Darius Garland’s 25 points and Ty Jerome’s 24 helped carry the Cleveland Cavaliers as they maintained their unbeaten record by beating the visiting Charlotte Hornets 128-114 on Sunday night.
Four Cleveland players had more than 20 points as the Cavaliers extended their franchise-best winning streak to 15 games. They are the fourth team in NBA history to begin a season 15-0. Only the Golden State Warriors (24-0 in 2015-16) have enjoyed a better start.
Evan Mobley put up 23 points and 11 rebounds and Jarrett Allen added 21 points and 15 rebounds to boost an offense that clicked on 57.1 percent shooting from the field. The Cavaliers excelled without guard Donovan Mitchell (24.6 points per game), who took a rest day and was replaced by Jerome in the starting lineup.
LaMelo Ball had 31 points to go with 12 assists, while Miles Bridges added 19 points for the Hornets, who’ve lost their past five road games after winning the season opener in Houston. Charlotte’s Josh Green, Brandon Miller and Grant Williams all scored 15 points.
Timberwolves 120, Suns 117
Julius Randle drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Minnesota to a dramatic win over Phoenix in Minneapolis.
The loss spoiled a 44-point performance from Devin Booker, who shot 15 of 29 from the field and 6 of 13 from beyond the arc for the Suns. Grayson Allen added 18 points off the bench, and Tyus Jones had 13 points and 11 assists.
Randle, who also hit a buzzer-beater at the end of the first half, finished with 35 points on 11-for-20 shooting and 5 of 11 from behind the arc. Anthony Edwards scored 24 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
Clippers 116, Jazz 105
James Harden scored 20 points, dished out 11 assists and moved into second place on the all-time made 3-pointers list as Los Angeles ended a three-game losing streak with a victory over Utah in Inglewood, Calif.
Ivica Zubac scored 22 points to go with 11 rebounds and Norman Powell added 19 points as the Clippers extended their home winning streak to four games. Los Angeles led by as many as 23 points in the second quarter and cruised to the victory.
Jordan Clarkson scored 21 points and Lauri Markkanen added 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Jazz committed 19 turnovers to Los Angeles’ nine. Kyle Filipowski and John Collins each scored 13 points for Utah, which lost for the fifth time in seven road games this season.
Pistons 124, Wizards 104
Jaden Ivey scored a season-high 28 points and Malik Beasley matched his season-best with 26 points, lifting visiting Detroit over reeling Washington.
Cade Cunningham collected 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his fourth triple-double of the season for Detroit. He also had five steals. Tobias Harris recorded 12 points and nine rebounds for the Pistons, who seized control of the contest by outscoring Washington 37-26 in the third quarter.
Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma each scored 22 points and Bilal Coulibaly added 15 for the Wizards, who have not won since a home-and-home sweep over the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 28-30.
Pacers 119, Heat 110
Myles Turner made five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 34 points as Indiana weathered a fourth-quarter rally by visiting Miami.
Pascal Siakam scored 23 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers, who led by as many as 16 in the third quarter. Tyrese Haliburton finished with 16 points and 13 assists for Indiana.
Tyler Herro made seven 3-pointers and led the Heat with 28 points while Bam Adebayo scored 24 points. Miami played without All-Star Jimmy Butler, who missed his fourth straight game with a right ankle sprain.
Knicks 114, Nets 104
Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 15 rebounds for host New York, which pulled away in the second half for a win over Brooklyn.
Towns scored 14 points during a decisive third-quarter run to help the Knicks sweep a two-game home set against the Nets. New York earned a 124-122 win in NBA Cup action on Friday.
Jalen Brunson, who hit the game-winning shot on Friday, posted a double-double on Sunday (12 points, 10 assists) for the Knicks. Cameron Johnson had 22 points for the Nets, who have lost three straight games and five of their past six.
Mavericks 121, Thunder 119
P.J. Washington had a season-high 27 points and a career-high 17 rebounds to lead visiting Dallas to a win over Oklahoma City.
Kyrie Irving added 23 points as the Mavericks led for much of the game despite playing without Luka Doncic, who was out with a bruised right knee. It was the first game Doncic had missed this season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nearly helped the Thunder pull off a late comeback — hitting a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to pull Oklahoma City within three, forcing a jump ball with Irving and then winning the jump ball. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 36 points on 13-of-19 shooting.
Grizzlies 105, Nuggets 90
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 20 points and Jaylen Wells added 15 to lead Memphis to a victory over visiting Denver, which played without three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
Jokic missed his second straight game due to personal reasons. The Nuggets have lost two straight without Jokic after winning five in a row. Julian Strawther came off the bench to score 19 points for the Nuggets, while Jamal Murray and Christian Braun had 13 each. Russell Westbrook scored 12.
Memphis — which has won four of its past six — was without Ja Morant, absent since suffering a hip injury Nov. 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Another starter, Marcus Smart, missed the game because of an illness. Desmond Bane posted his fifth career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds while adding seven assists.
Blazers 114, Hawks 110
Shaedon Sharpe came up with big plays at both ends of the floor in the final minute to lift host Portland past Atlanta.
Coming off a career-high 33 points in a win over Minnesota on Wednesday, Sharpe finished with a game-high 32, including the Trail Blazers’ last nine points. Portland has won three in a row.
The Hawks trailed by 13 entering the fourth quarter but rallied to make it close. Trae Young finished with 29 points and Jalen Johnson added 25.
Rockets 143, Bulls 107
Fred VanVleet scored a game-high 28 points and Alperen Sengun finished with 20 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds for his second straight triple-double as visiting Houston routed Chicago.
Seven Rockets scored in double figures, including every starter. Jalen Green had 18 points, while Amen Thompson (16 points), Dillon Brooks (15), Reed Sheppard (12) and Jabari Smith Jr. (10) followed. Thompson added 11 rebounds for a double-double.
The Bulls emptied much of their bench late in the third quarter. Zach LaVine (15 points) and Talen Horton-Tucker (12) paced Chicago, which shot 33.6 percent. Houston shot 52.4 percent while reaching a season high in points.
–Field Level Media
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