CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points, James Harden added 20 and the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away in the second half for a 109-94 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Jarrett Allen had 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Cavaliers won for the eighth time in nine games.
Jalen Brunson had 20 points and Mikal Bridges scored 18 for the Knicks. Mitchell Robinson pulled down 15 rebounds, one off a season high.
New York shot 35 of 86 as Bridges and Brunson were a combined 12 of 36. The Knicks shot 27% from 3-point range (10 of 37). Cleveland came into the game with the fourth-worst defense in the league on 3-pointers.
The Cavaliers and Knicks are both 37-22 and tied for third place in the Eastern Conference. But New York would have the head-to-head tiebreaker edge if the teams are tied at the end of the season after taking two of three meetings.
76ERS 135, PACERS 114
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Joel Embiid had 27 points in his return to the lineup after missing five games with right shin soreness and right knee injury management, Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points, and Philadelphia beat Indiana.
Embiid scored 20 points in the first half, sinking 11 of 17 shots in 26 minutes. VJ Edgecombe chipped in with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting for the 76ers, who shot 58%.
Andrew Nembhard and Micah Potter each scored 23 for the Pacers, with Potter’s total a career high. Quenton Jackson had 15 points and rookie Kam Jones added a career-high 13 points.
Pacers leading scorer Pascal Siakam was out with a left wrist sprain. The Pacers also were without Aaron Nesmith, who missed his third consecutive game with right ankle sprain.
Indiana shot 42% from the field and committed 16 turnovers. Philadelphia held a 44-41 rebounding edge with Maxey leading the way with nine rebounds. Jarace Walker had 10 rebounds for the Pacers.
The 76ers showed their dominance inside with a 82-52 edge in points in the paint.
MAVERICKS 123, NETS 114
NEW YORK (AP) — Marvin Bagley III scored 22 points, Naji Marshall had 21 and Dallas beat Brooklyn after both teams arrived in New York earlier in the day.
Both clubs played road games on Sunday and neither was able to fly into the New York area because of a blizzard. The Mavericks stayed in Indiana and the Nets remained in Atlanta. Both flew Tuesday and arrived in the early afternoon.
The change in schedule didn’t affect the Mavericks, who scored a season-high 76 points in the first half and won their second straight after a 10-game skid.
Brandon Williams had 19 points and 10 assists, while Klay Thompson added 17 points for the Mavericks, who shot 58.5% from the field while playing their fourth consecutive game without No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg because of a sprained left foot.
THUNDER 116, RAPTORS 107
TORONTO (AP) — Cason Wallace matched his career high with 27 points, Isaiah Joe had 22, and short-handed Oklahoma City beat Toronto for its fifth win in six games.
Alex Caruso scored 16 points, Luguentz Dort had 15 and Isaiah Hartenstein 11 as the NBA-leading Thunder won their third straight in Toronto.
Oklahoma City is an NBA-best 21-7 on the road.
Canadian star and reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remained sidelined for the Thunder because of an abdominal strain. He didn’t travel with the team on its lone regular-season visit to Canada.
In his place, Wallace provided his second straight 20-point game, adding six assists and eight rebounds.
Oklahoma City was also without Ajay Mitchell (abdominal strain) and Jalen Williams (strained right hamstring). Caruso returned after missing Sunday’s home win over Cleveland because of a sprained left ankle.
RJ Barrett scored 21 points and Immanuel Quickley and Ja’Kobe Walter each had 17 but the Raptors lost for the first time in three games.
Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram each scored 15 points and Jamal Shead added 13.
HAWKS 119 WIZARDS 98
ATLANTA (AP) — Jonathan Kuminga scored a season-high 27 points in his debut for the Hawks, who blew hapless Washington in Trae Young’s return to Atlanta.
Acquired by the Hawks at the trade deadline after falling out of favor in Golden State, Kuminga came off the bench to make a huge impact for his new team.
He delivered a thunderous dunk shortly after taking the court for the first time near the midway point of the first quarter, breaking into a big smile as he headed the other way.
That was only the start of Kuminga’s big night. Having completed his recovery from a left knee bone bruise, the high-flying forward from Congo knocked down a trio of 3-pointers to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in 24 1/2 minutes.
Young was the focus at the beginning of the night. The longtime Hawks star was dealt to the Wizards in early January, ending an eight-year tenure that included four All-Star Game berths and an improbable run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2021.
The point guard has yet to play for his new team, which seems mainly concerned with landing a high draft pick for next season as Young recovers from knee and quadriceps injuries.
HORNETS 131, BULLS 99
CHICAGO (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 23 points, Kon Knueppel added 21, and hot-shooting Charlotte won a team record eighth straight road game, routing Chicago.
The Hornets shot 51.6% from the field and were on-target from beyond the arc, sinking 25 of 57 3-points attempts, one shy of the team record.
LaMelo Ball scored points 16 and Miles Bridges also had 16 in his return from a suspension. The Hornets outscored the Bulls 42-16 in the third quarter — including a decisive 22-2 run — and handed the Bulls a 10th straight loss, matching their longest slide since January 2019.
Matas Buzelis scored a career-high 32 points for Chicago, which was hurt by turnovers — 19 in this one. Patrick Williams and Guerschon Yabusele each had 11 points.
Knueppel finished with three 3-pointers on six attempts to up his long-range field goals total to 201. Playing in his 58th game he became the fastest player to reach 200 3s.
PELICANS 113, WARRIORS 109
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Zion Williamson scored 26 points, Dejounte Murray added 13 in his first game in nearly 13 months, and New Orleans beat injury-depleted Golden State.
Saddiq Bey scored 18 points, including a reverse layup he spun off the glass while being fouled to give New Orleans a 107-101 lead with 1:47 left. Former Warriors guard Jordan Poole added 12 points for New Orleans, which won its second straight and posted its fourth victory in six games.
De’Anthony Melton scored a season-high 28 points for Golden State, but missed a free throw with 1:23 left and his team trailing by just four points.
Moses Moody scored 24 for the Warriors, who’ve lost three of four while taking the court missing several key players.
The Warriors played without Stephen Curry (right knee), Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Al Horford (left toe). Curry, who has missed eight straight games, did not make the trip to New Orleans, coach Steve Kerr said. Only nine Warriors saw action in the game.
BUCKS 128, HEAT 117
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kevin Porter Jr. matched his season high with 32 points and Bobby Portis and Ryan Rollins scored 21 apiece as Milwaukee beat Miami for its fourth win in five games.
Kyle Kuzma added 19 points and Ousmane Dieng 11 for the Bucks.
Norman Powell scored 26 points, Bam Adebayo finished with 18 points and nine rebounds and Andrew Wiggins had 16 points for the Heat, who had their three-game winning streak halted.
Tyler Herro and Kel’el Ware each scored 14 points and Pelle Larsson 10 for Miami. Davion Mitchell, who returned after missing a game due to illness, added eight points and eight assists.
CELTICS 97, SUNS 81
PHOENIX (AP) — Derrick White scored 22 points, Neemias Queta had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Boston used a big third quarter to beat Phoenix.
Sam Hauser shot 6 for 14, including 4 for 10 from 3-point range, to add 16 points and the Celtics — playing without All-Star Jaylen Brown (right knee contusion) — won their fourth in a row and for the ninth time in their last 10 games.
Baylor Scheierman had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Collin Gillespie had 15 points and Grayson Allen scored 14 as the Suns lost for the fourth time in their last five games. The Suns played without their top two scorers, Devin Booker (right hip strain) and Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture), who combined average nearly 46 points per game.
The Celtics led 50-46 at halftime but took control by outscoring the Suns 30-11 in the third quarter, including a 16-0 run.
The Associated Press
