Kristaps Porzingis scored 29 of his career-high 41 points in the first half as the Washington Wizards led wire-to-wire in a 142-127 win over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
Porzingis was 6 of 10 from 3-point range for Washington, which recorded a season-high point total and snapped a three-game losing streak.
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Kyle Kuzma added 23 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for the Wizards, while Bradley Beal scored 22 points, Corey Kispert had 11 and Jordan Goodwin 10.
Minnesota has lost three straight following a five-game winning streak. Anthony Edwards scored 29 points, Jaylen Nowell added 23 off the bench, Rudy Gobert had 19 points and seven rebounds and D’Angelo Russell scored 17 points.
Pacers 116, Lakers 115
Tyrese Haliburton scored 24 points and dished out 14 assists and Andrew Nembhard hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer as visiting Indiana rallied from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Los Angeles.
LeBron James gave the Lakers a 115-113 lead with 20.9 seconds remaining before the Pacers got two chances at a go-ahead 3-pointer, the first from Myles Turner with 5.6 seconds left. Haliburton grabbed the rebound and found Nembhard, who nailed a 25-footer as time expired.
Rookie Bennedict Mathurin scored 23 points for the Pacers. Anthony Davis had 25 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers, while Russell Westbrook added 24 points and James had 21.
Nets 109, Magic 102
Kevin Durant scored a season-high 45 points as Brooklyn beat Orlando in New York.
Durant notched his 63rd career regular-season game with 40 points, and his eighth with the Nets. He shot 19 of 24 from the field, including 8 of 9 in the third quarter when he scored 19 points. Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving added 20 points.
Rookie Paolo Banchero and Bol Bol scored 24 points apiece as Orlando matched a season high with its fifth straight loss and dropped to 1-7 in its past eight games.
76ers 104, Hawks 101
Joel Embiid returned after missing four games and scored 30 points, including all 11 of Philadelphia’s points in the final four minutes, as the 76ers beat visiting Atlanta and extended their winning streak to three games.
Embiid, who had been out with a left mid-foot sprain, was 9-for-18 from the field and 12-for-13 from the line with eight rebounds and seven assists. He put the Sixers ahead to stay with a fadeaway jumper with 18.6 seconds remaining, and then broke up Atlanta’s attempt to win the game by swatting away a lob pass from Trae Young with seven seconds left.
Philadelphia also got 24 points and 10 rebounds from Tobias Harris and 21 points and seven assists from Shake Milton. Atlanta got 18 points from Young and De’Andre Hunter along with 17 points from Dejounte Murray.
Bulls 114, Jazz 107
DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points and Chicago overcame a double-digit deficit en route to a win over Utah in Salt Lake City.
Zach LaVine added 20 points and Nikola Vucevic contributed 16 points and nine rebounds as the Bulls improved to 2-1 on their six-game road trip.
Former Chicago forward Lauri Markkanen led all scorers with 32 points, hitting seven 3-pointers and grabbing nine rebounds, but the Jazz dropped their season-worst fifth straight games. Utah’s Kelly Olynyk had 23 points and Collin Sexton 17.
Celtics 140, Hornets 105
Boston had five players score in double figures and stretched its home winning streak to nine games by breezing past Charlotte.
Jayson Tatum, who sat out Sunday due to ankle soreness, led the Celtics with 35 points in 30 minutes. Boston received 22 points from Marcus Smart and 21 from Malcolm Brogdon. Smart also had a career-high 15 assists.
Boston shot 59.1 percent from the field (55 of 93) and tied the franchise record for 3-pointers in a home game with 24. Jalen McDaniels scored a team-high 24 points for the Hornets, who also received 22 from Kelly Oubre Jr.
Pelicans 105, Thunder 101
Zion Williamson scored 23 points, including a go-ahead basket in the final minute, as short-handed New Orleans held off visiting Oklahoma City.
Williamson also tied a career high with eight assists. Trey Murphy III scored 20 points for the Pelicans, who were without Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, Luguentz Dort added 14 and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder, who lost for the fifth time in six games.
Suns 122, Kings 117
Devin Booker exploded for 44 points, Damion Lee made key plays down the stretch and visiting Phoenix held on late to beat Sacramento.
Deandre Ayton chipped in with a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Suns, who retained the best record in the Western Conference with a fifth straight win.
Malik Monk came off the bench to score a season-high 30 points for the Kings, who lost their third in a row.
Raptors 100, Cavaliers 88
Pascal Siakam had 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists after missing 10 games with an adductor injury and host Toronto defeated Cleveland.
O.G. Anunoby scored 20 points for the Raptors, who defeated the Cavaliers for the second time this season and completed a three-game homestand with two wins.
Evan Mobley had 18 points and 15 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who finished a three-game road trip with a 1-2 record. Darius Garland added 18 points and 10 assists and Donovan Mitchell was held to eight points.
Nuggets 129, Rockets 113
Nikola Jokic had 16 of his game-high 32 points in a decisive third quarter and also supplied 12 rebounds and eight assists, Jamal Murray scored a season-high 31 points and host Denver beat Houston.
The Nuggets, who won their third straight game, played without Michael Porter Jr. (heel) and Jeff Green (knee). The two teams will play again on the same court on Wednesday night.
Alperen Sengun scored 18 points and Jalen Green added 17 for the Rockets, who had their two-game winning streak snapped.
–Field Level Media
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