NBA results roundup: Suns lean on star power to clip Magic

Bradley Beal scored a season-best 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting, Devin Booker got 21 and Kevin Durant recorded 31 as Phoenix won its third straight game.

Published : Jan 01, 2024 15:17 IST - 4 MINS READ

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant shields the ball from Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner.
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant shields the ball from Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner. | Photo Credit: AP
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Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant shields the ball from Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner. | Photo Credit: AP

Kevin Durant recorded 31 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals to help the Phoenix Suns post a 112-107 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic on Sunday.

Bradley Beal scored a season-best 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting as Phoenix won its third straight game. Devin Booker had 21 points and three steals for the Suns, who got to see their big three of Booker, Durant and Beal all play in the same game for just the fourth time this season.

Paolo Banchero registered 28 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Orlando, which lost the opener of a four-game road trip. Franz Wagner had 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Wendell Carter Jr. scored a season-high 17 points and Cole Anthony had 13 points for the Magic.

After Wagner hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 99 with 7:55 left in the game, Orlando scored just three points over the next 6:45.

Kings 123, Grizzlies 92

Domantas Sabonis snatched a game-high 21 rebounds as part of a triple-double, De’Aaron Fox got the better of Ja Morant in their point guard duel and Sacramento ran off from host Memphis.

Fox finished with 24 points, seven more than Morant in their first head-to-head of the season. Sabonis complemented his season-high rebound total with 13 points and a game-high 12 assists for his sixth triple-double of the campaign.

Jaren Jackson Jr. put up a team-high 18 points for the Grizzlies, while Desmond Bane and Luke Kennard matched Morant’s 17. Memphis lost its third in a row.

Hawks 130, Wizards 126

Trae Young racked up game highs of 40 points and 13 assists to help lead visiting Atlanta past Washington.

Dejounte Murray added 32 points for the Hawks, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Kyle Kuzma paced the Wizards with 38 points on 15-for-31 shooting from the field in Washington’s fourth loss in its past five games.

Facing a 12-point deficit at the half, Washington cut the Atlanta lead to just two on Jordan Poole’s floater with 4:52 remaining in the third quarter, but Murray scored 10 points in a two-minute span at the end of the period to push Atlanta’s lead to 100-87 after three quarters.

Pelicans 129, Lakers 109

Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram scored 26 points apiece to lead six double-figure scorers and host New Orleans defeated Los Angeles.

Ingram added eight assists, three steals and two blocked shots, and CJ McCollum collected 22 points and nine assists for the Pelicans.

LeBron James, completing a back-to-back the day after his 39th birthday, scored a game-high 34 points with eight assists while Anthony Davis added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who lost for the eighth time in 11 games since winning the NBA in-season tournament.

Celtics 134, Spurs 101

Jayson Tatum poured in 25 points and Jaylen Brown added 24 as Boston put away the game in the third quarter in pummeling host San Antonio.

The Celtics, the No. 1 team in the NBA, tied their season high with their sixth straight win, while San Antonio, at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, dropped its second consecutive contest. Boston led by 12 at halftime but outscored the Spurs 40-23 in the third quarter.

Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 22 points and Victor Wembanyama added 21. San Antonio played without Keldon Johnson (back spasms) and Zach Collins (sprained right ankle).

Thunder 124, Nets 108

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points to lead Oklahoma City past visiting Brooklyn.

Every Oklahoma City starter scored at least 17 points, including Josh Giddey, who finished with 20. The Thunder shot 54.2 percent from the floor, their fourth consecutive game shooting 50 percent or better.

The Thunder have won four consecutive games and seven of their past eight, while the Nets have dropped three straight and eight of 10. Mikal Bridges led Brooklyn with 22 points. Cam Thomas, the Nets’ leading scorer, came off the bench for the second consecutive game and finished with 20 points.

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