SUNS SHINE IN INDIANA AFTER DEAL
Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Devin Booker scored 21 points and Chris Paul chipped in 19 as the Phoenix Suns cruised past the Indiana Pacers 117-104 on Friday night.
Suns 117, Pacers 104
Playing one day after their blockbuster trade for four-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant, the Suns led by as many as 26 and never trailed in a game they outrebounded the Pacers 64-45. Durant, acquired from Brooklyn on Thursday, hasn’t played since Jan. 8 when he sustained a knee injury in a game against Miami. Durant, who was not with the Suns in Indiana, is expected to be healthy enough to play at some point after the All-Star break.
Bennedict Mathurin posted 22 points for the Pacers, while All-Star Tyrese Haliburton finished with 18 points and five assists. Indiana, which has lost 14 of its past 16 games, shot 42 percent from the field and committed 15 turnovers.
Heat 97, Rockets 95: Gabe Vincent threw an alley-oop inbounds pass to Jimmy Butler for a dunk with 0.3 seconds remaining, giving host Miami a win over Houston. Jabari Smith Jr. scored 22 points for the Rockets.
Celtics 127, Hornets 116: Jayson Tatum scored 41 points and Derrick White set career highs with 33 points and eight 3-pointers to help Boston hold off Charlotte. Boston has won five of its last six overall and swept the season series with the Hornets 4-0. Terry Rozier led Charlotte with 27 points.
Grizzlies 128, Timberwolves 107: Ja Morant had 32 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, Desmond Bane added 20 points and Memphis built a big lead through the fourth quarter and coasted past host Minnesota.
Pistons 138, Spurs 131: Bojan Bogdanovic scored 10 of his 32 points in overtime and Detroit beat visiting San Antonio in a matchup of two of the NBA’s worst teams. Jalen Duren had a career-high 30 points and 17 rebounds for the Pistons.
Jazz 122, Raptors 116: Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler each scored 23 points, Collin Sexton had 22 and Utah overcame a 12-point deficit in the final five minutes to beat host Toronto and snap a three-game losing streak. Pascal Siakam scored 35 points, topping 30 for the second straight game, but Toronto couldn’t extend its threegame winning streak.
76ers 119, Knicks 108: Tyrese Maxey provided a huge boost off the bench, scoring 27 points to help Philadelphia rally from a 13point deficit for a win over visiting New York. Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson both scored 30 points for the Knicks.
Cavaliers 118, Pelicans 107: Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points and Cleveland maintained a double-digit lead most of the way for a victory over host New Orleans that extended the Cavaliers’ winning streak to five games.
Mavericks 122, Kings 114: Kyrie Irving had 25 points and 10 assists as visiting Dallas beat Sacramento for its third straight win.
Thunder 138, Trail Blazers 129: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 44 points to lead visiting Oklahoma City to a victory over Portland.
Bucks 119, Clippers 106: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points and Milwaukee beat host Los Angeles for its first 10game winning streak since 2019-20.
Thursday’s late result
Bucks 115, Lakers 106: Giannis Antetokounmpo had 38 points and 10 rebounds, and Milwaukee rallied in the second half to beat host Los Angeles without LeBron James. Khris Middleton scored 22 points in the Bucks’ ninth consecutive victory.
Notable
Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin said the team was confident Gary Payton II was healthy before agreeing to trade him to Golden State in a four-team deal that could be at risk. The Athletic reported that Payton had failed Golden State’s physical on Friday. The Warriors can either allow the trade to go through anyway, or rescind it.