Philly cuts it close in 117-111 victory
PHILADELPHIA—Joel Embiid had 34 points and 11 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers narrowly avoided blowing another big lead in a 117-111 victory over the cold-shooting Toronto Raptors on Monday.
T.J. McConnell added a careerhigh 18 points and JJ Redick scored 15 before leaving with a left leg injury for the Sixers, who shook off Ben Simmons’ foul trouble to win for the fifth time in six games.
The Sixers blew a 22-point lead in a loss to Boston in London in their last game and coughed up a 22-point lead in a loss in Toronto’s previous visit last month.
They saw a 21-point lead cut to 102-101 on DeMar DeRozan’s 3-pointer with 3:01 left. Simmons responded with a driving layup and Dario Saric hit a 3 on the next possession to get the lead back to six.
Embiid hit four free throws in the final 25.3 seconds to put it away as he motioned for the crowd to get to its feet.
DeRozan scored 24 points and Kyle Lowry struggled in his return from a three-game absence because of a bruised tailbone. The Raptors lost backup guard Fred VanFleet to a right knee injury early in the fourth quarter in their second straight loss.
Hornets 118, Pistons 107
DETROIT—Stephen Silas wrapped up his stint as Charlotte’s acting head coach with a win.
Kemba Walker scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half, and the Hornets pulled away in the fourth quarter of a 118-107 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday.
Dwight Howard had 21 points and 17 rebounds for the Hornets, who trailed 56-50 at halftime before dominating the final two quarters. A 10-0 run in the fourth put Charlotte ahead 106-88, and although Detroit answered with nine quick points in 43 seconds, the Hornets were never in much danger of losing down the stretch.
Andre Drummond of the Pistons had only three points and 10 rebounds, and his day was summed up late in the fourth when he went up for a powerful, one-handed dunk—only to have Howard easily swat the ball away.
Tobias Harris scored 20 points for Detroit despite foul trouble. The Pistons shot 15 of 29 from 3-point range.
Williams had 21 points for Charlotte and shot 7 of 8 from the field. Detroit’s Reggie Bullock had 20 points.
Grizzlies 123, Lakers 114
MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Dillon Brooks matched his season best with 19 points and eight Memphis players finished in double figures, helping the Grizzlies beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-114 on Monday.
Marc Gasol had 17 points and seven rebounds for Memphis, while Tyreke Evans had 15 points and 12 assists. Wayne Selden and James Ennis III added 13 points each.