Jarrett Allen collected 25 points and 11 rebounds to lift the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 129-122 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday in a battle of the NBA’s top two teams.
Evan Mobley contributed 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Cavaliers, who have won 11 in a row overall and improved to 11-0 against Western Conference opponents. Oklahoma City rode a franchise-record 15-game winning streak into the Wednesday matchup.
Cleveland’s Darius Garland scored 18 points and Max Strus sank five 3-pointers to highlight his 17-point performance off the bench.
Oklahoma City superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and Jalen Williams added 25 points and nine assists. Isaiah Hartenstein notched 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Thunder, who fell to 11-1 vs. Eastern Conference foes.
Bucks 121, Spurs 105
Damian Lillard scored 26 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 points as Milwaukee beat visiting San Antonio.
Lillard also had eight assists, while Antetokounmpo added 16 rebounds and eight dimes for his 432nd career double-double, moving past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the top spot in Bucks history. Brook Lopez posted 22 points for Milwaukee, which set up its clinical win with a commanding 34-19 second quarter.
Keldon Johnson combined 24 points with 11 boards in 25 minutes off the bench for San Antonio, while Chris Paul contributed 18 points and seven assists. Victor Wembanyama had 10 points, 10 rebounds and a game-high three blocked shots.
Nuggets 126, Clippers 103
Jamal Murray had 21 points and nine assists, Russell Westbrook and Michael Porter Jr. scored 19 points each and host Denver beat Los Angeles.
Julian Strawther contributed 16 points for the Nuggets, who lost to the visiting Boston Celtics on Tuesday but improved to 8-0 in the second game of back-to-backs. Denver center Nikola Jokic (illness) missed his second straight game.
Norman Powell scored 30 points for the Clippers, who have lost four of their past five games. Kawhi Leonard was absent after returning to Los Angeles to be with his family because of the wildfires burning in Southern California.
Knicks 112, Raptors 98
Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart each posted double-doubles for host New York, which snapped a three-game losing streak by gradually pulling away from Toronto.
Towns, who was listed as questionable after sitting out Monday with a knee injury, finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds for his 31st double-double of the season. Hart had 21 points and 11 rebounds while adding seven assists.
Immanuel Quickley scored 22 points while Scottie Barnes had 18 and RJ Barrett finished with 16 for the Raptors, who have lost 14 of 15.
76ers 109, Wizards 103
Tyrese Maxey scored 29 points, including the go-ahead basket with 24 seconds remaining, to elevate undermanned Philadelphia past visiting Washington.
Maxey’s driving finger roll to break a 103-103 stalemate made up for the previous possession when the game’s high scorer missed a contested fadeaway jumper. The basket was part of a game-ending 8-0 run for the 76ers.
Washington took its first lead since the game’s opening minutes earlier in the period on the strength of a 20-5 run, fueled by reserves Jared Butler and Corey Kispert. The two each scored eight points in the burst, part of Butler’s career-high 26 and Kispert’s season-high-tying 23.
Pistons 113, Nets 98
Malik Beasley scored 23 points as Detroit moved over .500 and pushed its winning streak to five games by defeating depleted Brooklyn in New York.
The Pistons led most of the way in winning for the eighth time in nine games and improved to 19-18. Beasley, who made 9 of 17 shots and sank four 3-pointers overall, and scored 16 of his points in the opening half.
Noah Clowney scored a career-best 29 points for the Nets, who dropped their seventh straight home game and lost for the 14th time in 18 games. Brooklyn was missing 10 players.
Trail Blazers 119, Pelicans 100
Deni Avdija scored 26 points to lead a balanced scoring effort and hot-shooting Portland routed host New Orleans.
Shaedon Sharpe added 21 points as six Blazers scored in double figures. Portland shot 54.5 percent from the floor and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc.
CJ McCollum scored 23 points and Dejounte Murray added 20 for the Pelicans, who played without forward Zion Williamson (rest). Williamson returned from a 27-game absence prompted by a strained hamstring to score 22 points Tuesday.
Pacers 129, Bulls 113
Pascal Siakam scored 26 points as Indiana beat Chicago in Indianapolis.
Thomas Bryant added 22 points and eight rebounds while Tyrese Haliburton collected 16 points and 13 assists as the Pacers won their fourth straight game.
Zach LaVine led Chicago with 31 points. Coby White had 19 for the Bulls, who had their two-game winning streak snapped.
–Field Level Media
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