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.

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.

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.

NBA roundup: James makes point in Cavs' victory

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James scored 34 points and piled up 13 assists while serving as the Cavaliers' point guard in Cleveland's 119-112 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.

Kevin Love added 20 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland, which snapped a five-game losing streak to Chicago. Jeff Green and Dwyane Wade came off the bench to score 16 and 11, respectively, for the Cavaliers.

Justin Holiday paced the Bulls with 25 points. Rookie Lauri Markkanen scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half and finished with five 3-pointers. Markkanen is the first rookie in league history to make 10 treys in his first three games.

James usually handles the ball for Cleveland and is its assists leader on the season, but he played the point because Derrick Rose (sprained left ankle) was out and coach Tyronn Lue sought a bigger lineup.

MAGIC 125, NETS 121

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Aaron Gordon scored a career-high 41 points and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 35 seconds remaining to lead Orlando over Brooklyn.

The Magic's Evan Fournier scored 28 points, including 12 in the final 5:22. Gordon, who was 5 of 5 from beyond the 3-point arc, added 12 rebounds. D.J. Augustin, starting at point guard for Orlando in place of injured Elfrid Payton, scored 19 points.

D'Angelo Russell led the Nets with 27 points. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 18 points, and DeMarre Carroll had 16. Caris LeVert scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Brooklyn.

CLIPPERS 102, JAZZ 84

LOS ANGELES -- Blake Griffin had 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists as Los Angeles improved to 3-0 with a victory over Utah.

Patrick Beverley added 19 points and Austin Rivers, making his first start of the season, added 16 points. DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and 18 rebounds, and Danilo Gallinari added 14 points for the Clippers.

Rookie Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 19 points, including 15 in the final quarter. Rudy Gobert scored 12 points, and Thabo Sefolosha had 11 points and 12 rebounds for Utah.

TRAIL BLAZERS 103, PELICANS 93

PORTLAND, Ore. -- CJ McCollum scored 16 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and Portland closed the game with a 9-0 run to win its home opener over New Orleans.

Evan Turner and Damian Lillard each scored 13 points, and Ed Davis added 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Trail Blazers. Portland has won an NBA-record 17 consecutive home openers dating to a 96-86 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000.

DeMarcus Cousins collected 39 points and 13 rebounds for the Pelicans. New Orleans' Anthony Davis played only the first five minutes before departing with a left knee injury.

CELTICS 110, KNICKS 89

BOSTON -- Jaylen Brown scored 23 points, rookie Jayson Tatum delivered 22 and Boston threw a defensive blanket over Kristaps Porzingis en route to a victory over winless New York.

Kyrie Irving had 20 points and seven assists, Al Horford added 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Daniel Theis scored 11 points for the Celtics. Brown and Tatum, both with early season highs, became the first Celtics pair younger than 21 to score 20 points in the same game.

Porzingis, who was attempting to become the first Knick to scored 30 points in each of the first three games, was 1-for-12 from the floor before hitting two fourth-quarter baskets. Porzingis left with 4:44 remaining, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds.

PACERS 130, TIMBERWOLVES 107

MINNEAPOLIS -- Victor Oladipo scored a team-high 28 points as Indiana routed Minnesota.

Cory Joseph scored 21 points -- thanks to shooting 5 of 6 from 3-point range -- and Bojan Bogdanovic added 19 points as five Pacers scored in double-figures. Indiana shot 66.7 percent from the floor.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for the Timberwolves with 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting, and Jamal Crawford and Nemanja Bjelica each chipped in 18 points.