Suns topple Kings following wild finish
Lakers roll over Pistons to stay hot • Tatum nets 41, Celtics dump Nets • Thunder power past Magic
Devin Booker hit a go-ahead 17-footer with 2:37 remaining, Royce O’Neale hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead with 47.2 seconds to go and the Phoenix Suns survived a frantic finish to defeat the visiting Sacramento Kings 130-125 on Tuesday.
Kevin Durant had 28 points, Booker added 25 and Eric Gordon supplied 23 for the Suns, who prevailed despite losing star Bradley Beal to a left hamstring injury in the first quarter.
De’Aaron Fox poured in a game-high 40 points and Domantas Sabonis (35 points, 18 rebounds, 12 assists) logged a triple-double for the Kings, who grabbed a 116-115 edge -- the fifth lead change of the final period -- on an alley-oop layup by Malik Monk with 2:49 to go.
Booker countered immediately with his lead-changing jumper. The Suns retained a slim advantage until O’Neale, acquired from the Brooklyn Nets at the trade deadline last week, hit his clutch 24-footer for a 122-118 lead in the final minute.
Lakers 125, Pistons 111
LeBron James had 25 points and eight assists and Anthony Davis finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots as host Los Angeles continued its improved play by turning back Detroit.
D’Angelo Russell scored 21 points as the Lakers won for the fifth time in their last six games, with one more Wednesday at Utah before starting their All-Star break. Spencer Dinwiddie made his Lakers debut after he was signed Saturday and scored six points and added seven assists in 31 minutes.
Ausar Thompson scored 19 points and James Wiseman added 18 for the Pistons, who lost consecutive games at Los Angeles after matching a season-high with back-to-back wins. Detroit lost 112106 to the Clippers on Saturday.
Celtics 118, Nets 110
Jayson Tatum scored 31 of his 41 points in the first half and collected
14 rebounds as Boston continued its recent dominance of Brooklyn with a victory in New York.
Including their four-game sweep in the first round of the 2022 playoffs, the Celtics are 13-1 in their past 14 meetings with the Nets. Jaylen Brown added 19 points as all five starters scored in double figures in Boston’s fifth straight win.
Mikal Bridges scored 27 points for the Nets, who trailed by as many as 23 and dropped to 6-17 in their past 23 games. Cam Thomas added 26 points and Lonnie Walker IV contributed 15 as Brooklyn shot 49.4 percent from the floor.
Thunder 127, Magic 113
Jalen Williams scored 33 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 32 as Oklahoma City beat host Orlando.
Oklahoma City shot 54.8 percent, with Williams (12-of-18) leading the way. He scored 17 of his points in the
fourth after Orlando cut a 17-point deficit to a manageable 10 heading into the final quarter.
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 23 points and 10 assists, while Wendell Carter Jr. added 22 points. Orlando retired Shaquille O’Neal’s No. 32 after the game.
Heat 123, Bucks 97
Nikola Jovic set career highs with five 3-pointers and 24 points as short-handed Miami led wire to wire in a win over host Milwaukee.
Duncan Robinson matched his season high with six 3-pointers and finished with 23 points for Miami, which led by as many as 31 and won for the fifth time in its past seven games. Tyler Herro and Kevin Love scored 19 points apiece, and Bam Adebayo recorded his seventh career regular-season triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee
with 23 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Damian Lillard, Malik Beasley and Bobby Portis each added 16 points.
Timberwolves 121, Trail Blazers 109
Anthony Edwards poured in 41 points on 16-of-27 shooting from the floor to lead Minnesota over host Portland.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker was 5-of-6 from 3-point range while scoring 18 points off the bench for Minnesota, which improved to 3-1 on a five-game road trip. Rudy Gobert recorded 16 points and 15 rebounds.
Deandre Ayton scored 22 points on 11-of-12 shooting and collected 16 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who lost their fifth consecutive contest. Anfernee Simons chipped in with 20 points.
(Reuters)