NBA roundup: Clippers hang 151 points on Pacers

Harden shot 12 of 16 from the floor, including 8 of 11 from 3-point distance. Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points, Paul George had 27 points, Ivica Zubac finished with 18 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks for the Clippers.

LA Clippers guard Norman Powell (24) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin (1) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. | Photo Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski/ Reuters

James Harden scored a season-high 35 points and handed out nine assists to help the Los Angeles Clippers extend its winning streak to eight games with a 151-127 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night in Indianapolis.

Harden shot 12 of 16 from the floor, including 8 of 11 from 3-point distance. Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points, Paul George had 27 points, Ivica Zubac finished with 18 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks for the Clippers.

Leonard, who came in averaging 33.8 points and shooting 64.8 percent from the floor over the previous five games, hit 12 of 18 field-goal attempts against Indiana. Los Angeles shot 57.1 percent from the floor and made half of its 38 3-point attempts.

Bennedict Mathurin scored a career-high 34 points off the bench to lead the Pacers, who have lost four straight.

Hawks 130, Pistons 124

Trae Young scored 31 points and dished out 15 assists as Atlanta handed visiting Detroit its 24th straight loss.

It was the fourth consecutive 30-point game for Young and his 16th double-double of the season. His performance helped offset a career-high 43-point effort from Detroit’s Cade Cunningham.

The loss leaves Detroit two games shy of the NBA record for longest losing streak within the same season. That record is jointly held by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers had a 28-game losing streak that carried over from the 2014-15 season into the 2015-16 season. The Cavs also lost 24 straight between the 1981-82 and 1982-83 campaigns.

Knicks 114, Lakers 109

Jalen Brunson scored 29 points and Julius Randle added 27 points and 14 rebounds as New York turned improved defense into a victory at Los Angeles.

New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) dunks the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3)] in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. | Photo Credit: Kirby Lee/ Reuters

Immanuel Quickley put up 20 points and Isaiah Hartenstein had 17 rebounds as the Knicks improved to 2-2 on a five-game road swing while rebounding from a 144-122 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

LeBron James amassed 25 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists while Anthony Davis had 32 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers. Los Angeles fell to 1-3 since winning the NBA in-season tournament on Dec. 9 with a victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Timberwolves 112, Heat 108

Anthony Edwards scored 10 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter as Minnesota rallied to beat host Miami.

The Heat led by as many as 17 points in the first half.

Miami lost despite seeing Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo return to action. Herro, who missed 18 games due to an ankle injury, scored a team-high 25 points. Adebayo, who sat out seven games because of a hip injury, posted 22 points, six rebounds and a team-high six assists.

Kings 143, Wizards 131

Domantas Sabonis had 28 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists and Sacramento scored a combined 85 points in the second and third quarters en route to a victory over visiting Washington.

Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert (24) lays the ball up during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento. | Photo Credit: RANDALL BENTON/ AP

De’Aaron Fox finished with a game-high 30 points and added six assists for the Kings, who won their third game in a row. Keegan Murray contributed 25 points.

Jordan Poole scored 28 points, hitting a season-high eight 3-pointers for the Wizards, who have lost the first two games of a four-game trip.

Raptors 114, Hornets 99

Pascal Siakam scored 27 points and Toronto defeated visiting Charlotte.

Scottie Barnes added 22 points and 17 rebounds for the Raptors, who are 2-1 on a four-game homestand.

Terry Rozier scored 22 points for the depleted Hornets, who have lost five games in a row. P.J. Washington had 15 points and four steals.

Cavaliers 135, Rockets 130 (OT)

Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 37 points and Sam Merrill scored five of his career-high 19 points down the stretch in overtime to help power Cleveland past visiting Houston.

Merrill delivered a key performance off the bench as his layup over Alperen Sengun with 2:35 remaining in the extra frame gave Cleveland a four-point lead. Fifty-eight seconds later, he extended the advantage to seven points on a 3-pointer, then grabbed his fourth rebound of the game on the ensuing Houston possession, leading to a Mitchell basket on the other end.

Fred VanVleet finished with 27 points, 17 assists and eight rebounds for the Rockets. Sengun added 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Nuggets 130, Mavericks 104

Jamal Murray scored 22 points, Aaron Gordon tied his season high with 21 points and the host Denver beat Dallas.

Nikola Jokic finished with eight points on 3-for-8 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and seven assists. It was the third time this season he failed to score in double figures, but he was ejected before halftime in each of the other two games where he didn’t put up at least 10 points.

Luka Doncic scored 28 of his 38 points in the first half and added 11 rebounds and eight assists in the game for Dallas. Doncic continued his torrid December, during which he is averaging 36.6 points, 11.6 assists and 9.3 rebounds.

Bulls 108, 76ers 104

Coby White supplied 24 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, Nikola Vucevic added 23 points and Chicago defeated host Philadelphia.

DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls is guarded by Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the third quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on December 18, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

DeMar DeRozan added 15 points, Patrick Williams had 13 and Jevon Carter chipped in with 12 for the Bulls, who continued to play without injured guard Zach LaVine. Chicago led 105-98 with 1:33 left after Vucevic hit a 3-pointer, and then they held off a late Sixers rally.

Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 40 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. Tyrese Maxey added 29 points for the Sixers, who had their six-game winning streak snapped.

Jazz 125, Nets 108

Talen Horton-Tucker and Collin Sexton each produced 27 points and six assists to lead Utah to a win over Brooklyn in Salt Lake City.

Lauri Markkanen added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz, who won for the third time in four games thanks to a second-half rally.

Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas led all scorers with 32 points, but the Nets went scoreless during a key stretch late in the fourth quarter as Utah blew the game open with a 12-point run.

Thunder 116, Grizzlies 97

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points to lead Oklahoma City past visiting Memphis in the Grizzlies’ final game before the expected return of Ja Morant.

Morant, a two-time All-Star, is scheduled to make his season debut in Tuesday’s game at New Orleans. He served a 25-game suspension to open the season.

Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren, coming off a career-high eight blocks in Saturday’s win at Denver and tied for third in the league entering the game at 2.7 per game, had seven blocks in the win. He also recorded 17 points and six rebounds.