Lakers use 19-0 run to win 4th consecutive game
D’Angelo Russell poured in a gamehigh 28 points and the host Los Angeles Lakers used a 19-0, third-quarter run to pull away for a 116-97 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.
Cleveland (46-32) crept out to a 7369 lead following a pair of Evan Mobley free throws with 5:42 left in the third.
But it was all Los Angeles from there (45-33), with Anthony Davis supplying nine points during the decisive run that provided the Lakers with an 88-73 cushion. Georges Niang stopped the bleeding with a trey with 1:09 left in the frame, but Los Angeles took a 90-78 lead into the final quarter.
The Cavaliers trailed by at least 10 for the entirety of the fourth.
Darius Garland paced Cleveland with 26 points.
Caris LeVert supplied 21 to go along with seven boards, and Jarrett Allen finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Niang also had 12 points.
Nets 113, Pistons 103
Cam Thomas scored a game-high 32 points to lead Brooklyn to a comeback victory over visiting Detroit.
Dennis Schroder scored 24 points and Noah Clowney added 17 for Brooklyn (31-47), which has won five of its past seven games.
The Nets trailed by 15 with 7:49 remaining in the fourth quarter but rallied to take a 104-103 lead with 2:54 left after a 3-pointer by Schroder. It was Brooklyn’s first lead since 3-2.
Schroder then added two free throws and a jumper to give Brooklyn a 108-103 advantage with 1:46 to go.
The Nets all but put the game away with 40.8 seconds left, as Jalen Wilson drained a 3-pointer from the wing as the shot clock was winding down to give Brooklyn a 111-103 lead.
It ended up being a 19-0 run for the Nets over the final 4:51 of the game. Detroit was up 103-94 before being held scoreless.
76ers 116, Grizzlies 96
Joel Embiid reached a double-double by halftime and finished with 30 points and 12 rebounds as Philadelphia cruised to its fourth consecutive win with a rout of host Memphis.
Embiid finished the first half with a flurry, scoring nine points over the final 1:52 going into intermission. He went into the locker room with 22 of his game-high points and 10 of his gamehigh rebounds, and Philadelphia pushed an 11-point lead to 20 with Embiid’s surge.
The 76ers (43-35) led wire-to-wire and faced little resistance in the second half as their advantage swelled to as many as 27 points.
All 12 76ers who saw the floor made at least one field goal, and 10 made at least one 3-pointer. Nicolas Batum’s 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc led Philadelphia to a 16-of-39 night from deep. Batum scored all nine of his points from long distance.
Nuggets 142, Hawks 110
Nikola Jokic posted his 25th tripledouble of the season to help lead Denver over visiting Atlanta.
Jokic finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored a game-high 24 points and Michael Porter Jr. added 20 for the Nuggets (54-24), who have won three of their last four and moved a halfgame ahead of the second-place Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference.
Reggie Jackson scored 18 off the bench, Jamal Murray had 16 and Peyton Watson added 13 for Denver.
Clint Capela led the Hawks (36-42) with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while De’Andre Hunter and Bodgan Bogdanovic each scored 18. Jalen Johnson tallied 17 points for Atlanta, which dropped its second straight and holds the final play-in spot in the East. Dejounte Murray scored 14, while Garrison Mathews finished with 11.