Tim Hardaway Jr. made seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points to lift the visiting Dallas Mavericks past the Philadelphia 76ers, 117-98, on Friday.
Dec 20, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (11) dribbles as Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) defends during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Kristaps Porzingis added 22 points and a career-high 18 rebounds to go along with three blocked shots as the Mavericks improved to 11-2 on the road.
The Mavericks won handily despite playing without injured guard Luka Doncic.
Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 33 points and 17 rebounds for his 19th double-double, but they dropped their third in a row. It was also the Sixers’ second consecutive home loss after opening the season with 14 straight wins. Ben Simmons had 12 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Philadelphia.
Boston Celtics 114 – Detroit Pistons 93
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum scored 26 points apiece to lead host Boston to its second straight win, a rout of Detroit, which has lost four of five.
Rookie Grant Williams chipped in a season-high 18 points off the bench, and Enes Kanter had 18 rebounds for the Celtics. Kemba Walker was held to two points on 0-for-6 shooting but had 11 assists.
Andre Drummond had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Thon Maker scored 15 points for the Pistons, who played without Blake Griffin, Luke Kennard and Christian Wood — all with knee injuries.
Indiana Pacers 119 – Sacramento Kings 105
T.J. Warren scored 23 points on 10-for-16 shooting to help host Indiana cruise over Sacramento as Myles Turner added 17 points and Indiana won its fifth straight game and its13th in the last 16.
Domantas Sabonis contributed 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists, T.J. McConnell recorded 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting and added eight assists while Malcolm Brogdon and Doug McDermott had 13 points apiece.
Richaun Holmes scored 20 points on 9-for-10 shooting and collected nine rebounds for the Kings. Marvin Bagley III added 17 points, and rookie Justin James matched his season high of 14 points.
Oklahoma City Thunder 126 – Phoenix Suns 108
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 32 points to lead host Oklahoma City past Phoenix, and the Thunder didn’t need a big comeback this time.
In each of the first two games of their current five-game homestand, Oklahoma City came back from a big deficit to win. Monday against Chicago, it was a 26-point deficit. Two days later against Memphis, Oklahoma City trailed by 24 before coming back to win.
Gilgeous-Alexander was 13 of 18 from the floor, hitting both of his 3-point attempts. His previous career high was 29 points in a win over Minnesota on Dec. 6. Ricky Rubio led the Suns with 24 points. He was 9 of 11 from the floor.
Portland Trail Blazers 118 – Orlando Magic 103
Damian Lillard made seven 3-pointers while scoring 36 points to lead Portland over visiting Orlando.
CJ McCollum knocked down four 3-pointers while recording 31 points and eight rebounds as the Trail Blazers won for the fourth time in their past five games. Hassan Whiteside collected 17 rebounds in addition to scoring 10 points and blocking five shots for Portland. Kent Bazemore added 11 points.
Nikola Vucevic contributed 23 points, 12 rebounds and a career-best six steals for Orlando, which fell for the sixth time in its past seven games. D.J. Augustin scored 17 points off the bench, Evan Fournier added 16 points, and Aaron Gordon had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Denver Nuggets 109 – Minnesota Timberwolves 100
Nikola Jokic had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, Jamal Murray scored 28 points, and host Denver beat Minnesota.
Will Barton added 13 points, and Paul Millsap and Gary Harris scored 11 each for the Nuggets, who won all five games on their now-concluded homestand.
Minnesota played its second straight game without center Karl-Anthony Towns and lost its ninth in a row. Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points, Gorgui Dieng had 18, Jeff Teague finished with 13 and Robert Covington 10 for Minnesota.
Toronto Raptors 122 – Washington Wizards 118
Kyle Lowry scored 26 points — including a vital 3-pointer with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter — and Toronto held on to defeat visiting Washington as Serge Ibaka added 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who have won four straight.
Toronto was without starters Pascal Siakam (groin), Norman Powell (shoulder) and Marc Gasol (hamstring). All three were injured in the road win against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
Toronto’s OG Anunoby scored 18 points, Fred VanVleet also had 18 points and added nine rebounds and eight assists, while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 14 points and Patrick McCaw scored 11. Lowry also dished out nine assists. Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 37 points. Ish Smith added 26 points, Isaiah Thomas had 13, Troy Brown Jr. 11 and Davis Bertans 10 for Washington, losers of two in a row.
Cleveland Cavaliers 114 – Memphis Grizzlies 107
Jordan Clarkson scored a season-high 33 points, and Kevin Love drained a pair of 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter as host Cleveland beat Memphis.
Clarkson made 12 of 17 shots from the field — including 6 of 8 from 3-point range — to help the Cavaliers win back-to-back games for the second time this season. Cleveland previously won consecutive contests on Nov. 8 and Nov. 10 by defeating the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks, respectively.
Love highlighted his 21-point performance with five 3-pointers. He added 13 rebounds to post his fifth double-double in his past six games. Jaren Jackson Jr. had a team-high 24 points and Dillon Brooks added 16 for the Grizzlies, who have lost back-to-back games. Jackson and Brooks each made four 3-pointers.
Miami Heat 129 – New York Knicks 114
Duncan Robinson hit two of his six 3-pointers during a game-opening, 23-8 flurry that propelled host Miami to an easy victory over New York.
Robinson finished with 18 points and Bam Adebayo a team-high 20 for the Heat, who opened a four-game homestand on a successful note.
Reserve Bobby Portis poured in a game-high 30 points for the Knicks, who had won three of four in the wake of a 10-game losing streak.
Golden State Warriors 106 – New Orleans Pelicans 102
D’Angelo Russell broke a tie by sinking a long jumper with 32.9 seconds remaining before Draymond Green and Damion Lee buried four clutch free throws, allowing Golden State to end a five-game losing streak by beating New Orleans in San Francisco.
Russell’s key hoop occurred just 5 1/2 seconds after Brandon Ingram had dropped in a pair of free throws that allowed the Pelicans, who trailed by as many as 20 points in the first half, to draw even at 100-all.
After Jrue Holiday misfired on a jumper with 29.8 seconds remaining, the Pelicans fouled Green, whose two foul shots created a four-point Golden State lead with 14.3 seconds to go.
—Field Level Media