Ben Simmons had 28 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and four steals to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Los Angeles Lakers 108-91 on Saturday, in a game that saw LeBron James pass Kobe Bryant for third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Jan 25, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) reacts after dunking the ball during the fourth quarter as Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) looks on in the background at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Simmons shot 12 of 15 in playing 41 minutes. Tobias Harris scored 29 points and Al Horford had 16 for the Sixers, who improved to 21-2 at home. Matisse Thybulle also contributed five steals.
The Sixers played without Joel Embiid (finger) for the 16th time this season and were also missing Josh Richardson with a strained hamstring.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 31 points, while LeBron James had 29 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. James entered the game with 33,626 points while Bryant sat at 33,643.
Chicago Bulls 118 — Cleveland Cavaliers 106
Zach LaVine scored 27 of his 44 points in the first half and Chicago benefited from a dominant third quarter to beat host Cleveland for the second time in as many Saturdays.
LaVine made five of his team’s 12 3-pointers and added 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Bulls, narrowly missing out on his first career triple-double. He recorded 21 of his 42 points in fourth quarter last Saturday as Chicago overcame a late 15-point deficit in a 118-116 victory over Cleveland last weekend.
Cleveland scored the first seven points of the third before Chicago seized control of the game by igniting a scintillating 40-12 run to take a 99-76 lead at the end of the quarter. LaVine drained a 3-pointer to both begin and end the Bulls’ 11-0 run to cap the sequence.
Brooklyn Nets 121 — Detroit Pistons 111 (OT)
Kyrie Irving poured in 45 points and Brooklyn snapped a five-game losing streak by topping host Detroit.
Irving’s output was his highest since scoring 50 points against Minnesota in October during his Nets debut. He added seven assists and six rebounds. Jarrett Allen had 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks and Joe Harris tossed in 16 points for Brooklyn.
Derrick Rose led Detroit with 27 points and six assists. Pistons center Andre Drummond, who missed the previous two games after taking an elbow to the mouth at Washington on Monday, supplied 20 points and 21 rebounds.
Utah Jazz 112 — Dallas Mavericks 107
Rudy Gobert scored 22 points, collected 17 rebounds and blocked five shots to rally Utah over Dallas in Salt Lake City.
Donovan Mitchell scored a team-high 25 points for Utah, while Bojan Bogdanovic added 23 points. Utah won its fourth straight game and is 19-2 over its last 21 games.
Luka Doncic scored 25 points to lead Dallas. Seth Curry added 19 points and Kristaps Porzingis added 15 for the Mavericks, who are 1-2 in their last three after winning four straight.
Oklahoma City Thunder 113 — Minnesota Timberwolves 104
Chris Paul added to his All-Star credentials with his sixth double-double of the season, helping the Thunder roll past the host Timberwolves.
The nine-time All-Star scored 13 of his 25 points in a third-quarter outburst and added a team-high 10 assists as the Thunder won their fifth straight both overall and on the road.
The Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns was the game’s leading scorer with 37 points.
—Field Level Media