Jan. 27 (Reuters) – Spencer Dinwiddie posted a season-high 36 points as the Dallas Mavericks guest overcame an early injury to star Luka Doncic to beat the Phoenix Suns 99-95 on Thursday night.
Dorian Finney-Smith had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Dwight Powell added 15 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 11 and Reggie Bullock had 10 for Dallas, who won for the third time in 10 games.
Doncic, who started the night as the NBA’s top scorer with 33.8 points per game, was eliminated early in the first quarter with a sprained left ankle and did not return. X-rays were negative.
Chris Paul and Cameron Johnson led Phoenix with 22 points each, while Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 20 rebounds after missing the last three games due to a non-COVID illness. Paul also had 10 assists as the Suns ended their four-game winning streak.
Knicks 120, Celtics 117 (OT)
Julius Randle scored 37 points and Jalen Brunson added 29 as New York came back to win in overtime in Boston.
Randle and RJ Barrett hit 3 points each to turn the tie after the Celtics opened overtime with a 5-0 run. Brunson added four rebounds, seven assists and two blocks, and dismissed Malcolm Brogdon’s potential tie 3 at the buzzer.
Jayson Tatum had 35 points and 14 rebounds, while Jaylen Brown added 22 points in Boston’s third straight loss.
Hornets 111, bulls 96
Terry Rozier accumulated 28 points and LaMelo Ball, who hadn’t played in more than a week, scored five of his 15 points during a crucial late-game period when hostess Charlotte defeated Chicago.
Rozier sank four of Charlotte’s seven 3-pointers and helped the Hornets – who beat the Bulls 34-17 in the fourth quarter – to score a two-game sled. Mason Plumlee scored 21 points, aided by a 9-for-9 shooting from the field, and grabbed 12 rebounds, Gordon Hayward had 17 points, and Reservemark Williams added 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting.
DeMar DeRozan’s 28 points led the Bulls, who have lost back-to-back games after a three-game winning streak. Zach LaVine had 18 points and nine rebounds, Patrick Williams had 15 points in his hometown, and Nikola Vucevic (nine rebounds) and Ayo Dosunmu had 12 points each.
Pistons 130, nets 122
Saddiq Bey scored 15 of his 25 points in the third quarter as Detroit took control in a win over Brooklyn in New York. The Pistons went on a four-game losing streak, scoring 43 points in the third, marking their highest-scoring quarter this season.
Alec Burks added 10 of his 20 points in the fourth. Rookie Jalen Duren had 17 chips and Killian Hayes and rookie Jaden Ivey had 16 chips each as Detroit withstood a quiet performance from Bojan Bogdanovic, who was held to 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting.
Kyrie Irving tried to bring the Nets back down in fourth place with 12 of his 40 points, but Brooklyn fell to 2-6 as Kevin Durant suffered a medial collateral ligament sprain in his right knee on Jan. 8. Nic Claxton added career-best 27 points and 13 rebounds, while Edmond Sumner contributed a career-best 24 points.
Cavaliers 113, Rockets 95
Darius Garland scored a game-high 26 points while Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen scored double-doubles as Cleveland routed host Houston.
Garland shot 9 of 16 off the floor, connecting with five 3-pointers and adding nine assists and four steals to his ledger. Mobley had 21 points and 10 rebounds while Allen had 14 points and 10 boards for the Cavaliers, who, despite playing without all-star guard Donovan Mitchell, led by as much as 32 and was sidelined for the fourth time in five games with a left groin strain.
Without three of their key ball carriers — Kevin Porter Jr. (foot), Eric Gordon (knee) and Jae’Sean Tate (ankle) — the Rockets were a rudderless ship offensively. Houston committed 22 turnovers that gave the Cavaliers 40 points and was assisted by sophomore center Alperen Sengun, who had 14 points in 30 minutes with seven assists.
Clippers 138, Spurs 100
Paul George scored 35 points and Kawhi Leonard added 27 in just three quarters of the game as Los Angeles flooded – and swept – while visiting San Antonio.
Norman Powell added 15 points for Los Angeles, with Robert Covington scoring 13 and Reggie Jackson and Ivica Zubac contributing 12 and 11 points, respectively. The Clippers have won four straight games.
Keldon Johnson scored 19 points for the Spurs, Isaiah Roby had a season-best 14, Keita Bates-Diop scored 13, Doug McDermott added 11 and Jakob Poeltl scored 10. The contest was the second of a straight for the Spurs (although both games took place in Los Angeles). They finished the season 0-8 against the Lakers and Clippers.
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