Kyrie Irving came alive in the fourth quarter when he scored 14 of his 18 points as the Brooklyn Nets fended off a comeback attempt by the Milwaukee Bucks and extended the NBA’s longest active winning streak to eight games with a 118-100 victory on Friday night in New York.
The eight-game run matches the longest for the Nets since they moved to Brooklyn ahead of the 2012-13 season. Facing the NBA’s best team, the Nets won for the 12th time in 13 games and improved to 10-1 in their past 11 home games. Brooklyn led for the final 42:56, by as many as 23 in the third quarter and made enough plays down the stretch.
Kevin Durant led the Nets with 24 points and ended Friday at 26,484 points — 12 behind Tim Duncan for 15th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Nic Claxton made his first nine shots and added 19 points for the Nets, who shot 49.5 percent and earned their third double-digit win of the streak.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 26 points but Milwaukee lost consecutive games for the second time this season. Lopez added 23 for the Bucks, who shot 44 percent. Jrue Holiday contributed 18 on a night when Milwaukee missed 28 of 37 3-point tries.
Mavericks 112, Rockets 106
Luka Doncic scored a season-high 50 points and sank a clinching 3-pointer with 19 seconds remaining to carry visiting Dallas to a win over Houston.
Doncic added eight rebounds, 10 assists and three steals while shooting 17 of 30 overall and 6 of 12 from behind the arc. He scored 32 points in the second half while finishing one point shy of his career high. The Mavericks won their second game in a row while the Rockets closed a seven-game homestand with five consecutive losses.
Rockets rookie Jabari Smith Jr. paired a career-high 24 points with 10 rebounds, Jalen Green added 23 points and eight boards, and Sengun had 19 points, eight boards and seven assists.
Pelicans 128, Thunder 125 (OT)
Trey Murphy III scored 23 points and Jaxson Hayes added a season-high 21 to lift visiting New Orleans to an overtime victory over Oklahoma City.
The Pelicans, playing without Zion Williamson (health and safety protocol) and Brandon Ingram (toe), built a 21-point lead in the first half, then fell behind by nine in the fourth quarter before turning things on again late.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a career-high 44 points, going 17 of 29 from the floor. He added 10 rebounds and six assists, but it wasn’t quite enough.
Hornets 134, Lakers 130
P.J. Washington scored 24 points and LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier added 23 apiece as visiting Charlotte shot a season-best 55.3 percent from the field and held on for a victory over Los Angeles.
Kelly Oubre Jr. contributed 19 points for the Hornets, who won for just the second time in their past 11 games, with both wins coming in the first four games of the current six-game road trip.
LeBron James scored 34 points and Austin Reaves put up 20 as the Lakers lost their third consecutive game and fell to 1-3 since star forward Anthony Davis sustained a right foot injury. The team announced Friday that Davis would be out indefinitely. James scored at least 30 points for the sixth consecutive game.
Hawks 130, Pistons 105
Trae Young and Dejounte Murray combined for 52 points and Atlanta defeated visiting Detroit, handing the Pistons their fifth straight loss.
Young scored 26 points and had 13 assists for his 16th double-double of the season. Murray also scored 26 points, his best output since his return from missing five games with a sprained ankle. Clint Capela returned after missing three games and recorded his 17th double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Bogdan Bogdanovic came off the bench to score 19 points.
The Pistons got 23 points from Bojan Bogdanovic, 17 from Killian Hayes, 15 from Jaden Ivey and 13 points and eight rebounds from Jalen Duren.
Celtics 121, Timberwolves 109
Jaylen Brown scored 36 points and Jayson Tatum added 30 as Boston snapped a three-game skid with a win over visiting Minnesota.
Brown scored 23 of Boston’s 33 fourth-quarter points, the most in a single period in his NBA career. Al Horford produced 17 points (largely due to five 3-pointers) and 11 rebounds for the Celtics. Derrick White scored 18 points, and Marcus Smart added 10 assists.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 30 points. D’Angelo Russell reached 8,000 career points during his 21-point, 10-assist performance for Minnesota. Jaden McDaniels added 17 points, Naz Reid had 14 and Jaylen Nowell finished with 13.
Bulls 118, Knicks 117
DeMar DeRozan scored the last two of his 25 points with 0.4 seconds remaining to give Chicago its third straight win and hand host New York its second consecutive loss.
Chicago’s Zach LaVine contributed down the stretch, scoring the final two of his team-high 33 points on a layup to cut the deficit to one point with 7.1 seconds remaining.
RJ Barrett posted a season-high, 44-point performance. New York also got 29 points and 12 rebounds from Julius Randle.
Grizzlies 125, Suns 100
Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke each recorded 24 points and 10 rebounds and Memphis never trailed while steamrolling host Phoenix.
Desmond Bane returned from a toe injury to score 17 points for the Grizzlies, who improved to 1-2 on a four-game road trip. Memphis’ Dillon Brooks scored 16 points and Ja Morant had 12 points and 11 assists.
Deandre Ayton scored 18 points and Landry Shamet added 15 for the Suns, who lost for the seventh time in 10 contests. Duane Washington Jr. scored 14 points and Chris Paul and Damion Lee had 10 points apiece for Phoenix.
Raptors 118, Cavaliers 107
O.G. Anunoby scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds as visiting Toronto defeated Cleveland.
Pascal Siakam also had 26 points and added nine assists for the Raptors, who have won two in a row after losing six straight. Toronto’s Scottie Barnes contributed 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Fred VanVleet added 18 points.
Darius Garland scored 17 points and dished out eight assists for the Cavaliers, who had a five-game winning streak end. Isaac Okoro added 15 points
Pacers 111, Heat 108
Tyrese Haliburton sank a tiebreaking 28-footer with 2.1 seconds remaining to cap a career-best, 43-point performance as Indiana won at Miami.
Buddy Hield chipped in with seven 3-pointers, accounting for all 21 of his points for the Pacers, who earned their second win in a row. Jalen Smith contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Tyler Herro, who hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 14.2 seconds left, paced the Heat with 28 points, but Miami dropped a second straight game.
Magic 133, Spurs 113
Cole Anthony tallied 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists off the bench as Orlando roared from behind and ran away with a victory over visiting San Antonio to win for the eighth time in nine games.
Franz Wagner added 21 for the Magic, with Paolo Banchero scoring 18, Moritz Wagner hitting for 17 and Bol Bol racking up 14 points. Wendell Carter Jr. (right foot injury) and Gary Harris (right hamstring) were back on the floor for the Magic. Carter, who had missed 17 straight games, had eight points in 19 minutes while Harris, who had not played since Nov. 30, added nine points.
Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 17 points while Tre Jones added 16, Devin Vassell had 14 and Jeremy Sochan and Doug McDermott had 13 points apiece. San Antonio has dropped four of its past five games.
Sixers 119, Clippers 114
Joel Embiid scored 44 points, James Harden added 20 points, a career-high 21 assists and 11 rebounds and host Philadelphia rallied from a 20-point deficit to defeat Los Angeles.
Tobias Harris added 14 points, Shake Milton and De’Anthony Melton contributed 13 apiece and Georges Niang added 11.
Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 28 points, Paul George added 22 and Norman Powell had 21. Marcus Morris Sr. contributed 11, Nicolas Batum had 10 and Ivica Zubac had 12 rebounds.
Nuggets 120, Trail Blazers 107
Nikola Jokic had 29 points and 11 assists, Jamal Murray scored 25 points and handed out 12 assists and host Denver beat Portland.
Michael Porter Jr. had 18 points in his return from a 13-game absence caused by a heel injury, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 14 and Aaron Gordon 13 for the Nuggets. Denver won for the sixth time in seven games.
Damian Lillard had 34 points, Jerami Grant added 20, Anfernee Simons and Josh Hart scored 14 each and Jusuf Nurkic finished with 11 for the Trail Blazers, who lost their third game in a row.
Wizards 125, Kings 111
Kyle Kuzma totaled a game-high 32 points and Washington erupted for 40 second-quarter points en route to a win at Sacramento.
Bradley Beal chipped in with 24 points, Rui Hachimura had 21 off the bench and Kristaps Porzingis returned from an illness to snatch a team-high 13 rebounds, helping the Wizards salvage a 2-4 trip after having lost the first three.
Domantas Sabonis posted a 20-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-double for the Kings, who have opened a six-game homestand with two losses in three outings. De’Aaron Fox led Sacramento with 26 points.
–Field Level Media