense proved to be important as Portland won the second and third quarters, inching closer but still trailing 79-70 entering the fourth.

The Blazers took their first lead of the game, 89-88, at 6:10 of the fourth quarter on a three-point play by Ed Davis.

"We knew we were still in the game," Davis said after the Blazers extended their win streak in this series to four games. "We came out after halftime with that confidence and said, 'Let's chip away, chip away.'"

Davis said Portland played so poorly early that it should've been down by 20 points.

But by hanging around, the Blazers gave Lillard a shot to do his thing late.

"We had lost five in a row -- that's tough for anyone to deal with," Lillard said. "This wasn't a game where we came out, and everyone was making shots. We had to go get it."

NOTES: Portland is 7-5 on the road this season. Miami is 5-7 at home. ... Heat F Justise Winslow sprained his left knee in the second quarter and did not return. ... Blazers F Maurice Harkless (left quadriceps) returned after missing two consecutive games but did not score in nine minutes. ... Blazers C Myers Leonard (illness) sat out. ... Blazers C Jusuf Nurkic missed his third straight game due to an sprained right ankle. ... Heat C Hassan Whiteside (left knee) is expected to miss the rest of the month. ... Heat G Tyler Johnson sat out the game due to a migraine headache. Even though he is a reserve, Johnson is fifth on the team in scoring (10.8) and tied for fourth in assists (2.0). He is also second on the team in free throw percentage (91.5).

Irving, Celtics cruise past Nuggets

BOSTON -- Brad Stevens was relieved his Boston Celtics shot a season-high 59.5 percent from the floor at TD Garden on Wednesday night.

"That was the only way we were going to win tonight the way we were guarding and rebounding," the coach said after the Celtics also registered a season high for points in a 124-118 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

The 118 points tied the most Boston has allowed this season and the Celtics were out-rebounded 48-30, with the Nuggets hauling down 20 offensive boards.

But the offense was superb.

"That was probably one of our best shot-selection games," Stevens said.

Kyrie Irving, returning from a one-game absence caused by a quad bruise, scored 33 points and Jaylen Brown had 26, one off his career and season highs in the win, which followed the team's worst effort of the year in Monday night's loss at Chicago.

"It's always something that you want to build towards as a team, being able to respond and come out, especially on our home floor, and compete," Irving said after the Celtics improved to 24-6. "We started off the game, they were really comfortable, we weren't getting stops the way we wanted to. They were in a great rhythm and we just had to be resilient practically the whole night and just kind of weather their storms.

"They kept coming and kept coming and we had to outscore them at some points because some of those guys got hot and they had some offensive boards but we were pretty resilient tonight."

The Nuggets (15-13) hit their first six shots and had a seven-point first-quarter lead but the Celtics overcame a career-high 36 points by Gary Harris and 28 by Jamal Murray to win a battle between teams hit by the injury bug.

The Nuggets, finishing 2-4 on a six-game road trip, came in with four players averaging between 15.1 and 15.6 points per game and were missing three of them. Paul Millsap (wrist), Nikola Jokic (ankle) and Will Barton (back) are averaging a combined 46.4 points, 22.1 rebounds and 11.2 assists. Harris was the fourth.

The Celtics, who lost Gordon Hayward in the opening game, were resting Al Horford (knee), while Marcus Morris (knee) is expected to be out for weeks.

Irving, who went 12-for-19 from the floor and 4-for-9 from 3-point range, dished out seven assists. Aron Baynes scored 17 points, Jayson Tatum had 15 and Shane Larkin added 14 in 17 1/2 minutes. Larkin was 6 of 6 from the floor and 2 of 2 from 3-point range, the first perfect shooting game of his career with at least six baskets.

Larkin scored nine points in a 2:36 span of the second quarter and had five points, a steal and a block during a 9-0 run that broke things open early in the fourth. He was a plus-14.

"At this point in the season I know when I'm going to go in there and I just have to provide that spark," Larkin said. "That's been my job so far this season, just to go in there, play hard on the defensive end and just take what they give me offensively and tonight I had my shot going early."

Said Stevens: "I felt like Shane's pressure kind of turned the game for us. He made it a little bit tougher for them to get into their stuff. Every action started a little bit higher because he was pressuring the ball."

Brown and Tatum combined to hit 15 of their 21 shots, also nailing four of their five 3-ppint attempts.

Harris and Murray combined for 42 shots, making 25.

"Heart, effort, hustle, determination; I saw that from most of our guys in the starting lineup," Denver coach Michael Malone said. "I thought Jamal Murray goes out and gets 10 rebounds as a point guard. I was really proud of our guys in this regard."'

But Murray, talking about Irving, said, "He's a great player and today he got the best of me."

Mason Plumlee scored 15 points and Wilson Chandler 14 for the Nuggets.

Marcus Smart had nine assists for Boston. Murray and reserve Kenneth Faried each recorded 10 rebounds for Denver.

NOTES: Boston F Gordon Hayward, who sustained a broken left tibia and dislocated ankle in the season opener, discarded his walking boot Wednesday and will stay out of it depending on how his foot responds. "Today has been awesome without the boot," he said. He is slated to miss the rest of the season, but there has been talk of a late-season return. ... Denver F Will Barton, who bruised his lower back in Detroit on Tuesday night, did not play Wednesday. ... The Nuggets go home to meet the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday but then have three of their next four on the road. The Celtics host the Utah Jazz on Friday and visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night, completing a stretch of five games in seven nights.

Wall returns as Wizards defeat Grizzlies

WASHINGTON -- The return of John Wall did not immediately turn the Washington Wizards aesthetically, but they had enough to defeat the struggling Memphis Grizzlies.

Bradley Beal scored 18 points and John Wall had 13 in his return from a left knee injury as the Washington Wizards fended off the Memphis Grizzlies 93-87 on Wednesday.

Wall sat out the previous nine games after receiving injections in his knee Nov. 25 to deal with inflammation. Washington (15-13) went 4-5 without the four-time All-Star. The Wizards returned home from a 2-3 road trip.

Memphis (8-20) has dropped five in a row and 16 of 17, yet stayed with Washington until the final stages.

Wall started and played 28 minutes. His most significant stretch came during the second quarter after Washington squandered most of a 10-point lead. After JaMychal Green's 3-pointer pulled Memphis within two, Wall outscored the Grizzlies 9-0 for a 38-27 lead with 1:59 remaining before halftime.

He showed plenty of agility with a throw down dunk and by blocking a Chandler Parsons dunk attempt late in the fourth quarter.

"I think it was cool other than my four missed free throws," Wall said. "Most important thing is we got the win."

Andrew Harrison scored 20 points for the Grizzles, who shot 38.3 percent from the field and had a season-low 29 points in the first half. Green had 15 points and 15 rebounds, and Marc Gasol added 15 points and 10 boards.

Second-leading scorer Tyreke Evans sat out with right hip soreness.

The Wizards led 50-33 on Porter's 3-pointer with 7:59 remaining in the third quarter but didn't finish the period strong. The Grizzlies entered the fourth down 60-57 and took their first lead at 67-65 on a James Ennis 3-pointer.

Washington countered with a 13-0 run. Beal, who averaged 34.5 points over the previous four games, sank two 3-pointers in this stretch.

Memphis proved resilient and fought back to 83-80 on Gasol's jumper with 2:34 remaining but would get no closer. Beal and Kelly Oubre Jr. sank back-to-back 3-pointers for Washington.

"When you're down at that point, you've got to play perfect," Grizzlies interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "And those 3s especially, they hurt you."

Otto Porter had 14 points, Marcin Gortat 12 and Oubre added 11 for the Wizards. Mike Scott started in place of Markieff Morris (right hip soreness) and scored 10 points.

"It didn't look good because we missed some shots, played a little slow for whatever reason, long trip coming back," Wizards coach Scott Brooks following his team's latest suspect outing against a suspect opponent. "I like the fact that we came out and got the win. We played better than the score, I thought. ... Good win for us. Now focus on the next game."

Washington finished 12 of 24 from the free throw line. Memphis hit 15 of 16, helping to offset shooting 38.3 percent from the field.

The Grizzlies committed 12 of their 18 turnovers in the first half and misfired throughout. They shot 5 of 21 from the floor in the first quarter. They also played effectively at times in the second half, but not enough to end the current slide.

"You want to get out of a situation that obviously nobody likes, the only way to do it is by out-hustling the other team, out-working them," Gasol said. "Obviously we're not going to out-talent the other team so we have to be overwhelming defensively and trust each other defensively because that's going to bring trust on the other end."

The Wizards were just glad to end their stretch of games played without Wall.

"He's our leader (and) he's the head to our snake. For him coming back and getting his feet wet and getting back acclimated to our game and our style of play was big for us," Oubre said. "Hopefully, we can keep this rolling."

NOTES: Washington F Markieff Morris played less than 20 minutes and sat out the fourth quarter in each of the previous two games. ... Wizards C Ian Mahinmi (sore right knee) sat out for a second consecutive game. ... Memphis fell to 1-15 without injured G Mike Conley Jr. and 0-10 against Eastern Conference opponents. ... The Wizards host the Clippers on Friday, six days after losing 113-112 in Los Angeles despite leading by four points with 51 seconds remaining. Lou Williams sank the go-ahead 3-pointer for the Clippers with 1.2 seconds left. ... Memphis opens a two-game homestand Thursday against the Atlanta Hawks. ... The sides close out the season series Jan. 5 in Memphis.

Williams pours in 31 as Clippers dump Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Los Angeles Clippers have started winning the old fashioned way.

Reserve guard Lou Williams scored a game-high 31 points, leading a patchwork lineup that was filled with heart and hustle, sparking the Clippers to a 106-95 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.

The Clippers (11-15), who lost starting guard Austin Rivers to a concussion in the first half, won their third consecutive game, despite playing without four of their top five leading scorers.

"We're just playing hard," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "We don't have the luxury of talent, where we can where we can out-talent the other teams. We're just going to go out and play harder than the other team."

Center DeAndre Jordan, who has stepped into a leadership role, dominated around the basket with 16 points, 20 rebounds and two blocked shots in 36 minutes.

Reserve Sam Dekker was the only other Clippers' player to reach double figures. He had 12 points and hit two of his four 3-point attempts. Five other Clippers scored between six and nine points.

"When you are loaded with talent, you can just rely on that talent to win, but we don't have that anymore," Williams said. "When you're talent goes down, everyone else has to step it up and win that way. That's what we're doing now. You outhustle your opponent."

Williams, who scored 35 points Saturday against the Wizards, made 11 of 22 shots Wednesday and added eight assists.

Jonathon Simmons led the Magic (11-18) with 20 points and eight assists. Center Nikola Vucevic had 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Elfrid Payton scored 13 points. Mario Hezonja, in his second start of the season, managed 17 points and nine rebounds.

"We struggled," Magic coach Frank Vogel said. "We have enough to score, but we need everyone to play at their best. Some guys had good nights, but some guys struggled. You can't do that and expect to get a W."

Rivers was especially pleased with Jordan, who managed at least 17 rebounds in five of his last six games.

"We need him to be great right now, and that's what he's been," Rivers said. "Not just with his defense but with everything. He is doing the things to help you win games."

The Clippers, already playing without Blake Griffin, Patrick Beverley and Danilo Gallinari, lost Rivers just before halftime. Rivers, who scored nine points, left and never returned after being hit in the face with an elbow from Simmons.

Rivers, who was trying to stop Simmons from finishing a layup, was called for a foul. He stayed on the ground for two minutes after the play while teammates gathered around. He was helped to the locker room, where doctors determined his concussion symptoms. He will miss at least one or two games under the NBA's concussion protocol.

The Clippers reserves outscored their Magic counterparts, 62-25. The Clippers outrebounded the Magic 51-45.

After a poor first quarter, the Clippers went on a 14-0 run in the second and never relinquished the lead. The Magic never seriously challenged in the second half.

The Clippers led 74-68 going into the fourth period. They led by as many as 11 points in the third after a 3-pointer by C.J. Williams.

Los Angeles was ahead 45-40 at intermission, riding a 24-7 run that closed the second period. They scored 14 consecutive points during that surge.

Williams had 14 points in the first half, but made only 4 of 10 shots. Hezonja led the Magic with 12 first-half points. Orlando led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter, but struggled through the second, third and fourth periods.

NOTES: The Magic activated four players Wednesday from their G League team, a reflection of their injury woes. Leading scorer F Aaron Gordon remained in the NBA's concussion protocol. Orlando also was without its second leading scorer G/F Evan Fournier (sprained right ankle). ... The Clippers beat the Magic for the eighth consecutive time. ... Los Angeles G Lou Williams is averaging 18.6 points as a reserve this season, tops in the NBA. ... After the game, the Clippers left for Washington, where they play the second contest of a four-game road trip Friday night. The Magic, who lost for the 14th time in the past 16 games, are home Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Adams pushes Thunder past Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS -- On a night when Oklahoma City's big three of Paul George, Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook all struggled from the field, the Thunder's Steven Adams was on target.

"He was great," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. "He kept fighting for offensive rebounds and kept so many plays alive. He rim-protected and rolled to the basket. Those guys have confidence throwing the ball to him. Steven has gotten better finishing, but he's also gotten better at passing the ball out."

The 7-foot Adams scored 23 points on 11-of-16 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, to lead the Thunder to a 100-95 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.

"They were just falling my way," Adams said of his offensive rebounds.

Oklahoma City (13-14) registered its first two-game season sweep of Indiana since 2012-13 and snapped the Pacers' four-game winning streak.

In his return to Indiana, George was booed loudly when introduced and every time he touched the ball throughout the game.

George, a four-time All-Star, was traded to Oklahoma City in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis after he told the Pacers he didn't plan to re-sign with the team following the 2017-18 season. George was limited to 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting Wednesday.

"He had incredible poise," Donovan said. "He didn't shoot well, but I thought his defense was critical."

George knew the environment would be tough.

"I'm glad the circus is over with, now everybody can move on," George said. "I'm not sure what they (fans) wanted me to be, a circus act or some kind of show. I played my hardest. I played everything. I thought I took what the city is about and that's being blue collar."

Despite shooting 3 of 17 from the field, Thunder guard Russell Westbrook delivered his ninth triple-double of the season with 10 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists.

"Russell was terrific in the first half," Donovan said. "He only took five shots and had nine assists."

Anthony scored 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting. The Thunder shot 36 of 88 from the floor, 40.9 percent.

Oladipo led the Pacers (16-12) with 19 points, but had a rough shooting night, 9 of 26 from the floor.

"I know he did a good job on me defensively," Oladipo said of matching up with George. "It was the first time I've had a defender like that guard me since I've been on this team. They were just trying to deny me."

Bojan Bogdanovic added 15 for the Pacers and Darren Collison 14. Thaddeus Young had 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals. The Pacers shot 40 of 89 on field-goal attempts, 44.9 percent.

Oladipo's driving layup sliced Indiana's deficit to 96-94 with 1:07 to go. Following a miss by Carmelo Anthony, Young was first ruled for an offensive foul but it was overturned. Young then hit the first for two throws to make it 96-95. A put-back by Alex Abrines gave the Thunder a 98-95 edge with 15.2 seconds remaining.

"I was just in the right place and the right time," said Abrines, who had 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

George came up with a steal and hit both free throws to make it 100-95 with 10.7 seconds left.

The Thunder held a 52-42 rebounding edge

"We've got to get stronger," Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. "We've got to get more physical. I thought they really got into us defensively."

McMillian said the Thunder did a much better job of drawing fouls as well. The Thunder were 15 of 24 from the foul line while the Pacers were 4 of 6.

The Thunder sank 12 of 23 shots in the second quarter to produce a 29-19 edge in the period en route to a 51-46 lead at halftime. The Pacers regained the lead at the start of the third quarter before ending up trailing 73-69 entering the fourth.

Lance Stephenson sank a jumper at the first quarter buzzer to give the Pacers a 27-22 lead.

NOTES: Pacers G Darren Collison returned to the starting lineup after missing the Sunday game with a sore left knee. ... Pacers F Thaddeus Young has scored in double figures in 23 games, including seven straight and 12 of 13. ... NBA commissioner Adam Silver attended the game. Silver announced earlier in the day that Indianapolis will host 2021 All-Star Game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ... Entering the game, Oklahoma City led the NBA in steals per game (10.0) and opponents' turnovers per game (18.0). The Thunder had 10 steals and the Pacers 13 turnovers on Wednesday night.

NBA roundup: Wizards' Beal pours in 51

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Bradley Beal scored a career-high 51 points as the Washington Wizards trounced the Portland Trail Blazers 106-92 Tuesday night.

Beal made 21 of 37 shots from the field, hitting 5 of 12 3-pointers while surpassing his previous career high of 42. Beal's scoring made up for the absence of John Wall, who missed his sixth straight game with a knee injury.

Thanks largely to Beal, the Wizards atoned for a 116-69 loss at Utah on Monday night.

Damian Lillard collected 30 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for the Trail Blazers, who lost their third straight game -- all at home. Jusuf Nurkic added 15 points and nine rebounds before leaving with a leg injury in the fourth quarter.

THUNDER 100, JAZZ 94

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Russell Westbrook had his seventh triple-double of the season, finishing with 34 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds, and Oklahoma City overcome a 17-point deficit with four minutes left in the third quarter.

Utah had its six-game winning streak snapped, while the Thunder recorded their third straight win.

Donovan Mitchell had 31 points for Utah, which led 72-55 at the 4:13 mark of the third quarter but scored just 14 points in the fourth quarter.

RAPTOTS 126, SUNS 113

TORONTO -- Not only did Phoenix lose, but its top scorer, Devin Booker, was carried from the court with 2:40 left in the fourth quarter. The initial diagnosis was a strained left adductor.

Booker, who scored a season-best 46 points Monday in the victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, had 19 points, eight rebounds and five rebounds against the Raptors.

Kyle Lowry scored 20 points and added 10 assists and six rebounds for the Raptors, who have won four games in a row. The Suns picked up four technical fouls in the game.

Wizards rebound impressively behind Beal's 51

PORTLAND, Ore. -- After the Wizards took a 47-point whipping at Utah on Monday night, Washington coach Scott Brooks was watching to see how his players would respond Tuesday night at Moda Center.

Brooks loved what he saw in the Wizards' 106-92 win over the Portland Trail Blazers -- especially from guard Bradley Beal.

With backcourt mate John Wall sidelined for the sixth straight game due to a knee injury, Beal bombed in a career-high 51 points to carry the Wizards to victory.

"It was a great bounce-back game for all of our guys, but in particular, for Brad," Brooks said. "He was feeling good, and I was keeping him in there."

Beal, who came in averaging 22.1 points, scored only 11 points on 4-for-15 shooting against the Jazz. He had averaged 12.5 points in his previous four games.

Against Portland, the 6-foot-5 sixth-year pro scored 32 of his points in the second half. Beal had 12 points in the first quarter, seven in the second, 19 in the third and 13 in the fourth.

"I thought I was going to have a good game," said Beal, who finished 21 of 37 from the field, including 5 of 12 from 3-point range, in 43 minutes. "That was my mentality coming into it. I was more locked in, more focused. In the previous games, I was thinking way too much out there instead of playing my game.

"Tonight, I put everything on the table, regardless of whether I made or missed shots. I was going to be a better leader, have good body language and do whatever it took to get a win."

Beal scored more points in Portland than any Blazers opponent in the franchise's 47-year history. The previous record of 49 points was shared by Atlanta's Lou Hudson (1970) and Milwaukee's Lew Alcindor (1972).

"It's an honor," Beal said. "I have a long way to go before I'm even considered in that category. To hold that record in this building, that speaks volumes, with all the guys who have come through here and done miraculous things. I'm proud of it, but I'm more proud of the win we got tonight."

Did Beal dig deeper to provide offense in the absence of Wall?

"Yes and no," he said. "I trust my teammates to make plays. It's always next man up no matter who is on the floor. Tim (Frazier) and Tomas (Satoransky) do a great job of running the team. I did put a little bit more pressure on myself to carry a heavier load, but I have excellent guys around me who can make plays."

Damian Lillard collected 30 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for the Trail Blazers, who lost their third straight game -- all at home. Portland's Al-Farouq Aminu scored 17 points, and Jusuf Nurkic added 15 points and nine rebounds before leaving with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.

Beal scored 12 of Washington's first 18 points as the Wizards seized a 24-22 lead after one quarter.

Washington (13-11) started the second quarter on a 7-0 run to go ahead 31-22. The Wizards scored the final seven points of the quarter to go into the half leading 51-37 over the Blazers, who shot 34.2 percent and had 13 turnovers before the break.

Washington started the third quarter with a 10-1 spurt to increase the advantage to 61-38. The Blazers responded with a 15-2 run to draw to within 63-53, but the Wizards came back with a 9-0 tear to go up 72-53.

The difference was 79-66 heading into the final period.

The Wizards extended their lead to 97-76 on Satoransky's 3-pointer with five minutes left. Portland (13-11) scored the game's next 11 points to close within 97-87 with 1:53 to go. Satoransky ended the Wizards' drought with a runner with 1:37 remaining, and Beal's 3-pointer with 1:10 left sealed the verdict.

Lillard traces Portland's problems back to a road trip before its current homestand, even though the Blazers won four of the five games away from home.

"We didn't play great, but we found ways to win games," he said. "We came back home and haven't played well offensively or consistent defensively. Every year at some point, adversity is going to hit. I feel this is the start of a little bit of adversity. I'm not overly concerned this early in the year, but we're just not playing well."

NOTES: Wizards G Bradley Beal scored 51 points; his teammates totaled 55. Only two other Washington players scored in double figures, both reserves -- Kelly Oubre Jr. with 14 and Mike Scott with 10 on 5-of-5 shooting. ... Beal's previous career scoring high was 42 points. ... Portland G Damian Lillard has made 163 free throws, second most in the NBA behind Houston's James Harden (174). ... Washington shot 47.2 percent from the floor to Portland's 41 percent.

Thunder's Westbrook lowers boom on Jazz

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Russell Westbrook heated up and the Oklahoma City Thunder started their push back.

But it was a stretch early in the fourth quarter with Westbrook and two of the Thunder's other starters on the bench that lit the fuse in Oklahoma City's 100-94 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

"It's very satisfying when the bench comes in and we don't retreat, we don't have any lapses," Thunder forward Patrick Patterson said. "It's very satisfying. For us to come in and give us some momentum and the starters come back in and just build on that and just take it up another notch, it was good for us."

The win was the third consecutive for the Thunder (11-12), who beat the Jazz for the 13th consecutive time at home.

Westbrook started the pushback in the third quarter after Oklahoma City fell behind by 17 with four minutes to go.

"Russell Westbrook, the MVP of the league, got going," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "I thought in the third quarter he gave them a lot of energy and gave them points."

The reigning most valuable player scored 11 of the Thunder's 13 points the rest of the quarter to cut the lead to 12 before giving way to Patterson and the rest of the second unit for a bit to start the fourth.

The group that included Paul George, Andre Roberson and bench players Patterson, Raymond Felton and Jerami Grant cut the Jazz lead to six before the rest of the Thunder's starters re-entered with 7:30 remaining.

The Thunder outscored the Jazz 24-12 the rest of the way, with Utah (13-12) scoring only 14 points in the fourth quarter.

"I thought we ran out of steam a little bit just emotionally," Snyder said. "We've got to be able to play through that, but I thought all in all, obviously you want to win, but there's a lot of good things that we did."

The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for Utah.

Westbrook had his seventh triple-double of the season, finishing with 34 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds.

George added 21 points while Steven Adams scored 20 points, his third consecutive game with 19 or more. Adams was 9 of 10 from the floor and also grabbed nine rebounds.

"The reason why Steven is doing what he's doing is because of Carmelo Anthony and Paul George," Donovan said. "When we're patient on offense, Steven's going to get those opportunities.

"Steven's not doing anything different from maybe he's done in the past. It's not like we're throwing the ball into the low post and this guy's going to a variety of different moves. He's catching it in the lane, he's making floaters, and if he doesn't have a floater, he's making extra passes.

"He's offensive rebounding. He's going those things, but it has to do with a lot of those guys around him on the floor."

Anthony had 14 points for his first double-digit scoring performance in the win streak.

Utah (13-12) managed only 14 fourth-quarter points as Oklahoma City scored 32 to finish off the comeback.

Donovan Mitchell led Utah with 31 points and Joe Ingles added 16.

Anthony and George combined for 19 points in the fourth quarter to help Oklahoma City complete the rally.

Westbrook picked the ball away from Mitchell with 4:14 left and finished it off on the other end to put the Thunder up 88-87, their first lead since the opening moments of the game.

It was one of two critical turnovers for Mitchell down the stretch.

After the Jazz regained the lead briefly, George drove to the basket, finishing and picking up the foul to put the Thunder back in front.

Mitchell turned the ball over again on the ensuing possession, and this time it was Anthony finishing on the other end, taking a feed from Westbrook and hitting a step-back jumper to extend the lead.

The Thunder outrebounded the Jazz 23-13 in the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma City is 3-9 in games decided by eight points or fewer, though all three wins have come during the current winning streak.

NOTES: Jazz PG Raul Neto, a night after returning from two games out with an injury, missed the game with right foot soreness. Utah G Rodney Hood sat out his fifth consecutive game because of left ankle soreness. ... Thunder PG Russell Westbrook blocked his 200th career shot, becoming the only player in NBA history with 200 blocks, 5,000 assists and 15,000 points in his first 700 career games. ... Utah G Thabo Sefolosha played in the game a night after being removed by referees when he took an elbow to the head from teammate Neto. ... Thunder C Steven Adams made his first seven shots from the field.

Booker injured in Suns' loss to Raptors

TORONTO -- A tough night for the Phoenix Suns became that much more difficult Tuesday night when their star guard Devin Booker was carried from the court with 2:40 left in the fourth quarter.

The first diagnosis was a strained left adductor.

It was the final blow of a long, six-game road trip for the Suns, who finished the trip at 2-4 after losing 126-113 to the Toronto Raptors.

"I don't know how serious, or when we'll be able to evaluate," Suns interim coach Jay Triano said.

Booker, who scored a season-best 46 points Monday in the victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, had 19 points, eight rebounds and five rebounds against the Raptors.

"I hope it's nothing serious," Suns reserve forward Jared Dudley said. "Good thing we have a day off tomorrow. I hope it's just a cramp and he'll be OK. I haven't been back there yet (in the trainers' room), but I think he'll be fine."

"He's obviously one of the great young players in this league," center Greg Monroe said. "He's had an outstanding year, so you definitely don't want to see him get injured and you don't want to see anybody get injured at any point."

Kyle Lowry scored 20 points and added 10 assists and six rebounds for the Raptors (15-7) who have won four games in a row.

The Raptors entered the fourth quarter leading by 18 points.

The margin reached 19 before a Suns surge cut the lead to 10 on a 3-pointer by Dudley with 8:44 to play.

Lowry pushed Toronto's lead to 14 when he made a 3-pointer with 5:18 left.

"I thought we fought well, I just don't think we stayed mentally locked in," Triano said.

DeMar DeRozan finished with 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Toronto. Serge Ibaka chipped in with 19 points, OG Anunoby had 16, C.J. Miles added 15, and Jakob Poeltl and Fred VanVleet each had 13.

"We tried to mix it up," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "We tried to mix up the blitzes, we tried to mix up the switches, matchups. You don't stop a young man like (Booker). I thought we just made him work for what he got ... He ended up with 19 which is a far cry from what he had (Monday) night. I'll take that, I commend our guys, we did a good job we messed up on some rotation after our blitzes. He didn't score but he did a good job of finding people behind, we did not do a good job of finding the roller. That's something we have to improve on."

Alex Len added 14 points and seven rebounds, and Troy Daniels and Josh Jackson each contributed 13 points for the Suns (9-17). Monroe scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Dudley scored 12.

Suns forward TJ Warren was assessed two technical fouls with 7:58 to play in the third quarter to earn an ejection from the game. He had 11 points and one rebound in 23 minutes.

The Suns picked up four technical fouls in the game overall.

"I thought we just lost our composure," Dudley said. "Frustration can set in, especially some of our young players, they haven't earned the right, you know. Obviously, you aren't going to get the calls. We're a young team that's not a winning team so we're going to have to fight the uphill battles and sometimes that happens. ... Hopefully, it was a learning experience. Last year, we had a lot of technicals."

The Raptors led by as many as 17 points before finishing the first quarter with a 36-23 lead with Lowry scoring 13. The Suns had seven turnovers in the quarter and the Raptors had none.

The Raptors led 55-46 at halftime. The Suns had a 23-19 advantage in the quarter, ending a string of 12 straight games in which the Raptors had outscored the opposition in the second quarter. Toronto made seven turnovers in the quarter and Phoenix had three.

Toronto had 18 turnovers for the game and Phoenix had 17.

Two free throws by DeRozan had the lead at 17 with 4:23 left in the third. The Raptors led 97-79 after the third quarter.

The Raptors had 30 assists.

"I think it makes it a lot easier, which makes it a lot more fun," DeRozan said. "Everybody gets a chance to touch the ball, you don't necessarily have to work so hard and it's fun. ... With that, we still missed a lot of shots but it's something we're still learning, we're still trying to get better at every time we practice, every time we play and look at film to understand what we did wrong and what we could do better."

NOTES: Suns C Tyson Chandler (rest) did not play Tuesday after recording seven points and 12 rebounds in a season-high 37 minutes Monday during a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Greg Monroe started at center Tuesday and Alex Len was backup. ... Suns interim coach Jay Triano became the first Canadian to be an NBA coach when he led the Raptors from 2008-2011. ... The Raptors will start a four-game trip Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies. ... The Suns will host the Washington Wizards on Thursday.

NBA roundup: Cavaliers win 12th straight

CHICAGO -- Kevin Love scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and LeBron James finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers won their 12th straight game with a 113-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday.

The Cavaliers (17-7) can tie a franchise record for consecutive victories with a win Wednesday at home against Sacramento.

Dwayne Wade, who is flourishing as a reserve with the Cavaliers following a season playing for his hometown Bulls, also finished with 24 points to help pace the Cavaliers. Jeff Green added 14 points for Cleveland.

Kris Dunn scored 15 points to lead Chicago (3-19), which has lost nine straight games. Robin Lopez and Justin Holiday also scored 14 points for the Bulls, who also got 13 points from Lauri Markkanen and 10 from Bobby Portis.

JAZZ 116, WIZARDS 69

SALT LAKE CITY -- Alec Burks scored 27 points to spearhead a balanced offensive effort from Utah as it ran past Washington.

Donovan Mitchell added 21 points for Utah. Rudy Gobert returned to the Jazz lineup after missing 11 games with a knee contusion, and he collected 10 rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes.

Utah won its sixth straight game overall and fifth consecutive home contest.

SPURS 96, PISTONS 93

SAN ANTONIO -- LaMarcus Aldridge scored 17 points, including San Antonio's final six points of the game, and took 10 rebounds as San Antonio came from behind to beat Detroit.

Detroit led 86-82 with 4:42 to play before Patty Mills canned a long 3-pointer from well beyond the top of the circle to begin a 14-2 San Antonio run that granted the Spurs a 94-88 advantage with 1:51 remaining.

The Pistons then forged a final charge, getting to within 94-93 with 23.5 seconds left on a put-back by Andre Drummond. Aldridge then sank two free throws with 5.2 seconds remaining to increase San Antonio's lead to 96-93.

MAVERICKS 122, NUGGETS 105

DALLAS -- Denver started a six-game road trip desperately trying to figure out how to win away from home. It didn't happen as it fell behind by 25 points early in a loss to Dallas.

Denver fell to 3-8 on the road. With games coming up at New Orleans, Detroit and Boston on this road swing, the Nuggets could find themselves at .500 if they can't put together four solid quarters on enemy territory.

Add key injuries to starters Nikola Jokic (left ankle), whose return date is uncertain, and forward Paul Millsap (left wrist), who will be out the next several months, and the Nuggets are missing a pair that brings nearly 31 points and 17 rebounds.

WARRIORS 125, PELICANS 115

NEW ORLEANS -- Stephen Curry scored a team-high 31 points and Nick Young and Klay Thompson combined for 18 points in the fourth quarter as Golden State erased a 20-point halftime deficit and defeated New Orleans.

The Warriors trailed by as many as 21 points late in the second quarter and by 20 at halftime. The comeback was their second best of the season. They overcame a 24-point deficit against Philadelphia on Nov. 18.

The Warriors, who have beaten New Orleans in 20 of their last 21 meetings, outscored the Pelicans 76-47 in the second half after trailing 69-49 at the half.

GRIZZLIES 95, TIMBERWOLVES 92

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Marc Gasol scored 21 points as Memphis held on to defeat Minnesota, ending an 11-game losing streak.

Minnesota shooting guard Jimmy Butler, who had a game-high 30 points, launched an off-balance 3-point attempt at the buzzer that would have tied the game, but the shot missed.

Memphis won for the first time since Nov. 7 at Portland, prevailing for the first time under interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff. The previous head coach, David Fizdale, was fired last week.

PACERS 115, KNICKS 97

INDIANAPOLIS -- Thaddeus Young scored 20 points and Bojan Bogdanovic added 19, propelling Indiana to a romp over short-handed New York.

Seven players scored in double figures for Indiana. Victor Oladipo added 16 points for the Pacers, Domantas Sabonis contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Darren Collison had 10 points and 10 assists.

The Knicks played without their two top scorers, Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr., for the second consecutive game. Porzingis is out with sprained right ankle and an illness. Hardaway is sidelined with lower left leg injury.

NETS 110, HAWKS 90

ATLANTA -- Caris LeVert scored a season-high 17 points, and Brooklyn broke the game open with a 17-0 run to open the second half as the Nets beat Atlanta.

LeVert, a second-year guard from Michigan, entered the game averaging 10.3 points. He almost equaled that with nine first-half points. He shot 7-for-13 from the field and matched his career best with seven assists. LeVert's previous best scoring night was a 16-point effort against the Hawks on Oct. 22.

The Nets avenged a 114-102 loss to the Hawks in Brooklyn on Saturday, and they have won two of three meetings against Atlanta this season. Brooklyn has won three of its past five games overall. Atlanta has lost three of its past five.

HORNETS 104, MAGIC 94

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kemba Walker scored 29 points and handed out seven assists, and Charlotte snapped a four-game losing streak with a victory over Orlando.

Walker, back after missing the previous two games with a shoulder injury, helped the Hornets pull away in the fourth quarter. Charlotte led by just one entering the fourth, then was on top by as many as 12 points down the stretch.

The Hornets have won the past nine matchups between the teams over the past three seasons.

CELTICS 111, BUCKS 100

BOSTON -- Kyrie Irving scored 32 points and Boston overcame 40 points by Giannis Antetokounmpo and defeated Milwaukee.

Al Horford, playing another strong all-around game, fought off second-half foul trouble and finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Boston.

Jayson Tatum scored 14 of his 17 in the first quarter and Aron Baynes had 10 points in the win. Jaylen Brown got in early foul trouble but finished with eight points and seven rebounds in 22:58.

SUNS 115, 76ERS 101

PHILADELPHIA -- Devin Booker scored a season-high 46 points, 13 in a clinching 16-3 run late in the game, as Phoenix beat Philadelphia to snap a two-game losing streak.

Booker shot 17 of 32 from the floor, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range, as Phoenix won for just the second time in seven games.

TJ Warren added 25 points for the Suns.