Kevin Durant scored 27 points, including the go-ahead basket late in the fourth quarter, as the visiting Brooklyn Nets rallied for a 117-112 victory over Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.
Durant returned from sitting out Friday’s two-point win over the visiting Orlando Magic on Friday due to a minor right shoulder sprain and struggled at times on a night when the Nets overcame a 12-point deficit.
Durant also collected nine assists and six rebounds. Reserve LaMarcus Aldridge added 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Brooklyn. James Harden totalled 14 and a season-high 14 assists.
Darius Garland scored 24 points and handed out 11 assists as Cleveland dropped its fourth straight. Lauri Markkanen added 22 points in his first game back from a nine-game absence prompted by the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Grizzlies 119, Jazz 118
Ja Morant scored a game-high 32 points and assisted team-mate Jaren Jackson Jr. on the game-winning basket with 6.7 seconds remaining as Memphis pulled off a surprising victory over Utah in Salt Lake City.
Jackson finished with 26 points and eight rebounds, and he won a critical jumpball in the waning moments as Memphis bounced back from an embarrassing 43-point loss in Minnesota on Saturday night.
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Utah’s Donovan Mitchell scored 18 points but only hit 5 of 20 shots. The most glaring miss was a game-winning attempt in the final seconds. Rudy Gobert contributed 23 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots but couldn’t get the tip advantage in a key late moment.
76ers 102, Kings 94
Andre Drummond collected a game-high 23 rebounds and contributed a critical dunk to a late run as visiting Philadelphia spoiled Alvin Gentry’s debut as Sacramento’s interim coach.
The loss was the fourth in a row and eighth in the past nine games for the Kings, who fired Luke Walton on Sunday and replaced him with Gentry, who had been an assistant.
The Kings squandered a nine-point, fourth-quarter lead despite getting 23 points from De’Aaron Fox. Tyrese Maxey scored 24 points for the 76ers, who were without Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Seth Curry and Ben Simmons.
Suns 115, Spurs 111
Devin Booker scored 23 points and Deandre Ayton had 21 points and 14 rebounds as visiting Phoenix had just enough in its tank to outlast San Antonio and to win its 13th consecutive game.
The Suns’ streak is their longest since the 2006-07 season, when they won a franchise-high 17 straight.
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Cameron Payne added 20 points for the Suns, with JaVale McGee scoring 14, Chris Paul 12 and Landry Shamet 11. Derrick White topped five Spurs in double figures with 19 points.
Hornets 109, Wizards 103
Terry Rozier scored 32 points for his second big outing against Washington in less than a week as visiting Charlotte earned a narrow win.
Rozier drained eight 3-pointers as part of 10-for-18 shooting overall. He had plenty of help from backcourt mate LaMelo Ball, who registered 27 points and 13 rebounds.
Montrezl Harrell poured in 24 points on 10-for-13 shooting off the bench for the Wizards, who committed 18 turnovers and shot just 9 of 36 from 3-point range.
Celtics 108, Rockets 90
Jayson Tatum scored 30 points and Jaylen Brown added 19 in his return from an injury as Boston cruised past visiting Houston to earn its third straight win.
Brown was sidelined for the Celtics’ previous eight games due to a Grade 1 right hamstring strain. Dennis Schroder finished with 18 points, and Al Horford contributed 11 with 11 rebounds for Boston.
Armoni Brooks had 17 points off the bench to lead the Rockets, whose losing streak swelled to a league-high 15 games.
Hawks 113, Thunder 101
Trae Young scored 28 points and dished out six assists to help Atlanta extend its winning streak to five games with a win over visiting Oklahoma City.
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Atlanta coach Nate McMillan earned his 697th victory and surpassed Red Holzmanfor 19th on the all-time wins list. The victory made the Hawks 8-1 at home and enabled the team to reach the .500 mark for the first time since November 3.
The Hawks had a balanced attack, with six players scoring in double figures. Oklahoma City got 15 points apiece from Luguentz Dort, Josh Giddey and TyJerome.
Pacers 109, Bulls 77
Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner each registered double-doubles and were among five Indiana players in double figures as the visiting Pacers routed Chicago.
Sabonis amassed 21 points and 11 rebounds. Turner had 12 points and 10 boards in addition to four of the Pacers’ 12 blocks.
The duo of DeMar DeRozan (18 points) and Zach LaVine (17) paced Chicago.
Bucks 123, Magic 92
Milwaukee recorded its largest halftime lead in franchise history - 41 points - and seven players scored in double figures in a dominant win over visiting Orlando.
Jrue Holiday paced Milwaukee with 18 points and added six rebounds and four assists on 8-for-14 shooting from the field. The Bucks earned their fourth win in a row.
Moritz Wagner scored 18 points for the Magic, who lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Timberwolves 110, Pelicans 96
Karl Anthony-Towns had 28 points and 10 rebounds as visiting Minnesota beat New Orleans for its fourth consecutive victory.
Anthony Edwards added 18 points and Jarred Vanderbilt had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who have won each game during the streak by a double-figure margin.
Willy Hernangomez had 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Pelicans. The New Orleans bench outscored the team’s starters 51-45.
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