FRIDAY’S GAMES
HOME team in caps. Bulls 90, MAGIC 82: Rookie Lauri Markkanen and Sean Kilpatrick each scored 13 points, rookie Ryan Arcidiacono had all of his eight points in the fourth quarter, and Chicago snapped a seven-game losing streak. Arcidiacono’s 3-pointer started a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter for the Bulls, who took an 80-71 lead and held on to complete a four-game season sweep of the Magic.
76ers 101, HAWKS 91: Ben Simmons had a triple-double in three quarters, Ersan Ilyasova scored 21 points and Philadelphia won its ninth straight game. With 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, Simmons has five tripledoubles in his last 10 games and 11 overall. The Rookie of the Year candidate did not play after leaving with 3:37 left in the third.
Denver at OKLAHOMA CITY (late): LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and the Spurs held off the Thunder 103-99 on Thursday night to climb back into fourth place in the Western Conference. San Antonio matched Oklahoma City at 44-32 in jumping two spots in the standings. The Thunder are fifth, a half-game ahead of the Pelicans.
CAVALIERS 107, Pelicans 102: LeBron James scored in double digits in his 867th straight game, breaking the record he shared with Michael Jordan, and Cleveland rallied to beat New Orleans. James finished with 27 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, adding another stellar performance to his MVP-worthy 15th NBA season.
ROCKETS 104, Suns 103: Gerald Green made a 3-pointer at the buzzer and Houston rallied from a 21-point, second-half deficit for a victory over Phoenix. The win was Houston’s 11th straight and extended Phoenix’s skid to 14 games. James Harden hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 101-all with 12 seconds left before rookie Josh Jackson put Phoenix on top with a basket with 1.4 seconds remaining.
Minnesota at DALLAS (late): Brook Lopez scored 22 points, Julius Randle added 20 points and 10 rebounds, and the Lakers beat the Mavericks 103-93 on Wednesday night. Brandon Ingram had 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes in his return after missing 12 games with a groin strain. Lonzo Ball had eight points, five rebounds and four assists.
Memphis at UTAH (late): Jaylen Brown made a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left to lift the Celtics to a 97-94 victory over the Jazz on Wednesday night. Brown scored 21 points and Jayson Tatum added 16 for the Celtics, who won their fifth straight despite a short-handed roster. Terry Rozier chipped in 13 points.
L.A. Clippers at PORTLAND (late): MarShon Brooks scored 14 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter in his first game with Memphis, helping the lowly Grizzlies beat the Trail Blazers 108-103 on Wednesday night. Brooks made each of his four 3-point attempts in the final period in his first NBA appearance since April 16, 2014.
Milwaukee at L.A. LAKERS (late): Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points, Kevin Durant’s return from a rib injury ended early with a second-quarter ejection, and the Bucks beat the Warriors 116-107 on Thursday night. The Bucks beat the Warriors for just the second time in their past 10 meetings.