Booker explodes for 46 as Suns top 76ers
Devin Booker scored 46 points and T.J. Warren added 25 to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 115-101 win over the 76ers last night in Philadelphia.
Booker made 17-of-32 shots and hit four 3-pointers, including three in the fourth quarter that helped the Suns put away a Sixers team that played one of their worst games of the season. Booker scored 32 points on 11-of-17 shooting in the second half.
Joel Embiid had 22 points and 12 rebounds and Ben Simmons, battling an illness, scored 20 points. JJ Redick led the Sixers with 25 points.
Redick rallied the Sixers from 17 down and hit consecutive 3-pointers in the fourth that sliced the deficit to five.
Tyler Ulis pushed back the Sixers with a 3 and Booker buried two on the next two possessions that squashed the 76ers’ comeback for good.
Cavaliers 113, Bulls 91 — Dwyane Wade and Kevin Love each scored 24 points, LeBron James had 23 and visiting Cleveland clobbered Chicago for its 12th straight win.
Backed by a trio of stars, the Cavaliers matched their longest winning streak since the 2014-15 season.
Before the game, Cavs point guard Derrick Rose ended his self-imposed separation from the team.
Rose, who has been dealing with a sprained left ankle for much of his first season with Cleveland, returned to the Cavs to resume rehab and treatment. A frustrated Rose had left the team on Nov. 22 to contemplate his future, but he’s back and working toward a return to the floor.
Warriors 125, Pelicans 115 — Stephen Curry had 31 points and 11 assists but sprained his ankle late in the game, and visiting Golden State came back from 21 points down late in the first half to defeat New Orleans.
Klay Thompson scored 22 points and Kevin Durant and Draymond Green each had 19 for the Warriors, who won their fourth straight. After it was over, Curry went for X-rays on his right ankle.
Before the game, the Pelicans said magnetic resonance imaging of star forward Anthony Davis’ injured pelvic area has not revealed any structural damage.
The league suspended Warriors guard Shaun Livingston for one game and removed official Courtney Kirkland from the officiating rotation for a week because of an altercation during a game Sunday.
Hornets 104, Magic 94 — Kemba Walker had 29 points and seven assists in his return from a shoulder injury, Dwight Howard reached a rebounding milestone and Charlotte defeated visiting Orlando to snap a four-game losing streak.
Walker, who missed the previous two games, was the spark plug all night for the Hornets and became the first player in franchise history with 200 career 20-point games.
Spurs 96, Pistons 93 — LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 10 rebounds and host San Antonio rallied to beat Detroit.
Mavericks 122, Nuggets 105 — Harrison Barnes scored 22 points, Dennis Smith Jr. added 20 and host Dallas handled short-handed Denver.
Pacers 115, Knicks 97 — In Indianapolis, Thaddeus Young scored 20 points as the Pacers routed shorthanded New York.
Nets 110, Hawks 90 — Caris LeVert scored a season- high 17 points, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 16 points and visiting Brooklyn used a strong third quarter to grab momentum and thump Atlanta.
Grizzlies 95, Timberwolves 92 — Marc Gasol scored 21 points, Tyreke Evans added 16 — including two key free throws with 12.7 seconds left — and host Memphis snapped an 11-game skid with a win over Minnesota.
Jazz 116, Wizards 69 — In Salt Lake City, Alec Burks scored 27 points for his third straight game with 20 or more, and Utah blew out Washington for its sixth straight win.