Magic top Wolves but fight draws ejections
Cole Anthony had 20 points and fellow reserve Moritz Wagner scored 19 as Orlando’s bench propelled the Magic to a 127-120 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves that included a fight between the teams and five player ejections Friday night.
The brawl broke out in front of the Orlando bench late in the third quarter, when Minnesota guard Austin Rivers and Magic center Mo Bamba got into an altercation. Bamba came off the bench and Rivers threw punches at him in a tussle that spilled over to include several others on the court.
As play initially continued at the far end, Jalen Suggs pulled Rivers away from Bamba and to the ground while other players joined in. Rivers, Jaden McDaniels and Taurean Prince were ejected for the Timberwolves, who had lost forward Kyle Anderson earlier in the game due to injury. Bamba and Suggs were tossed for Orlando.
D’Angelo Russell had 29 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, which had won six of eight.
TRAIL BLAZERS 124, WIZARDS 116 >> Anfernee Simons scored 20 of his 33 points in the third quarter and Portland erased a 20-point deficit, snapping Washington’s six-game winning streak.
Simons made six of Portland’s nine 3-pointers in the third, and the Trail Blazers finally caught and passed the Wizards in the fourth quarter. Simons finished 9 of 12 from beyond the arc.
Damian Lillard added 29 points for Portland, which has won five of six.
SUNS 106, CELTICS 94 >> Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and Dario Saric had 14 with 13 rebounds to lead Phoenix over Boston and send the NBA-leading Celtics to their fourth loss in six games.
76ERS 137, SPURS 125 >> Joel Embiid had 33 points and 10 rebounds and Philadelphia sent San Antonio to its eighth straight loss.
RAPTORS 117, ROCKETS 111 >> Fred VanVleet scored 32 points, Gary Trent Jr. added 29 and Toronto Raptors ended a two-game skid.
PISTONS 118, HORNETS 112 >> Saddiq Bey scored 22 points, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 32.1 seconds left, and Detroit rallied to beat Charlotte.
Trae Young had 27 points and six assists to lead Atlanta to a victory over Utah.