Durant gets win in Suns debut
Bucks hit 26 3s; win streak is 16
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kevin Durant scored 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting in his Suns debut, helping Phoenix snap the Charlotte Hornets’ five-game winning streak with a wire-towire 105-91 victory Wednesday night.
Devin Booker scored 37 points and Deandre Ayton had 16 points and 16 rebounds in the Suns’ seventh victory in 10 games. Chris Paul added 11 assists.
Durant, acquired in blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 9, showed no lingering effects from a sprained right knee that kept him out of action for more than seven weeks.
The 34-year-old star fit in seamlessly with his new club, also grabbing six rebounds and blocking two shots in 27 minutes.
“I’ve played in almost a thousand basketball games, but today I was nervous,” Durant said. “It’s a new team, new group, and I want to play hard for them and be coachable. So, I was thinking about all that today.”
The Hornets played without LaMelo Ball, who underwent season-ending surgery Wednesday to repair a fracture in his right ankle. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 26 points
BUCKS 139, MAGIC 117: In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points and Milwaukee hit a season-high 26 3-pointers to extend their winning streak to 16 games.
76ERS 119, HEAT 96: In Miami, Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points, James Harden added 23 and Philadelphia beat Miami.
KNICKS 142, NETS 118: In New York, Jalen Brunson scored 30 of his 39 points in the first half and New York rolled to its seventh straight victory.
CELTICS 117, CAVALIERS 113: In Boston, Jayson Tatum scored 18 points in a pivotal third quarter and finished with 41 points as Boston held on to beat Cleveland.
LAKERS 123, THUNDER 117: In Oklahoma City, Dennis Schroder scored 26 points and Los Angeles beat Oklahoma City. LeBron James and Anthony Davis both were out with right foot injuries and D’Angelo Russell sat out because of a sprained right ankle.
BULLS 117, PISTONS 115: In Detroit, Zach LaVine scored 41 points and Detroit called one too many timeouts, helping Chicago hold. The Pistons were trailing by two points with 9.7 seconds left when they called a second straight timeout, one more than they had, to trigger a technical foul that gave LaVine a free throw that he made.
GRIZZLIES 113, ROCKETS 99: In Houston, Desmond Bane scored 30 points, Ja Morant added 20 and Memphis sent Houston to its 11th straight loss.