Irving returns, but Nets fall
CLEVELAND — Kyrie Irving returned from his personal “pause” to score 37 points in his first game with Kevin Durant and James Harden, but the new-look, star-studded Brooklyn Nets gave up 42 points to Collin Sexton and lost 147-135 in double overtime to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
Sexton scored 15 points in the second OT — most of them over Irving, who was playing his first game since Jan. 5. Sexton hit two 3-pointers and fed Taurean Prince for another in a 55-second span.
Durant led Brooklyn with 38 points, and Harden had 21. But Brooklyn’s “Big 3” didn’t do enough to outlast Sexton, who missed Cleveland’s previous five games with an ankle sprain.
Cedi Osman scored 25 points and Prince 17 in his debut with the Cavs, who led by 13 in the fourth quarter.
■ Hawks 123, Pistons 115, OT: At Atlanta, Trae Young scored 21 of his 38 points in the third quarter, helping Atlanta erase a 14-point deficit. Jerami Grant scored all of Detroit’s nine overtime points and totaled 32. Clint Capela had 27 points and 26 rebounds for the Hawks.
■ Mavericks 124, Pacers 111: At Indianapolis, Kristaps Porzingis had 27 points and 12 rebounds and Luka Doncic 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for Dallas, which halted its first three-game skid in almost two years.
■ Magic 97, Timberwolves 96:
At Minneapolis, Cole Anthony hit a hurried 3-pointer at the buzzer for Orlando, which trailed by 20 in the second quarter after a 24-1 Minnesota run. Nikola Vucevic scored 28 points for the Magic.
■ Warriors 121, Spurs 99: At San Francisco, Stephen Curry had 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for Golden State, which had lost three straight to San Antonio and five of the previous six meetings.
■ 76ers 117, Celtics 109: At Philadelphia, Joel Embiid had 42 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, which improved to 8-1 at home.
Jaylen Brown scored 26 points and Marcus Smart 25 for Boston.
■ Clippers 115, Kings 96: At Los Angeles, Kawhi Leonard had 32 points and Paul George 19 points and 12 assists for Los Angeles, which won its fifth straight and dealt Sacramento its fourth loss in a row.
■ Suns 109, Rockets 103: At Houston, Deandre Ayton had 26 points and 17 rebounds for Phoenix, which led by 20 in the third quarter. Victor Oladipo and Eric Gordon each scored 22 points for Houston.
■ Heat 111, Raptors 102: At
Tampa, Fla., Kendrick Nunn scored 28 points for Miami, which halted Toronto’s three-game win streak. The Raptors missed 30 of 43 second-half shots.