Clippers rally from 20 points down to defeat the Rockets
Kawhi Leonard had 28 points, and Paul George and James Harden each scored 21 as the Los Angeles Clippers rallied for a 122-116 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
The Clippers trailed by as many as 20 points and didn't lead in the second half until there were less than three minutes remaining.
Los Angeles overcame another big night from Houston big man Alperen Sengun, who had 23 points, a season-high 19 rebounds and 14 assists for his fourth career triple-double. It came a night after he scored a career-best 45 points in a win over San Antonio.
Jabari Smith Jr.' added 19 points for Houston and rookie Cam Whitmore had 17.
The Clippers used an 8-1 run to make it 111-109 and give them their first lead since early in the first quarter with just under three minutes to play. Norman Powell started that run with a 3 and George capped it with another one before pointing to his teammates on the bench.
Houston missed a shot after that before Leonard had a 3-point play to extend the lead to 114-109 with two minutes left. GRIZZLIES 115, 76ERS 109 >> Jaren Jackson Jr. had 30 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks, Jake LaRavia had 19 points and 13 rebounds and the Memphis Grizzlies used an 11-0 run late in the fourth quarter to rally for the win.
The Grizzlies trailed by 12 entering the fourth before getting hot in the final minutes much like they did in a win Monday night at Brooklyn. One of the worst teams in the NBA, Memphis has won two in a row following a five-game losing streak.
The Grizzlies outscored the 76ers 34-16 in the fourth.
Kelly Oubre Jr. led the 76ers with 25 points and Paul Reed had 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The Sixers played a second straight game without All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey as he recovers from a concussion.
HAWKS 112, CAVALIERS 101 >> Saddiq Bey scored 23 points and Atlanta recovered after losing a 21-point lead to beat Cleveland.
Bogdan Bogdanovic also scored 23 points for the Hawks, who prevented the Cavaliers from sweeping the four-game season series.
One night after erasing a fourth-quarter deficit of 22 points in a 105-104 home win over Boston, the Cavaliers rallied to take the lead after trailing the Hawks by 21 points in the third. This time Cleveland couldn't make the comeback stand.
Jarrett Allen led Cleveland with 18 points and 19 rebounds. Isaac Okoro added 17 points.
Hawks forward Jalen Johnson sprained his right ankle early in the third period and was helped off the court. Johnson rolled the ankle while competing for an offensive rebound, and the Hawks announced later in the period he would not return to the game.
MAGIC 119, WIZARDS 109 >> Franz Wagner scored 28 points, Paolo Banchero added 25 and Orlando rallied from a 21-point secondquarter deficit to beat Washington, handing the Wizards their 16th consecutive loss.
Washington (9-53) tied a team record for longest losing streak, matching a skid from the 200910 season. The Wizards looked on their way to ending this slide, but were done in by a 44-point second half against one of the league's best defensive teams.
Orlando has won eight of nine.
Jordan Poole scored 26 points for Washington, which hasn't won since a victory at San Antonio on Jan. 29. Kyle Kuzma added 25 points for the Wizards, who haven't won at home since Dec. 29 against Brooklyn.
WEMBANYAMA RULED OUT OF SPURS-KINGS GAME >> The San Antonio Spurs have ruled rookie Victor Wembanyama out of their game against the Sacramento Kings today because of a sprained right ankle. Wembanyama appeared to roll the ankle in the second quarter of San Antonio's game at Houston on Tuesday. He was subbed out less than two minutes later, then returned to start the third quarter and played almost all of the second half.
It will be the seventh game missed by Wembanyama this season. He started 56 of the Spurs' first 62 contests.
Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in last year's draft and favorite to win rookie of the year honors this season, is averaging 20.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and a league-leading 3.4 blocked shots per game.
CAVALIERS' MOBLEY TO MISS AT LEAST 1 WEEK WITH LEFT ANKLE SPRAIN >> Clleveland Cavaliers power forward Evan Mobley is expected to miss at least one week with a sprained left ankle. The Cavaliers said tests in Cleveland on Wednesday confirmed Mobley suffered the sprain in the third quarter of Cleveland's 105-104 home win over Boston on Tuesday night. The team said Mobley will be evaluated in about one week.
CELTICS, NUGGETS TO PLAY TWO PRESEASON GAMES IN ABU DHABI >> The Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets will play in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Oct. 4 and 6 in preseason games ahead of next season, the NBA announced. The NBA said the two games will reach people in more than 200 countries and territories on television, digital media and social media.