Simmons leads 76ers past Bulls
CHICAGO (AP) — Ben Simmons scored 32 points, making two free throws with 5.6 seconds left to complete Philadelphia's rally from five points down in the final minute, and the 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls 116-115 on Thursday night.
Joel Embiid had 30 points and 13 rebounds, and Simmons added 11 assists and seven rebounds as Philadelphia won its sixth straight and snapped a fourgame road losing streak.
Bobby Portis had a career-high 38 points and Zach LaVine added 23 for the Bulls, who were 18 for 34 on 3-pointers.
Chicago had a 115-114 lead and the ball with 8 seconds to go before Embiid deflected an inbounds pass to create a turnover. Simmons came up with the ball near half court and was fouled by Denzel Valentine. He made both free throws.
Portis had a chance for a game winner, but his short attempt — with Embiid defending — just missed.
The 76ers raced to a 25-7 lead midway through the first quarter before Portis got hot and Chicago started making 3s.
Philadelphia's lead was down to 33-29 at the end of the quarter and the Bulls busted out for 40
points in the second to take a 69-67 halftime lead. Chicago was 9 of 12 on 3-pointers in the quarter, including 4 for 5 by Portis.
The 76ers were up by five early in the fourth before Portis scored six straight points — on a 3-pointer and a three-point play — to put the Bulls on top 101-100.
A few minutes later, Portis dunked over Embiid to stretch the lead to 111-106 with just over four minutes to play.
LaVine hit a 3-pointer to make it 115-110 with 1:02 left.
WIZARDS 110, CAVALIERS 103
CLEVELAND (AP) — Bradley Beal scored 18 points, Kelly Oubre Jr. added 17 and tried to untie the sneakers of one of Cleveland's new players, and the Wizards withstood a late assault by LeBron James to beat the new-look Cavaliers.
The Wizards nearly blew a late 11-point lead as James scored 14 straight points to pull the Cavs within 106-103. But Beal hit a driving layup and James missed a free throw and committed a lane violation while intentionally missing the second one and the Wizards held on.
Washington is 8-2 since star guard John Wall went down with a knee injury. Tomas Satoransky, who has been starting in Wall's spot, added 17 points and eight assists.
James, back from winning MVP honors at the AllStar Game, scored 32 — 14 in the fourth — for the Cavs, who dropped to 2-1 since acquiring four new players before the trade deadline. J.R. Smith added 15 for Cleveland.
The Wizards spoiled the home debuts for Larry Nance Jr., George Hill, Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson, four new faces the Cavs are hoping can get them back to the NBA Finals.
But there are more obstacles in the Eastern Conference than ever and the Wizards could be a much tougher out in the postseason — with or without Wall. Washington overcame an early 12-point deficit and matched Cleveland's intensity.
Oubre tried to give the Wizards an extra advantage when he reached over during a dead-ball situation and tried to untie one of Hood's shoes.
The four newest Cavs received warm ovations when introduced, with Nance getting the biggest roar from fans who remember his shot-blocking, dunking dad. Larry Nance Sr. was a two-time AllStar during eight seasons with Cleveland.
Before the game, Nance Jr. announced that the NBA will allow him to wear his dad's retired No. 22 jersey, which will remain hanging from the rafters in Quicken Loans Arena.
"I'm ecstatic about it," said the younger Nance, who will switch from 24 to 22 next week.
After making just one 3-pointer in the first quarter, the Wizards dropped four deep shots in a span of 2:24 of the second quarter.
Oubre and Markieff Morris each made two 3s during Washington's barrage, which enabled the Wizards to take a 57-54 lead at halftime.
HORNETS 111, NETS 96
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Dwight Howard grabbed a season-high 24 rebounds and added 15 points, Kemba Walker scored 31 and the Hornets beat the Nets.
Dante Cunningham had 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Nets, who lost their eighth straight game and fell to 19-41.
D'Angelo Russell, starting for the first time since November knee surgery, scored 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting.
All five Charlotte starters scored in double digits and the Hornets hit 52.4 percent from 3-point range. Charlotte improved to 25-33 with its second straight victory.
Howard had a double-double — 10 points and 11 rebounds — after 10 minutes of play in the first quarter. But the Hornets still needed Walker's big fourth quarter, when he had 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting, to secure the victory.
Both teams were playing their first game since the All-Star break, and had to shake off the accompanying rust that resulted in roller-coaster play.
The Hornets held a 55-53 halftime lead after hitting 46 percent behind the arc. Charlotte then had a 13-0 run to start the third quarter, sparked by seven points from Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
The Hornets outscored the Nets 31-22 in the fourth.
KNICKS 120, MAGIC 113
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Trey Burke came off the bench with a season-high 26 points and six assists to help the Knicks break an eight-game losing streak with a victory over the Magic.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had 23 points and six assists for the Knicks, who won for the first time since Jan. 30 and the first time since losing Kristaps Porzingis for the season to a torn ACL.
Evan Fournier scored 25 points for the Magic, who lost their fourth straight.
The first game after the All-Star break for both teams marked the first Knicks start for guard Emmanuel Mudiay, who was acquired from Denver in a three-team trade on Feb. 8.
It also marked the returns from injury for center Nikola Vucevic and forward Aaron Gordon of the Magic.
Vucevic finished with 19 points and six rebounds. The Magic made 11 of their first 12 shots, including all five 3-pointers, on their way to a 41-point first quarter and a 10-point lead.
Orlando led 76-65 early in the second half, a lead that disappeared quickly when Enes Kanter scored three baskets a 12-0 run that put the Knicks ahead for the first time since the middle of the first quarter.
A layup by Lance Thomas early in the fourth quarter put the Knicks ahead permanently and launched an 18-6 run that produced a 113-102 lead.
Burke, who shot 12 for 22 in the game, scored three baskets during that rally.
THUNDER 110, KINGS 107
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Russell Westbrook made a 3-pointer as time expired, lifting the Thunder to a victory over the Kings.
The Thunder blew a 23-point lead and trailed 105102 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining before closing the game on an 8-2 run.
Westbrook, who notched his 18th triple-double of the season, made three free throws sandwiched around a bucket in the paint by Steven Adams to put Oklahoma City up 107-105.
Justin Jackson's 6-foot jumper off an offensive rebound tied the game. After a timeout, the Thunder got the ball in front of Sacramento's bench and Carmelo Anthony found Westbrook atop the 3-point line for the winner.
Westbrook lifted the Thunder from what would have been a devastating loss after a fast start in their first game since the All-Star break. They set a season high with 44 points in the first quarter and made 12 3-pointers but still had to rally in the final minutes to win.
Anthony matched his season high of seven 3-pointers and Paul George had three from beyond the arc, ending his five-game streak with five or more 3s. It was the second-longest streak in NBA history behind George McCloud's six-game streak in 1996.
The Thunder shot nearly 70 percent in the first quarter and made seven 3s, including three straight by Anthony. George had two of them and added a three-point play and two free throws to put Oklahoma City up 44-21.
It was the complete opposite for Billy Donovan's club after that. Sacramento went on a pair of big runs early in the second quarter and got within 64-60 before Anthony's fifth 3 of the first half briefly halted the onslaught and put Oklahoma City up by seven at halftime.