Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23 points and came up with a crucial defensive play in the final seconds to help the Atlanta Hawks hold on for a 113-110 win over the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
Alexander-Walker put the Hawks ahead 111-110 with a layup at 1:42 and stripped Charlotte rookie Kon Knueppel of the ball with 6 seconds remaining to preserve the win. The Hornets’ Miles Bridges missed a last-second 3-pointer that would have tied the game.
Alexander-Walker was one of four Atlanta players – all starters — with 20-plus points. Jalen Johnson scored 28 with 11 assists and eight rebounds, Dyson Daniels had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Onyeka Okongwu added 20 points and seven boards.
Knueppel scored 28 points for the Hornets, including seven 3-point baskets. Collin Sexton added 22 points and Bridges scored 21.
Heat 127, 76ers 117
Norman Powell scored 32 points and Kel’el Ware registered 20 points and 16 rebounds to guide visiting Miami to a victory over Philadelphia.
Bam Adebayo contributed 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Heat, while Davion Mitchell chipped in with eight points, 12 assists and eight rebounds. Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the Miami reserves with 22 points.
Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points and Trendon Watford contributed 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the 76ers, who have alternated losses and wins in each of their last nine games. Andre Drummond pulled down 23 rebounds to go with 14 points. Center Joel Embiid (knee) continued to sit out, while Paul George (knee) scored 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting as he works his way back from offseason knee surgery.
Raptors 119, Nets 109
Immanuel Quickley made two 3-pointers in the final 3:17 as Toronto defeated visiting Brooklyn for its seventh straight win.
Quickley scored eight of his 13 points in the fourth quarter. He was one of eight Raptors to reach double figures, with Scottie Barnes leading the group with 17. RJ Barrett scored 16 before limping to the dressing room with 7:13 left in the third quarter; he did not return with a right knee sprain.
Reserve Tyrese Martin scored 26 points for the Nets, while Michael Porter Jr. had 25. Noah Clowney added 22 points, and Nic Claxton had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Brooklyn tied the game at 104 with 4:19 remaining before Quickley’s barrage dashed its hopes.
Cavaliers 120, Clippers 105
Donovan Mitchell collected 37 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Evan Mobley scored 18 points as Cleveland pulled away for a victory over visiting Los Angeles.
De’Andre Hunter added 17 points and Darius Garland had eight points and eight assists for the Cavaliers, who went 4-2 on their longest homestand of the season. Head coach Kenny Atkinson improved to 76-24 in his 100th game with the franchise.
Ivica Zubac amassed a season-high 33 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to pace the Clippers, while Kawhi Leonard scored 20 in his first game since Nov. 3. James Harden had 19 points, but he missed all eight of his 3-point attempts. L.A. fell to 2-10 in November with the loss.
Celtics 138, Magic 129
Jaylen Brown collected 35 points and Boston avoided back-to-back home losses by beating short-handed Orlando.
Boston received 23 points off the bench from Anfernee Simons and 19 from Payton Pritchard. Simons was 4 of 7 from 3-point territory. Brown and Pritchard each had eight assists.
Jett Howard led the Magic with 30 points, seven rebounds and three assists off the bench. He scored 28 points in the second half, including 22 in the fourth quarter. Orlando received 18 points from both Jase Richardson and Desmond Bane. Franz Wagner added 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Thunder 122, Trail Blazers 95
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points to help Oklahoma City extend its winning streak to nine with a home victory over Portland.
Gilgeous-Alexander also had seven assists and five rebounds while finishing 13 of 18 from the field and hitting all nine of his free throws. Ajay Mitchell complemented SGA’s brilliance with 20 points off the bench, and Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds.
Jerami Grant led the Blazers with 21 points. Deni Avdija missed 12 of 16 shots from the field and finished with 11 points as Portland failed to defeat the Thunder for the second time in two tries and suffered its fifth loss in six games.
Suns 111, Spurs 102
Dillon Brooks had 25 points and four of Phoenix’s 14 3-pointers, Devin Booker tallied 24 points and the host Suns extended their winning streak to three with a victory over San Antonio.
Jordan Goodwin had his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds in his first start this season, and Mark Williams added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Phoenix, which has won 10 of 12.
De’Aaron Fox scored 26 points, Devin Vassell had 17 and Julian Champagnie collected 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, who had a three-game winning streak broken. San Antonio had not lost since star Victor Wembanyama suffered a calf injury in a Nov. 14 loss to Golden State.
Lakers 108, Jazz 106
Luka Doncic scored 33 points while adding 11 rebounds and eight assists to lead Los Angeles past Utah in Salt Lake City.
Austin Reaves tallied 22 points and 10 boards to help the Lakers notch their second consecutive win over the Jazz in a six-day span. LeBron James added 17 points and eight assists in his second game back from a sciatica injury. Rui Hachimura chipped in 13 points. Los Angeles outscored Utah 26-18 in fastbreak points.
Keyonte George led the Jazz with 27 points and eight assists. Lauri Markkanen chipped in 20 points that included multiple baskets in the final minutes. Jusuf Nurkic added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
