EMBIID THROWS DOWN 50 IN WIN VS. WIZARDS
Joel Embiid scored a season-high 50 points and had 13 rebounds to help the Philadelphia 76ers beat the host Washington Wizards 131-126 on Wednesday night.
76ers 131, Wizards 126
Embiid reached 50 points for the sixth time in his career. He had a career-best 59 on Nov. 13, 2022, against Utah.
The reigning NBA MVP was 19 of 24 from the field, making a 3-pointer on two attempts, and hit 11 of 13 free throws. He also had seven assists and six turnovers in just over 38 minutes.
Tyrese Maxey added 26 points and also had seven assists, and De’Anthony Melton had 18 points. Kelly Oubre returned after missing 11 games after being struck by a vehicle Nov. 11 in a hit-andrun incident in downtown Philadelphia. He had 12 points in 19 minutes.
Jordan Poole led Washington with 23 points. The Wizards are 3-17.
Mavericks 147, Jazz 97:
Luka Doncic had 40 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists playing only three periods after the first first-half tripledouble of his career in Dallas’ victory over visiting Utah.
Doncic had his 60th career triple-double to move past Larry Bird for sole possession of ninth place on the career list. It was the first 25point first-half triple-double in NBA history.
Clippers 111, Nuggets 102:
Paul George scored 25 points and Los Angeles rallied to beat Denver and snap an eight-game skid against the defending NBA champion Nuggets.
Jamal Murray scored 23 points for Denver. Jokic had a triple-double with 22 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Nuggets fell to 5-8 on the road after blowing a 15point lead in the opening quarter.
Warriors 110, Trail Blazers 106:
Stephen Curry overcame a slow start to score 31 points, Jonathan Kuminga dazzled off the bench for 13 points and Golden State rallied to beat Portland.
Anfernee Simons scored 28 points to lead the Trail Blazers. Shaedon Sharpe added 26 points, six rebounds
and five assists, but missed a free throw with 1:18 remaining.
Grizzlies 116, Pistons 102:
Desmond Bane scored 32 of his career-high 49 points in the second half and Memphis handed host Detroit its 18th straight loss.
The streak is the longest in the NBA since Houston lost 20 straight in 2020-21.
Timberwolves 102, Spurs 94: Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 21 rebounds and NBA-leading Minnesota held on to beat visiting San Antonio for its fifth straight victory and the Spurs’ 15th loss in a row.
Gobert matched up often with good friend and French countryman Victor Wembanyama in the rookie’s first game in Minnesota. Wembanyama struggled against Minnesota’s height with Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid, scoring just 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting. He had 10 rebounds.
Nets 114, Hawks 113:
Mikal Bridges hit the deciding fadeaway jumper with 4.5 seconds remaining and scored 32 points in Brooklyn’s
victory at Atlanta.
Trae Young had 30 points for Atlanta, which has lost four of five.
Heat 112, Raptors 103:
Caleb Martin had a seasonhigh 24 points and a careerbest 12 rebounds, Duncan Robinson scored 21 points and visiting Miami beat Toronto.
Pascal Siakam scored 30 points for Toronto.
Rockets 110, Thunder 101:
Dillon Brooks scored 23 points and host Houston beat Oklahoma City to end a three-game losing streak.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 33 points on 13-of-18 shooting.
Bulls 111, Hornets 110:
DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points and host Chicago beat short-handed Charlotte for its third straight victory following a five-game skid.
Gordon Hayward scored 27 points for Charlotte, and Terry Rozier had 25.
Cavaliers 121, Magic 111:
Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points, Darius Garland added 26 and host Cleveland overcame Paolo Banchero’s 42-point night to beat Orlando.