Rookie LaMelo Ball had a triple-double, the youngest player in NBA history to do so, as the host Charlotte Hornets stretched their winning streak to three games by defeating the Atlanta Hawks 113-105 on Saturday night.
Terry Rozier scored 23 points and P.J. Washington added 22 points for Charlotte, which also defeated the Hawks in Atlanta on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old Ball, the third pick overall in the NBA draft in November, finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
Cam Reddish scored 21 points to lead the Hawks, followed by De’Andre Hunter’s 20 and 15 from Trae Young. John Collins had 12 points and Kevin Huerter supplied 11.
Phoenix Suns 125 – Indiana Pacers 117
Mikal Bridges scored 34 points and Devin Booker added 25 to lift Phoenix to a victory over Indiana in Indianapolis.
Cameron Johnson sank four shots from beyond the arc to highlight his 16-point performance for Phoenix, which posted its first victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse since Nov. 18, 2016.
Chris Paul had 15 points and 10 assists, and Jevon Carter added 10 points. Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis scored 20 of his 28 points in the third quarter and added 22 rebounds to notch his ninth consecutive double-double to start the season.
Denver Nuggets 115 – Philadelphia 76ers 103
Gary Harris scored 21 points and Nikola Jokic added 15 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds as visiting Denver pulled away from shorthanded Philadelphia.
Jamal Murray and Will Barton added 14 points each as Denver outscored Philadelphia 35-21 in the third quarter.
Rookie Tyrese Maxey scored a career-high 39 points on 18-of-33 shooting in a losing effort. Philadelphia, which played only seven players, had won 20 consecutive home games in Wells Fargo Center dating to Dec. 20, 2019.
Miami Heat 128 – Washington Wizards 124
Tyler Herro scored a season- and game-high 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Miami to a win over host Washington.
Jimmy Butler posted 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, Goran Dragic added 21 points and five assists and Kelly Olynyk posted 18 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Miami beat Washington for the seventh time in the past nine meetings dating back to the start of the 2018 season.
Dallas Mavericks 112 – Orlando Magic 98
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a season-best 36 points and Trey Burke added a season-high 29 to lead Dallas to a victory over visiting Orlando.
Hardaway made 8 of 13 3-point attempts to fall one short of his career high, while Burke was 7 of 8 from long range and ended one shy of his career best. Luka Doncic recorded 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season as Dallas won its third straight game.
Nikola Vucevic registered 30 points and 15 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season for Orlando, which lost its second straight game. Aaron Gordon scored 16 points, Khem Birch added 12 and Terrence Ross had 11.
Milwaukee Bucks 100 – Cleveland Cavaliers 90
Khris Middleton scored 27 points, Bobby Portis added 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Milwaukee held off visiting Cleveland.
Antetokounmpo, the two-time reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, was a pre-game scratch due to back spasms, one night after taking a hard fall in the Bucks’ loss to the Utah Jazz.
Milwaukee came out strong Saturday despite its star’s absence, holding a Cleveland side dealing with its own injury issues to just 14 points in the first quarter.
San Antonio Spurs 125 – Minnesota Timberwolves 122
DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 38 points and Dejounte Murray added 22 with 14 rebounds as San Antonio won its third consecutive road game by outlasting Minnesota in overtime.
Murray hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring in the extra period and San Antonio, which received 21 points from Patty Mills, never trailed over the final five minutes.
For Minnesota, Malik Beasley scored 29 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 25 with 13 rebounds in his return after he dislocated his left wrist Dec. 27 at Utah. Before Saturday’s game, Minnesota had won both games with Towns on the court and lost all six without him.
Portland Trail Blazers 125 – Sacramento Kings 99
CJ McCollum scored 12 of his game-high 37 points in a 19-8, game-opening run, propelling visiting Portland to a romp over Sacramento.
Damian Lillard contributed 17 points, while Enes Kanter added 11 points and 15 rebounds off the bench for Portland, which won its second straight.
Marvin Bagley III had a team-high 15 points for Sacramento, which lost for the second straight night.
–Field Level Media
