Nets manage to edge Heat
Durant, Irving take over to keep Brooklyn ahead down stretch vs. Miami
Kevin Durant scored 31 points, Kyrie Irving took over late and had 28 and the Brooklyn Nets overcame Bam Adebayo’s career-high 41 points to beat the Miami Heat 128-124 on Saturday night.
James Harden finished with 12 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds as the Nets won for the first time with their three superstars playing together. They lost consecutive games with dismal defensive efforts in Cleveland and barely got enough stops to hold off a short-handed
Heat team that had been limited to 81 points a night earlier.
But Irving helped pull them through, with 12 points in the final 5:48 after the Heat had erased nearly all of an 18-point deficit.
Joe Harris added 23 points and seven 3-pointers for Brooklyn.
Goran Dragic scored 19 points and Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson each had 18 for the Heat, who remain without Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro. Adebayo also had nine assists while blowing past his previous best scoring night of 30 points.
76ers 114, Pistons 110: Joel Embiid had 33 points and 14 rebounds, and his two free throws with 7.2 seconds left helped Philadelphia seal a victory over Detroit. Ben Simmons added 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the 76ers, and he made a couple big free throws of his own in the final minute.
Lakers 101, Bulls 90: Anthony Davis scored a season-high 37 points against his hometown team, Lebron James added 17 points and 11 rebounds and the Los Angeles Lakers beat Chicago. The defending NBA champions improved to 9-0 on the road and a league-best 13-4 overall.
Timberwolves 120, Pelicans 110: Naz Reid scored 20 points to lead a balanced offensive effort and Minnesota beat New Orleans. Anthony Edwards scored 18 points and Jared Vanderbilt set career highs with 16 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota, which snapped a four-game skid. Jarrett Culver and Malik Beasley each scored 16 points, and Jordan Mclaughlin added 11. Brandon Ingram led New Orleans with 30 points. Eric Bledsoe added 28 and Zion Williamson finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Pelicans, who have lost three straight and eight of their past nine.
Jazz 127, Warriors 108: Donovan Mitchell had 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists as Utah routed Golden State for its eighth straight victory. Stephen Curry made five 3-pointers for the Warriors to give him 2,562 in his career — passing Reggie Miller for second place in NBA history. Ray Allen is first with 2,973.
Rockets 133, Mavericks 108: Eric Gordon scored a season-high 33 points, Demarcus Cousins had his best game for Houston with 28 points and 17 rebounds and the Rockets beat Dallas.
Note: Shorthanded Washington signed free agent centers Alex Len and Jordan Bell on Saturday, trying to fill out a roster decimated by COVID-19 and injuries. The Wizards have scrapped six games since a win over Phoenix on Jan. 11 made them 3-8. They’re scheduled to play Sunday at San Antonio. Six Washington players have tested positive for the coronavirus and three other players were sidelined after contact tracing determined they might have been exposed to the illness. Starting center Thomas Bryant is out for the season with an injured left knee and point guard Russell Westbrook is still dealing with a left quadriceps injury . ... Phoenix All-star guard Devin Booker sat out Saturday against Denver because of a left hamstring injury.