Wizards get best of new-look Cavaliers
Bradley Beal scored 18 points, Kelly Oubre Jr. added 17, and the Washington Wizards withstood a late assault by LeBron James to beat the newlook Cavaliers 110-103 on Thursday night.
The Wizards nearly blew a late 11-point lead as James scored 14 straight points to pull the Cavs within 106-103. But Beal hit a driving layup and James missed a free throw and committed a lane violation while intentionally missing the second one and the Wizards held on.
Washington is 8-2 since star guard John Wall went down with a knee injury. Tomas Satoransky, who has been starting in injured John Wall’s spot, added 17 points and eight assists.
James, back from winning MVP honors at the All- Star game, scored 32 — 14 in the fourth — for the Cavs, who dropped to 2-1 since acquiring four new players before the trade deadline. J.R. Smith added 15 for Cleveland.
Washington is 8-2 since Wall went down with a knee injury.
The Wizards spoiled the home debuts for Larry Nance Jr., George Hill, Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson, four new faces the Cavs are hoping can get them back to the NBA Finals.
The four newest Cavs received warm ovations when introduced, with Nance getting the biggest roar from fans who remember his shot- blocking, dunking dad. Larry Nance Sr. was a two- time All- Star during eight seasons with Cleveland.
Before the game, Nance Jr. announced that the NBA will allow him to wear his dad’s retired No. 22 jersey, which will remain hanging from the rafters in Quicken Loans Arena.
“I’m ecstatic about it,” said the younger Nance, who will switch from 24 to 22 next week.
76ERS 116, BULLS 115 » Ben Simmons scored 32 points and made two free throws with 5.6 seconds left to complete Philadelphia’s rally from five points down in the final minute. Joel Embiid had 30 points and 13 rebounds, and Simmons added 11 assists and seven rebounds as Philadelphia won its sixth straight. Embiid has nine straight double- doubles.
Bobby Portis had a career- high 38 points, and Zach LaVine added 23 for the Bulls. Chicago had a 115-114 lead and the ball with 8 seconds to go before Embiid def lected an inbounds pass to create a turnover. Simmons came up with the ball near half court and was fouled by Denzel Valentine. He made both free throws. THUNDER 110, KINGS 107 » Russell Westbrook made a 3- pointer as time expired, lifting Oklahoma City over Sacramento. The Thunder blew a 23- point lead and trailed 105-102 with 4 minutes remaining before closing the game on an 8-2 run. KNICKS 120, MAGIC 113 » Trey Burke came off the bench with a season- high 26 points and six assists to help New York break an eight- game losing streak. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 23 points and six assists for the Knicks, who won for the first time since Jan. 30 and the first time since losing Kristaps Porzingis for the season to a torn ACL. Evan Fournier scored 25 points for the Magic, who lost their fourth straight. HORNETS 111, NETS 96 » Dwight Howard grabbed a season- high 24 rebounds and added 15 points, and Kemba Walker scored 31 as Charlotte handed New Jersey its eighth straight loss. D’Angelo Russell, starting for the first time for the Nets since November knee surgery, scored 19 points on 7- of-16 shooting. WORKPLACE HELP » The NBA is establishing a confidential hotline for league and team employees to report concerns about misconduct in their workplace.
The move comes after a Sports Illustrated report that described a hostile environment for women in the Dallas Mavericks organization.
Commissioner Adam Silver sent a memo to teams detailing plans for the hotline and asking them to review their respect in the workplace policies. ALL- STAR GAME IN SACRAMENTO? » The Sacramento Kings are looking to bring the 2022 or 2023 All- Star game to the state capital. Team owner Vivek Ranadive, Mayor Darrell Steinberg and tourism officials are set to submit an application to the league today, which would bring the game to Sacramento for the first time. Winning the bid won’t be easy. The Warriors want the game for their new arena in downtown San Francisco that is set to open for the 2019-20 season.