Embiid helps rally 76ers by Hornets
Joel Embiid had 23 points and 14 rebounds to help the 76ers pull away from the Charlotte Hornets down the stretch in a 110-99 victory last night in Philadelphia.
The Sixers won their 13th straight game at the Wells Fargo Center and looked strong in the fourth quarter on the second night of a back-to-back. JJ Redick and newly signed Ersan Ilyasova scored clutch buckets in the final minutes to continue the Sixers’ late charge up the East standings.
The Sixers continue to inch closer to their first playoff berth since 2012.
“We’re closer than we’ve ever been to achieving a pretty significant goal. We don’t feel like we’re there at all, and I don’t see complacency creeping in there,” coach Brett Brown said. “We’re playing a team in desperation mode.”
Magic 115, Pistons 106 — Aaron Gordon had 27 points and 13 rebounds to help host Orlando stop a seven-game losing streak with a victory against Detroit in overtime.
Nikola Vucevic added 22 points and 12 rebounds, and D.J. Augustin had 20 points and nine assists for the Magic. Evan Fournier scored 17, including seven in the extra period.
James Ennis and Reggie Bullock led Detroit with 21 points apiece.
Warriors 114, Hawks 109 — Stephen Curry scored 28 points, including 15 in the final seven minutes of the first half after returning from an ankle injury, and Golden State beat host Atlanta for its fifth straight victory.
Curry turned his right ankle and left the game in the first quarter. He returned for his high-scoring second period before returning to the locker room for good in the third. The Warriors said a “tweaked right ankle” was the reason Curry would not return.
Thunder 124, Suns 116 — Russell Westbrook had 43 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 56 seconds to play, and Oklahoma City scored the final 10 points in Phoenix to escape with a win.
Westbrook also had 14 rebounds and eight assists for the Thunder, who had lost three straight to Phoenix. Paul George scored 20 points.
Devin Booker had 39 points for the Suns and — at 21 years, 123 days — became the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach 4,000 career points. Only LeBron James and Kevin Durant were younger.
Bulls 108, Mavericks 100 — Bobby Portis scored 22 points and made three straight shots during the decisive run late in the fourth quarter to help Chicago roar back and beat visiting Dallas.
Raptors 102 Wizards 95. — DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points, reserve CJ Miles added 20 and Toronto beat host Washington.
The Raptors have won 10 of their last 11 games, in- cluding a season-high four straight on the road.
Nuggets 108, Grizzlies 102 — Gary Harris scored 26 points, hitting a key basket with just under a minute left, and Denver weathered a fourth-quarter rally to beat host Memphis.
Harris was 11-of-18 from the field to help the Nuggets snap a two-game skid. Will Barton added 24 points as Denver sent the Grizzlies to their 12th straight loss.
Pacers 103, Bucks 96 — Victor Oladipo had 21 points, and visiting Indiana nearly blew a 17-point lead in the middle of a mistake-laden fourth quarter before holding off Milwaukee.