Beal’s 60-point eruption can’t slow sizzling Sixers
Guard ties Wizards standard; Philadelphia at 7-1
PHILADELPHIA — Bradley Beal sank a free throw with 4.4 seconds left to reach a milestone, a Washington record-tying 60 points.
Dominant again, Joel Embiid already had made it a moot point.
Embiid scored 38 points as the Nba-leading Philadelphia 76ers overcame Beal’s first 60-point game in a 141-136 win over the Wizards on Wednesday.
The Sixers are an Nba-best 7-1 in coach Doc Rivers’ first season in Philadelphia.
Beal scored 57 points through three quarters and seemed poised to not only smash the 60-point mark but complete Washington’s rally from 21 points down.
Embiid snuffed that out in the fourth, scoring 11 points to three for Beal.
Beal, who once scored 53 and 55 points in consecutive games, went 20 of 25 from the floor, including 7-for-10 on 3-pointers, and made 13 of 15 free throws to match former Wizard Gilbert Arenas for the franchise single-game mark.
Beal shot 11 of 16 with four 3-pointers in the first half for 32 points, joining Michael Jordan
(34 points in 2001) and Arenas
(33 points in 2006 and 30 in 2007) as Wizards to score 30 in half over the past 20 years.
■ Knicks 112, Jazz 100: At New York, Austin Rivers scored 14 straight New York points in the fourth quarter and totaled 23, and Julius Randle had 30 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists for the Knicks, who overcame an 18-point first-half deficit in their third straight win.
■ Pacers 114, Rockets 107: At Indianapolis, Malcolm Brogdon hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:22 left and totaled a career-high 35 points for Indiana, which closed on an 8-0 run in its first home win over Houston in four years. John Wall scored 28 points for the Rockets.
■ Magic 105, Cavaliers 94:
At Orlando, Fla., Terrence Ross scored 20 points for Orlando, which lost Markelle Fultz to a season-ending left ACL tear. Collin Sexton had 21 points for Cleveland, his franchise-record eighth straight game with at least 20 to start the season.
■ Celtics 107, Heat 105: At Miami, Payton Pritchard scored on a putback with two-tenths of a second left for Boston, which led by 17 points in the first half and by 10 with 1:17 left. Jayson Tatum scored 27 points for the Celtics. Jimmy Butler had 26 for Miami.
■ Hornets 102, Hawks 94:
At Atlanta, Gordon Hayward scored a career-high 44 points for Charlotte, which didn’t trail until the fourth quarter. John Collins had 23 points for Atlanta, but top scorer Trae Young (28.6 ppg) mustered seven points on 2-for-9 shooting.
■ Bucks 130, Pistons 115: At Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 25 points and Khris Middleton 23 for Milwaukee, which led by 34 in the third quarter. Jerami Grant had 31 points for Detroit (1-7), which had fallen by 10 points or fewer in each of its first six losses.
■ Thunder 111, Pelicans 110:
At New Orleans, George Hill hit the go-ahead free throws with 12 seconds left for Oklahoma
City, which got 21 points from Shai Gilgeous-alexander. Zion Williamson scored 29 points and Brandon Ingram 24 for New Orleans.
■ Suns 123, Raptors 115: At Phoenix, Devin Booker scored 24 points for Phoenix, which got 42 points from reserves and made 21 of 40 3-point tries — the fourth time in franchise history it has made at least 20 3s. Pascal Siakam had 32 points for Toronto (1-6).
■ Clippers 108, Warriors 101:
At San Francisco, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard each scored 21 points for Los Angeles, with the duo combining to make 16 of 16 free throws. Andrew Wiggins and Eric Paschall each had 19 points for Golden State.
■ Kings 128, Bulls 124: At Sacramento, Calif., Richaun Holmes had 24 points to lead three 20-point scorers for Sacramento, which shot 51.6 percent. Coby White scored 36 points and Zach Lavine 32 for Chicago, which dressed nine players.