National Basketball Association results | Wednesday

Cavaliers 147, Nets 135, 2OT

CLEVELAND — Kyrie Irving returned from his personal “pause” to score 37 points in his first game with Kevin Durant and James Harden but the new-look, star-studded Brooklyn Nets gave up 42 to Collin Sexton and lost 147-135 in double overtime to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Sexton scored 15 points in the second OT — most of them over Irving — for the Cavs, who outplayed the Nets all night. Sexton dropped two 3-pointers and fed Taurean Prince for another in a span of 55 seconds as Cleveland put away Brooklyn.

Durant led Brooklyn with 38 points and Harden added 21. But Brooklyn’s “Big 3” couldn’t do enough to outlast Sexton, who missed Cleveland’s last five games with a sprained ankle.

As he knocked down one big shot after another in the second OT, players on Cleveland’s bench were tackling each other in delight. Cedi Osman added 25 points and Prince — acquired in the four-team deal that brought Harden to Brooklyn — 17 in his Cavs debut.

The Nets overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter and tied it at 113-all on Irving’s putback with 1:10 left. Brooklyn had a chance in the closing seconds after Sexton’s turnover, but couldn’t score.

Brooklyn appeared in control in the first OT, but after Durant’s free throws put the Nets up 127-124, Sexton hit a 3-pointer over Irving with 1.2 seconds left. Durant’s last chance, a contested 3-pointer at the horn, was short.

The Cavs were breaking in some new pieces too, with Jarrett Allen and Prince making their debuts.

Irving had missed Brooklyn’s last seven games, leaving on Jan. 7 to address some issues he didn’t specify while speaking with reporters following practice Tuesday. Irving only said he needed time to work through some issues to find balance in his life.

While he was away, the Nets pulled off the blockbuster deal for Harden, whose arrival has made Brooklyn the favorite to unseat Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference and a legit NBA title threat — maybe.

Before the game, Nets first-year coach Steve Nash admitted being “curious” about how his trio of superstars would align on the floor.

76ers 117, Celtics 109

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid had 42 points and 10 rebounds and Tobias Harris scored 22 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 117-109 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

Embiid is off to the best start of his career and topped 40 points for the second time in three games. He shot 12 of 19 from the floor (one 3-pointer) and was 17 of 21 from the free-throw line. He did it in 34 minutes and scored 20 points in a half (22 in the first) for the fifth time this season.

Ben Simmons had 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Sixers.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 26 points and Marcus Smart had 25. Kemba Walker scored 19 points in his second game of the season after he missed the first 11 with a left knee injury.

The Sixers fell short in their attempt to trade for James Harden and left Embiid to perform the heavy lifting for a franchise that needs at least one other elite scorer to make a serious run in the East. When the Celtics snapped a tie game in the third with a 9-0 run it was Embiid -- who else? -- who steadied the Sixers with a three-point play.

Simmons was expected to develop into that true cornerstone star to pair with Embiid, only this season there has been more frustration than flashes of brilliance. Coach Doc Rivers has insisted he’s not worried about Simmons’ stats, but the Sixers need more than what he’s giving them. Simmons was whistled for two offensive fouls within 30 seconds late in the third and the Celtics ended the quarter with a 92-86 lead.

Mavericks 124, Pacers 111

INDIANAPOLIS — Kristaps Porzingis posted season-high totals of 27 points and 12 rebounds in leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 124-111 victory at Indiana on Wednesday night.

Luka Doncic added 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists as Dallas snapped its first three-game losing streak in almost two years.

The short-handed Pacers have lost two straight by double digits, their two most lopsided losses of the season. Malcolm Brogdon had 26 points and Domantis Sabonis finished with 25 points and nine rebounds, ending his streak of consecutive double-doubles at 13.

Dallas took the lead for good on the final basket of the third quarter and pulled away with an 11-4 run in the fourth.

The Mavericks were in control most of the night after using an early 15-3 run to take a 37-22 lead late in the first quarter.

Heat 111, Raptors 102

TAMPA, Fla. — Kendrick Nunn scored 28 points and the injury-plagued Miami Heat pulled away in the second half for a 111-102 win over the Toronto Raptors.

Bam Adebayo had 14 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for Miami, and Kelly Olynyk added 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Nunn, who had scored just 33 points all season before his 18-point game Monday night, came off the bench and shot 9 of 12 and grabbed eight rebounds in 35 minutes.

Hawks 123, Pistons 115, OT

ATLANTA — Trae Young scored 38 points, John Collins had 31, and the Atlanta Hawks rallied to beat Jerami Grant and the Detroit Pistons 123-115 in overtime.

Grant had a career-high 32 points, including all of Detroit’s nine points in overtime, to continue his hot start to the season. But the Pistons fell to 3-11, the worst record in the Eastern Conference.

Clint Capela had 27 points and a careerhigh 26 rebounds for Atlanta (7-7), the NBA’s first 25-25 game since Karl-Anthony Towns (27-27) on Jan. 12, 2019.

Magic 97, Timberwolves 96 Phoenix at Houston, late

San Antonio at Golden State, late Sacramento at LA Clippers, late Memphis at Portland, postponed