Kyle Kuzma scored a season-high 31 points to help the visiting Washington Wizards snap a 16-game losing streak with a 105-103 win over the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.
The Wolves cut the deficit to 105-103 on Mike Conley’s three foul shots with 15.1 seconds left. They had a chance to tie the game after Nickeil Alexander-Walker stole the ball, but he missed a final 3-point attempt.
Jordan Poole scored 19 points for Washington, which avoided a franchise-record-setting 17th straight loss and won for the first time since beating the visiting Chicago Bulls 125-107 on Jan. 1. Bilal Coulibaly added 14 points, Jonas Valanciunas recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds and Kyshawn George had 11 points for the Wizards.
Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels collected 23 points and 12 rebounds and Rudy Gobert had 16 and 16, respectively. Stars Anthony Edwards (illness) and Julius Randle (groin) were both unavailable, and Naz Reid did not return after exiting with a right finger sprain as the Timberwolves had their five-game winning streak snapped.
Lakers 128, Knicks 112
LeBron James put on another show at Madison Square Garden, posting a triple-double as Los Angeles pulled away from host New York.
James, who turned 40 in December, led all players Saturday with 33 points and 12 assists while adding 11 rebounds as he improved to 23-8 all-time at Madison Square Garden. He raised his averages in games there to 28.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.6 assists. The triple-double was James’ 10th of the season.
Austin Reaves added 27 points for the Lakers, who have won eight of their last 10 games. Former Lakers player Josh Hart had 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for his seventh triple-double of the season for the Knicks. New York had its five-game winning streak snapped and also lost forward OG Anunoby to a right foot sprain.
Nets 110, Rockets 98
D’Angelo Russell scored 18 points, Ziaire Williams flirted with a double-double and visiting Brooklyn knocked off Houston.
After snapping a seven-game losing streak with a road win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, the Nets recorded back-to-back victories for the first time since late November. They did so by shooting 49.4 percent from the floor, posting a 60-50 advantage in paint points, and limiting Houston to 40 percent shooting from the floor.
Six Nets players scored in double figures. Among them, Williams paired 21 points with eight rebounds, while Day’Ron Sharpe tallied 13 points off the bench. Jalen Green scored a game-high 29 points for the Rockets, who played a second consecutive game without All-Star center Alperen Sengun (calf). Steven Adams posted 11 points, seven boards and three blocks filling in for Sengun.
Thunder 144, Kings 110
Aaron Wiggins recorded a career-high 41 points and 14 rebounds to lift host Oklahoma City to a victory over Sacramento.
Wiggins’ previous career highs were 28 points as a rookie in 2021-22 and 10 rebounds the following season. Wiggins was in the starting lineup as a replacement of All-Star Jalen Williams, who was out with a right wrist sprain.
The Thunder have won four of their last six games, while the loss was the fourth in five games for the Kings. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 29 points and nine assists before sitting the entire fourth quarter with Oklahoma City having the game well in hand. De’Aaron Fox led Sacramento with 20 points.
Pacers 132, Hawks 127
Pascal Siakam had a team-high 20 points to lead seven scorers in double figures, helping Indiana Pacers to a win over Atlanta in Indianapolis.
Trae Young had 34 points and 17 assists for Atlanta, which dropped its eighth straight contest. Dyson Daniels supplied 23 points, and Zaccharie Risacher scored 17.
Young hit a 3-pointer with 27.1 seconds left to trim the Hawks’ deficit to two, but the Pacers hit five free throws in the final 22.1 seconds to seal the win.
Heat 105, Spurs 103
Bam Adebayo capped a 30-point performance by sinking a jumper at the buzzer, lifting visiting Miami to a win over short-handed San Antonio.
Kel’el Ware rebounded a miss by Chris Paul with 3 seconds left and the Heat called time out to set up a final shot in regulation. Adebayo, who added 12 rebounds and nine assists, canned the game winner from 19 feet to allow Miami to win the first contest of a four-game road trip.
Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 19 points off the bench while Devin Vassell scored 18. Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama missed the game with an undisclosed illness. San Antonio was playing the second game of a home back-to-back after beating Milwaukee 144-118 on Friday.
Nuggets 107, Hornets 104
Nikola Jokic produced a triple-double and provided some crucial offense in the final minute and Denver scored the game’s final seven points for a victory against host Charlotte.
To record his 22nd triple-double this season, Jokic racked up 28 points, 17 assists and 13 rebounds as the Nuggets won for the second straight night. Christian Braun’s 24 points and Jamal Murray’s 20 boosted the Nuggets, who squandered a 17-point lead and scored only 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Miles Bridges poured in 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Mark Williams notched 20 points and 15 boards, but the Hornets were stuck with their fourth straight loss.
Jazz 113, Magic 99
Collin Sexton had 22 points and eight assists and John Collins scored 19 points to help Utah snap a season-worst eight-game losing streak with a victory over Orlando in Salt Lake City.
The victory was the Jazz’s first since a 112-111 overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 12. Utah, which had six scorers in double figures, led by as many as 21 and held a double-digit lead for the entirety of the second half.
Franz Wagner led all scorers with 37 points for Orlando, doing a good portion of his damage at the free-throw line thanks to an 18-for-20 performance. Still, the Magic struggled offensively en route to their third consecutive defeat.
Trail Blazers 127, Suns 108
Deandre Ayton scored 24 points on 11-of-12 shooting to lead Portland to a victory over visiting Phoenix in the first of two games in three days between the teams.
Jerami Grant added 20 points for the Trail Blazers, who led by as many as 27 points while winning their third straight game and seventh in their past eight. Toumani Camara recorded 18 points, 10 rebounds and four steals, Anfernee Simons had 16 points and seven assists, and reserve Shaedon Sharpe also scored 16 for Portland.
Devin Booker scored 37 points for his second straight 30-point outing for the Suns, who fell for just the fourth time in their past 13 games. Kevin Durant had 22 points, marking the 24th time in his last 25 games that he has scored at least 20. The teams play again Monday, also in Portland.
–Field Level Media
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