Milton, Korkmaz spark Sixers off bench
Two reserves combine to score 45 points in blowout over Pacers
Shake Milton had 26 points, Furkan Korkmaz had 19 and the reserves sparked the Philadelphia 76ers to 130-114 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday.
The Sixers followed one of their worst losses of the season to the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday with a smackdown of the mediocre Pacers. Joel Embiid had 24 points and 13 rebounds, and Ben Simmons had 18 points and six rebounds.
Milton sank three 3-pointers and Korkmaz hit six 3s, turning it into a rout.
Korkmaz and Milton blew the game open for the Sixers in the second quarter and built a 20point lead. Korkmaz, averaging 7.6 points, and Milton 13.4, about crushed those numbers in the quarter. Milton was 4-of-6 for nine points; Korkmaz sank four 3-pointers and scored 13.
Milton hit a crossover on Myles Turner that left him stumbling toward the basket. Milton buried the 21-footer that sent the bench into a towelwaving frenzy.
Milton hit fellow reserve Matisse Thybulle on an alleyoop and found Embiid for an 11-footer to give the Sixers a 72-55 lead at the break. The Sixers’ bench scored 26 of their 39 points in the second and made five of their six 3s.
The Sixers, who still have the best record in the East at 23-12,
were stunned by the Cavs in OT on Saturday. Coach Doc Rivers said the Sixers treated that one like a “walkthrough.”
They woke up against a Pacers team that has lost four straight games. Malcolm Brogdon led Indiana with 20 points.
Mavericks 130, Magic 124: Luka Doncic had 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and Kristaps Porzingis added 17 points and 10 boards as Dallas won its fourth of five and ninth of 12. Nikola Vucevic had 29 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for Orlando, which has lost four straight.
Pelicans 129, Jazz 124: Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram scored 26 points each for New Orleans. Bojan Bogdanovic had 31 points and seven rebounds and Rudy Gobert added 22 points and nine rebounds for Utah.
Nuggets 118, Bulls 112: Nikola Jokic had 39 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, and Jamal Murray added 24 points for Denver. Zach Lavine had 23 points and nine rebounds, and Coby White added 20 points for Chicago.
Hawks: Atlanta fired coach Lloyd Pierce after the team started 14-20 and in 11th place in the Eastern Conference.
Virus: Toronto’s game against Detroit scheduled for Tuesday was postponed until Wednesday because of Raptors positive tests and contact tracing.