Anthony Davis scored 44 points and LeBron James added 28 as the Los Angeles Lakers won a back-and-forth affair against the host Milwaukee Bucks 133-129 on Friday.
It was a thrilling battle between the stars on both sides. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 40 points for Milwaukee, with Jrue Holiday adding 28. Russell Westbrook was also a big factor for Los Angeles, finishing with 15 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds off the bench.
James and Davis took over for the Lakers in the fourth quarter, scoring 28 of the team’s 32 points. James finished the night with 11 assists and eight rebounds, while Davis grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. James passed Magic Johnson for sixth on the NBA’s all-time leaderboard.
Khris Middleton made his long-awaited season debut for Milwaukee, finishing with 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting and dishing out seven assists. He played 26 minutes in his return from wrist surgery.
Warriors 119, Bulls 111
Jordan Poole exploded for a game-high 30 points off the bench and Golden State won its ninth straight at home by beating Chicago in San Francisco.
Klay Thompson and Draymond Green buried key late 3-pointers for Golden State, whose 10-1 home record is tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the best in the NBA. Thompson finished with 26 points, and teammate Stephen Curry had 19 to go with 11 rebounds.
Nikola Vucevic had 23 points, Zach LaVine 21 and DeMar DeRozan 16 for Chicago, which trailed by as many as 19 before rallying within 105-101 after a steal and hoop by Javonte Green with 6:14 to play.
Hornets 117, Wizards 116
Terry Rozier poured in 25 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. racked up 22 points as the Hornets held on to beat the visiting Wizards.
P.J. Washington hit five 3-pointers and ended up with 21 points for the Hornets, Mason Plumlee turned in 17 points and 10 rebounds and his backup at center, Nick Richards, supplied 12 points and nine rebounds.
Bradley Beal pumped in 33 points and Kristaps Porzingis provided 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Wizards. Beal was 12-for-24 from the field. Kyle Kuzma and Corey Kispert had 14 points, Monte Morris finished with 12 points and Daniel Gafford had 10 points.
Cavaliers 107, Magic 96
Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points and Evan Mobley collected 19 points and 13 rebounds to fuel host Cleveland to a victory over Orlando.
Mitchell scored 16 points in the first quarter and 13 in the third. He made 12 of 21 shots from the floor — and 7 of 11 from 3-point range — for the Cavaliers, who improved to 10-1 at home this season and dropped the Magic to 1-10 on the road. Darius Garland chipped in 18 points and six assists to send Cleveland to its seventh win in its last nine games.
Rookie Paolo Banchero scored 22 points and Cole Anthony added 19 off the bench for the Magic, who have lost seven in a row overall. Moritz Wagner collected 16 points and nine rebounds and Franz Wagner added 16 points.
Heat 120, Celtics 116 (OT)
Jimmy Butler returned to the Miami lineup for the first time since Nov. 16 and produced 25 points and 15 rebounds in the overtime win over host Boston.
Butler and Bam Adebayo scored the Heat’s final eight points. Adebayo led the Heat overall with 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting, and he pulled down seven rebounds. Tyler Herro shot 6 of 10 on 3-point attempts, accounting for more than half of the Heat’s 11 made 3-pointers, en route to 26 points. Kyle Lowry put up 20 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Marcus Smart and Grant Williams each scored 18 points for Boston. Smart dished nine assists. Jayson Tatum finished with a 14-point double-double in spite of his uncharacteristic 5-for-18 shooting, grabbing 12 rebounds.
Grizzlies 117, 76ers 109
Ja Morant scored 28 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22 as Memphis withstood a late charge to beat visiting Philadelphia.
Dillon Brooks had 17 points for Memphis, which led by as many as 18 early in the fourth quarter. Santi Aldama had 13 points, Brandon Clarke added 10, and Steven Adams tallied nine points and 16 rebounds.
Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 35 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, while Tobias Harris added 21 points and 11 rebounds. Shake Milton scored 17 points and De’Anthony Melton had 13.
Nets 114, Raptors 105
Kyrie Irving scored 27 points as host Brooklyn took control early and recorded a wire-to-wire victory over Toronto.
Kevin Durant added 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Nets needed to play him for 38 minutes because of their shaky final 24 minutes. Joe Harris also contributed 17 and Nic Claxton finished with 15 and nine rebounds as the Nets shot 53.7 percent.
Pascal Siakam, who recorded a triple-double in his last trip to Brooklyn on Oct. 21, scored 24 points, but the Raptors could not overcome missing 14 of their first 16 shots and fell to .500 for the sixth time this year. O.G. Anunoby added 21 and Scottie Barnes contributed 17 as the Raptors shot 43.7 percent.
Hawks 117, Nuggets 109
Dejounte Murray saved nine of his game-high 34 points for the stretch run as Atlanta, playing without Trae Young, outlasted visiting Denver. Young was a late scratch due to a sore right shoulder.
Seeking a fifth straight win, Denver led for 21 seconds, but rallied from double-digit deficits multiple times to get within arm’s length of the hosts. Atlanta had the answer on every occasion, however.
Nikola Jokic had a team-high 24 points and Jamal Murray 20 for the Nuggets, who took their only lead of the game at 79-78 on a Jokic 3-pointer with 2:37 remaining in the third period.
Rockets 122, Suns 121
Jalen Green scored 30 points and reserve center Bruno Fernando keyed a fourth-quarter comeback as Houston edged host Phoenix.
Green made one of two free throws with 28.8 seconds left before the Rockets survived the final frantic seconds, with the Suns missing four shots on an extended final possession. Devin Booker, who scored a game-high 41 points, misfired twice, including on a 16-footer at the buzzer.
Jabari Smith Jr. added 17 points as Houston snapped the Suns’ six-game winning streak. Fernando produced 10 points and five rebounds in the final period. Cameron Payne finished with 20 points and 12 assists for Phoenix, and Mikal Bridges chipped in 22 points and eight rebounds.
Pelicans 117, Spurs 99
Zion Williamson racked up 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists and keyed a decisive third-quarter run as visiting New Orleans swamped reeling San Antonio.
The loss was the 10th straight for the Spurs, their longest losing streak since 1989 when they dropped 13 straight. San Antonio has not won since Nov. 11 and has one win in its past 16 games.
The Pelicans trailed 67-63 with 4:22 to play in the third quarter before Williamson scored nine straight points to give them the lead. Jonas Valanciunas added 21 points and 11 rebounds. Devin Vassell led San Antonio with 25 points.
Jazz 139, Pacers 119
Lauri Markkanen registered his 10th double-double of the season with 24 points and 13 rebounds to boost host Utah to a victory over Indiana in Salt Lake City.
Rookie Walker Kessler also had a double-double, his second, with career highs of 20 points and 11 rebounds to help the Jazz win their second straight game after a five-game skid. Jordan Clarkson contributed 19 points, including eight during a key 17-0 run late in the first half, while Collin Sexton scored 18 and Malik Beasley had 16.
Myles Turner led Indiana with 18 points, while Jalen Smith and Tyrese Haliburton each had 14 as the Pacers fell to 1-3 to start their seven-game road trip.
–Field Level Media
