Suns cruise past Pacers a day after acquiring Durant
Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Devin Booker scored 21 points and Chris Paul chipped in 19 as the Phoenix Suns cruised past the Indiana Pacers 117-104 on Friday night.
Playing one day after their blockbuster trade for four-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant, the Suns led by as many as 26 and never trailed in a game they outrebounded the Pacers 64-45. Durant, acquired from Brooklyn on Thursday, hasn’t played since Jan. 8 when he sustained a knee injury in a game against Miami. Durant, who was not with the Suns in Indiana, is expected to be healthy enough to play at some point after the All-Star break.
Bennedict Mathurin posted 22 points for the Pacers, while All-Star Tyrese Haliburton finished with 18 points and five assists.
BUCKS 119, CLIPPERS 106 » Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points and the Milwaukee beat the Los Angeles Clippers for its first 10-game winning streak since 2019-20.
Paul George led the six Clippers in double figures with 19 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. They were without Kawhi Leonard, who sat out due to injury management.
CAVS 118, PELICANS 107 » Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points and Cleveland maintained a double-digit lead most of the way that extended the Cavaliers’ winning streak to five games.
The Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram scored 25 points, his fourth straight game with at least that many.
HEAT 97, ROCKETS 95 » Gabe Vincent threw an alley-oop inbounds pass to Jimmy Butler for a dunk with 0.3 seconds remaining, giving Miami a win over Houston.
Jabari Smith Jr. scored 22 points for the Rockets.
CELTICS 127, HORNETS 116 » Jayson Tatum scored 41 points and Derrick White set career highs with 33 points and eight 3-pointers to help Boston hold off Charlotte.
Terry Rozier led Charlotte with 27 points. LaMelo Ball added 24 points and 10 assists. The Hornets have lost their last six games.
THUNDER 128, BLAZERS 129 » Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 44 points to lead Oklahoma City over Portland.
Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 38 points, and Jerami Grant added 23.
GRIZZLIES 128, TIMBERWOLVES 107 » Ja Morant had 32 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, Desmond Bane added 20 points and Memphis built a big lead through the fourth quarter and coasted past Minnesota.
Jaylen Nowell led the Timberwolves with 21 points, while Anthony Edwards scored 17 points. Taurean Prince and Kyle Anderson scored 12 points apiece for Minnesota.
PISTONS 138, SPURS 131, 2OT » Bojan Bogdanovic scored 10 of his 32 points in overtime and Detroit beat San Antonio in a matchup of two of the NBA’s worst teams.
Jalen Duren had a career-high 30 points and 17 rebounds for the Pistons.
JAZZ 122, RAPTORS 116 »
Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler each scored 23 points, Collin Sexton had 22 and Utah overcame a 12-point deficit in the final five minutes to beat Toronto and snap a threegame losing streak.
Pascal Siakam scored 35 points, topping 30 for the second straight game, but Toronto couldn’t extend its three-game winning streak. The Raptors have not won four straight at any point this season.
76ERS 119, KNICKS 108 »
Tyrese Maxey provided a huge boost off the bench, scoring 27 points to help Philadelphia rally from a 13-point deficit for a win over New York.
Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson both scored 30 points for the Knicks.