Alperen Sengun matched a career-high with 37 points and added 14 rebounds, and Jabari Smith Jr. also recorded a double-double as the Houston Rockets held on for a 127-126 overtime victory over the visiting Utah Jazz on Saturday.
Sengun completed a three-point play with 52.2 seconds left that pulled the Rockets even at 126-126 before Smith (24 points, 10 rebounds) made the second of two free throws with 36.4 seconds remaining despite suffering an ankle injury.
But when Sengun missed two free throws with 8.8 seconds left, the Jazz had one final shot. However, Jordan Clarkson, who had team highs of 33 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, missed a runner just before the final buzzer.
Collin Sexton added 28 points and Lauri Markkanen posted 22 points and nine rebounds for the Jazz. Walker Kessler dominated the extra period and finished with seven points, 10 rebounds and five blocks for the game before fouling out.
The fourth quarter and overtime featured five lead changes and five ties.
Knicks 126, Raptors 100
Jalen Brunson had 38 points and nine assists and Julius Randle posted the Knicks’ first triple-double of this season in New York’s win over visiting Toronto in the first game between the teams since their blockbuster trade on Dec. 30.
Randle had 18 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists, the first New York player to register a triple-double since Immanuel Quickley had 34 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists against Toronto on April 10, 2022.
Coincidentally, Quickley was sent to the Raptors along with RJ Barrett in exchange for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn last month. Anunoby had 14 points, seven rebounds, and three blocked shots as the Knicks improved to 9-2 since he moved into the lineup on Jan. 1. Achiuwa (18 points, 11 rebounds) posted his first double-double since Dec. 8.
Quickley had 12 points and 11 assists for his first double-double for his new team, while Barrett had a team-high 20 points and eight rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost six of seven. Gary Trent Jr. scored 16 points, and Gradey Dick added 11 off the bench.
Cavaliers 116, Hawks 95
Donovan Mitchell and Sam Merrill each scored 18 points to lead visiting Cleveland to a wire-to-wire win over Atlanta.
Dean Wade added 17 points for Cleveland, which extended its winning streak to an NBA-leading seven. Jarrett Allen collected 14 points and 11 rebounds while Georges Niang also tallied 14 points. Max Strus scored 13 points, followed by Isaac Okoro’s 12.
Dejounte Murray led Atlanta with 24 points, followed by Jalen Johnson’s 20. Trae Young added 15 before exiting with an injury on an inadvertent elbow by Okoro in the third quarter. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 14 points off the bench for Atlanta, which saw its three-game winning streak snapped.
Bucks 141, Pistons 135
Damian Lillard scored a season-high 45 points and visiting Milwaukee defeated Detroit.
Lillard also supplied 11 assists and six rebounds, while Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. The Bucks have won 20 of the past 21 regular-season meetings between the teams, including the past eight matchups.
Alec Burks led Detroit with 33 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Ausar Thompson had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Pistons, while Bojan Bogdanovic tossed in 19 points and Jaden Ivey added 18 points and six assists.
Thunder 102, Timberwolves 97
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points on 10-for-22 shooting, and Oklahoma City outlasted Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Jalen Williams finished with 20 points for Oklahoma City, which won for the sixth time in its past eight games after rallying from a six-point deficit in the final 4:28. Chet Holmgren scored 15 points and Luguentz Dort had 14.
Karl-Anthony Towns notched 19 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota. Anthony Edwards also scored 19 points and Naz Reid contributed 18 off the bench for the Timberwolves, whose four-game winning streak ended.
Spurs 131, Wizards 127
Jeremy Sochan scored five of his 23 points in the final minute to help San Antonio rally from a 12-point, fourth-quarter deficit en route to a victory over host Washington.
A back-and-forth contest throughout, neither team led by more than eight points through the first three quarters. Victor Wembanyama scored seven of his game-high 24 points as part of a 12-0 run that pulled the Spurs even at 121.
Wembanyama finished with eight rebounds and four assists to go with his game-high point total. Devin Vassell scored 21 points, and Tre Jones added 11 points and 12 assists.
Marvin Bagley III finished with a Wizards-high 21 points and also grabbed 12 rebounds, matching teammate Kyle Kuzma for the game high. Seven Wizards scored in double figures, with Deni Avdija, Jordan Poole and Corey Kispert each posting 16 points.
76ers 97, Hornets 89
Joel Embiid’s 33 points and 10 rebounds lifted Philadelphia to a victory against host Charlotte.
Tobias Harris posted 21 points and Tyrese Maxey added 16 points and eight assists for the 76ers, who have a five-game winning streak. Embiid struggled a bit from the floor, making only 11 of 23 attempts, but he scored at least 30 points for the 20th consecutive game.
Miles Bridges compiled 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets, who have lost seven of their past eight games. Charlotte played without guard LaMelo Ball, who scored 28 points a night earlier but was out Saturday due to ankle soreness.
Bulls 125, Grizzlies 96
Ayo Dosunmu scored 20 points off the bench and DeMar DeRozan added 18 to lift Chicago to a win against visiting Memphis.
Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond notched double-doubles as seven players scored in double figures for the Bulls, who won for the third time in four games. Coby White added 17 points for Chicago while Patrick Williams and Drummond each had 15. Drummond grabbed 10 rebounds, one shy of Vucevic, who snagged a game-high 11 boards to go with 11 points.
Jaren Jackson Jr. paced Memphis with a game-high 26 points. Luke Kennard and Vince Williams Jr. followed with 14 points each, David Roddy added 11 and GG Jackson had 10. The Grizzlies, who shot just 31 per cent from beyond the arc, have lost four of five.
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