CHICAGO (AP) — Norman Powell scored 21 points, Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 12 rebounds and the Miami Heat held on for a 116-113 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.
Ayo Dosunmu had 23 points to lead the Bulls, who trailed by 13 in the fourth quarter and were down 104-92 with 8:02 remaining before outscoring the Heat 21-12 the rest of the way to make it close.
With Chicago trailing 110-100, Dosunmu made two layups and a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 3 with 2:05 left. After a layup by Powell, Nikola Vucevic’s turnaround hook shot made it 112-109 with 54 seconds remaining.
Dosunmu and Powell each made two free throws and after being fouled by Pelle Larsson, Coby White hit both of his foul shots to make it a one-point game with 7 seconds left. Larsson dunked 2 seconds later to give Miami a three-point lead and White missed a 3-point attempt to seal the win for the Heat.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Chicago. Larsson had 15 points.
Vucevic had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Matas Buzelis finished with 16 points, Kevin Huerter had 15 and White 14 for the Bulls.
WIZARDS 109, BUCKS 99
WASHINGTON (AP) — Kyshawn George scored 23 points, Alex Sarr added 16 points and 17 rebounds, and Washington beat short-handed Milwaukee.
Amid swirling trade rumors, Milwaukee’s two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo missed a second straight game with a calf strain.
Khris Middleton and Bub Carrington each added 13 points for Washington, which held a 61-43 rebounding advantage in its second straight win.
Myles Turner scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Milwaukee, which lost its fourth straight and seventh out of its last eight games.
Bobby Portis Jr. and Kyle Porter each added 19 points for the Bucks, who began the day in 12th in the Eastern Conference and four games out of the last play-in spot.
76ERS 113, KINGS 111
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 40 points, including the winning layup with 1.3 seconds remaining, Joel Embiid had 37 points and Philadelphia rallied to edge Sacramento.
Paul George added 15 points for Philadelphia, which came back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth-quarter.
Dennis Schroder scored 27 points and DeMar DeRozan added 25 for the Kings, who have lost seven in a row.
After DeRozan missed a 14-footer that would have put the Kings in front, Embiid grabbed the rebound with 5.2 seconds left and Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse called a timeout. On the 76ers’ second attempt to inbound the ball on their ensuing possession, Kelly Oubre Jr. passed to Embiid at the top of the arc, and Maxey sprinted from half-court. He took the pass from Embiid and converted a driving, left-handed layup and was fouled by Precious Achiuwa.
Sacramento outscored the 76ers 38-28 in the third quarter to take a 92-88 advantage into the fourth. Zach LaVine’s three-point play with 7:44 remaining put Sacramento up 103-92. But Philadelphia rallied to score 13 of the next 15 points, tying the game at 105 on two free throws by Maxey to set the stage for the finish.
Sacramento dropped to 3-21 on the road and 0-4 on its six-game road trip.
ROCKETS 104, HAWKS 86
ATLANTA (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 31 points and Houston beat short-handed Atlanta, ending its four-game winning streak.
The Rockets dominated the second half after leading only 43-42 at halftime. Jabari Smith had 14 points and Reed Sheppard added 13. Sheppard’s 3-pointer gave the Rockets their first 20-point lead, 90-70.
The Hawks held out two frontline starters with injuries. Center Onyeka Okongwu suffered a dental fracture when he was elbowed in the mouth in Atlanta’s 117-106 win at Boston on Wednesday night. Forward Jalen Johnson was ruled out with left calf tightness.
The Hawks said Okongwu had a successful dental procedure on Thursday and also will miss Saturday’s game at Indiana.
The Hawks already were missing center Kristaps Porzingis (left Achilles tendinitis) and forward Zaccharie Risacher (left knee, bone contusion). Two-way rookie Asa Newell was recalled from G League College Park before the game. Center Christian Koloko, who signed with Atlanta on Jan. 17, made his first start in his fifth game with the Hawks.
CJ McCollum led Atlanta with 23 points. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 and Corey Kispert added 17.
SUNS 114, PISTONS 96
PHOENIX (AP) — Dillon Brooks scored a career-high 40 points, Grayson Allen added 24 and Phoenix beat Eastern Conference-leading Detroit.
The Suns kept a comfortable lead through much of the fourth, winning for the fifth time in seven games. They are 10 games above .500 for the first time this season at 29-19.
Brooks sliced through the lane for a layup for a 105-89 lead with 5:43 left, scoring the last of his 40 points. He finished 13 of 22 from the field and had eight rebounds on a night the team gave the first 5,000 fans who entered the arena a shirt that read “Dillon The Villain” — a nod to his combustible personality.
The Pistons lost for just the third time in 12 games. Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 26 points, and Jalen Duran had 23 points and 13 rebounds.
Brooks had 38 points through three quarters, which was already a career high. The 6-foot-7 forward’s previous best was a 37-point performance for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2021.
NUGGETS 107, NETS 103
DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray scored nine of his 27 points in the final 2:26, and the Nuggets spoiled Michael Porter Jr.’s return to Denver with a win over Brooklyn.
Porter had a season-high 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Brooklyn, which has lost seven straight.
Tim Hardaway Jr. tied a season high with seven 3-pointers on his way to 25 points and Peyton Watson scored 19 for Denver, which snapped a three-game home losing streak.
Porter was drafted 14th overall by the Nuggets in 2018 and played six seasons in Denver, helping the franchise win its first NBA title in 2023. He was traded to Brooklyn in the offseason and leads the Nets in scoring.
The Nuggets honored Porter with a video tribute at the first timeout and he acknowledged the fans, who gave him a standing ovation.
Both teams had several players sitting with injuries. Denver was without four starters and Nets forward Ziaire Williams was sidelined with a left calf contusion suffered in a scuffle at the end of Tuesday’s loss at Phoenix.
HORNETS 123, MAVERICKS 121
DALLAS (AP) — Kon Knueppel made two free throws with 4.1 seconds left for a career-high 34 points and Charlotte beat Dallas, spoiling Duke roommate Cooper Flagg’s 49-point game.
Flagg, who turned 19 in December, broke the NBA record for points in a game by a teen. Cliff Robinson set the previous record of 45 at age 19 for New Jersey in a game against Detroit on March 9, 1980.
Flagg set career highs with 20 field goals on 29 shots, and also had 10 rebounds.
Knueppel grabbed an errant pass by Flagg near midcourt with seven seconds left and the score tied. He drove to the basket and was fouled by Flagg as the ball lodged between the rim and the backboard. Flagg’s shot at the buzzer to send it to overtime hit the back of the rim.
Knueppel made eight 3-pointers to set a rookie record for the Hornets, who have won five consecutive games for their longest winning streak since a five-game run in February 2023.
Brandon Miller scored 23 points, his ninth straight game with at least 20 points, for Charlotte. LaMelo added 22, hitting six 3-pointers.
The Associated Press
