Embiid, 76ers get best of shorthanded Nets
Joel Embiid had 39 points and 13 rebounds and the 76ers beat Brooklyn 123117 in Philadelphia on Wednesday night in an anticipated matchup that fizzled with the Nets missing their best players.
The Sixers (3817) moved into first place in the Eastern Conference and hold the tiebreaker after winning a game in which the Nets played without James Harden, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge. With so many key Brooklyn players hurt or rested, the game had more of a preseason feel than a possible preview of the conference finals.
The Sixers improved to 215 at home and have the No. 1 seed in sight with 17 games left.
Kyrie Irving scored 23 points in the first half and finished with 37 points for Brooklyn.
Mavericks 114, Grizzlies 113: Luka Doncic hit a leaning, lunging 3-pointer as time expired to give visiting Dallas the win. He finished with 29 points, while Kristaps Porzingis added 21 points. Grayson Allen led the Grizzlies with 23 points, but the 90.6% free-throw shooter missed two foul shots with 2.2 seconds left, setting the stage for Doncic’s winning shot.
Nuggets 123, Heat 106: Michael Porter Jr. scored 25 points with 10 rebounds, and Nikola Jokic had a triple-double with 17 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as host Denver won its first game since guard Jamal Murray tore his left ACL in a loss against the Warriors on Monday.
Wizards 123, Kings 111: Bradley Beal scored 31 points and Russell Westbrook had another triple double with 25 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists as Washington rode a 42-point first quarter to win in Sacramento. The Kings, who lost their eighth straight game, were led by De’Aaron Fox’s 33 points.
Bucks 130, Timberwolves 105: Khris Middleton had 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in three quarters as Milwaukee breezed in Minneapolis. Anthony Edwards scored 24 points for the Timberwolves, who have lost 11 of their past 15 games. The Bucks played without Giannis Antetokoumpo (left knee soreness) for the sixth straight game.
Cavaliers 103, Hornets 90: Taurean Prince scored a season-high 25 points with six 3-pointers, Jarrett Allen had 15 points and eight rebounds in his first action since March 26 and Cleveland handed shorthanded Charlotte its third straight loss at home.
Raptors 117, Spurs 112: OG Anunoby scored 22 points, Pascal Siakam had 20 points and 11 rebounds and shorthanded Toronto beat San Antonio in Tampa, Fla. Derrick White led the Spurs with 25 points, and Patty Mills added 23.
Knicks 116, Pelicans 106: Julius Randle scored 32 points against his old team and visiting New York clamped down on Zion Williamson, who mustered 25 points against a defense that packed the paint to stop him.
Magic 115, Bulls 106: James Ennis scored 22 points, Wendell Carter Jr. added 19 points and 12 rebounds, and visiting Orlando ended a six-game skid.
Clippers 100, Pistons 98: Reggie Jackson sank a jumper with 2.3 seconds left against his former team, giving visiting Los Angeles its seventh straight victory despite missing Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Serge Ibaka, Patrick Beverley and Marcus Morris.
Pacers 132, Rockets 124: Caris LeVert scored 27 points, Domantas Sabonis added 22 and Malcolm Brogdon fell just shy of a triple-double for visiting Indiana.