Booker & Paul help NBA-leading Suns roll past the 76ers, 114-104
Devin Booker scored 35 points, Chris Paul had 19 points and 14 assists and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns won their eighth straight game, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 114-104 on Sunday.
It was an intriguing matchup between two teams with an eye on the NBA Finals. The Suns have wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and best record in the league, while the 76ers are fighting Milwaukee, Boston and Miami for the top spot in the East. The loss left the 76ers are tied with the Bucks, a half-game behind the Celtics and Heat.
Phoenix is 61-14, a victory shy of trying the franchise season victory record. The 76ers had their three-game winning streak snapped despite another big game from Joel Embiid, who had 37 points and 15 rebounds.
James Harden had a tough game, shooting 2 of 11 from the field. He had 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
HORNETS 119, NETS 110 » LaMelo Ball had 33 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and Charlotte beat Brooklyn to spoil Kyrie Irving’s first home game of the season and tie the Nets for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
Irving finished with 16 points and tied his season high with 11 assists but shot 6 for 22 from the field. He hadn’t been able to play
at home this season until Mayor Eric Adams last week exempted athletes and performers from the New York City’s coronavirus vaccine mandate.
Miles Bridges scored 24 points and PJ Washington had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets. They won for the seventh time in eight games.
Kevin Durant had 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Nets. PELICANS 116, LAKERS 108 » Brandon Ingram scored 26 in his return from a 10game absence and New Orleans overcame a 23-point deficit to beat Los Angeles in a game with postseason implications for both clubs.
New Orleans moved a half-game ahead of Los Angeles for the ninth seed — and the first of two play-in
spots — in the Western Conference.
New Orleans got an enormous boost from rookies Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones. Murphy, drafted 17th overall, scored all of his 21 points in the second half. Jones, a second-round draft choice, had 16 points and a career-high six steals.
LeBron James hit seven 3-pointers and finished with 39 points.
CELTICS 134, TIMBERWOLVES 112 » Jayson Tatum scored 34 points, Jaylen Brown had 31 points and 10 rebounds and Boston beat Minnesota for its sixth straight victory.
The Celtics won for the 24th time in their last 28 games. Minnesota is 12-5 since the All-Star break, winning 10 of 11 before backto-back losses to Phoenix and Dallas this week.
MAVERICKS »
100 Luka Doncic scored 32 points and Dallas beat Utah for the inside track to homecourt advantage in what could be a first-round playoff matchup.
The Mavericks moved a game ahead of the Jazz for the fourth seed in the Western Conference and earned a split of the season series, with the home team winning all four games.
114, KNICKS 104, PISTONS 102 »
Alec Burks hit a 3-pointer for New York’s final points and finished off Detroit with a last-second steal.
Trailing by two, the Pistons called a timeout to set up a final play with 6.6 seconds left. Killian Hayes inbounded the ball to Cade Cunningham, but Burks stripped the ball as he tried to drive.