NBA roundup: Warriors end skid with victory over Jazz
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) Andrew Wiggins snapped out of a recent slump with a season-high 28 points and Stephen Curry chipped in with a game-high 32 on Sunday afternoon as the Golden State Warriors ended a four-game losing streak with a 131-119 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz at San Francisco.
Wiggins, who had failed to score at least 20 points in a career-worst-tying nine straight games, connected on 12 of 16 from the field and 3 of 4 from 3-point range in surpassing his previous season high of 27, recorded Dec. 29 at Detroit.
Curry, who had shot just 8 of 29 on 3-pointers during the Warriors’ four-game skid, made six of nine against the Jazz, who had entered the game with the NBA’s third-best defense against 3-pointers.
Donovan Mitchell (24), Rudy Gobert (24), Mike Conley (23) and Jordan Clarkson (21) all topped 20 points for the Jazz, who have lost four of their last six. Gobert snatched a season-best 28 rebounds to complete his third 20/20 game of the season for Utah, which had won its previous five games against the Warriors.
Oklahoma City Thunder 128 - Memphis Grizzlies 122
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points to help short-handed Oklahoma City to a win over visiting Memphis.
The Thunder scored 38 fourth-quarter points to wipe out a deficit and win for the third time in four games. Gilgeous-Alexander, who has scored at least 30 points in three consecutive games, was 8-for-17 from the floor with four 3-pointers in six attempts.
Ja Morant led Memphis with 22 points, but he was just 2 of 7 from the floor in the fourth after hitting 5 of 8 attempts through three quarters.
New Orleans Pelicans 135 - Los Angeles Pelicans 115
Zion Williamson scored 27 points and Brandon Ingram added 23 as hot-shooting New Orleans routed visiting Los Angeles.
Lonzo Ball scored 20, Jaxson Hayes had 17 off the bench for his second consecutive season high, and Josh Hart and Kira Lewis Jr. scored 13 each as the Pelicans finished a six-game homestand. New Orleans shot 65.4 percent from the floor, had 38 assists on 53 field goals and scored the most points by a Clippers opponent this season.
Kawhi Leonard scored 23, Reggie Jackson, starting in place of injured Patrick Beverley, had 18, Paul George and Luke Kennard added 15 each and Amir Coffey had 13 for the Clippers, who started a three-game road trip by losing for the fourth time in five games.
Minnesota Timberwolves 114 - Portland Trail Blazers 112
Rookie Anthony Edwards scored a career-high 34 points to lift Minnesota past visiting Portland in Minneapolis.
Ricky Rubio celebrated his 600th career game by recording 15 points and seven assists for the Timberwolves, who snapped a seven-game home losing skid.
Damian Lillard finished with 38 points for the Trail Blazers. Gary Trent Jr. scored 21 points and Carmelo Anthony added 16 in the loss.
Boston Celtics 134 - Houston Rockets 107
Jaylen Brown scored 24 points, Jayson Tatum added 23 and Boston rolled to a victory over host Houston at Toyota Center.
The Celtics, who have won five of six games, overcame an early eight-point deficit courtesy of Tatum and Brown passing the baton offensively. Boston also helped matters by displaying superior ball security, coming alive after five early turnovers helped Houston to its 28-20 lead.
Victor Oladipo had 26 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Rockets while Kenyon Martin Jr. added 21 points and four rebounds off the Houston bench. Kevin Porter Jr. cooled considerably after a hot start and finished with 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting plus seven assists.
Miami Heat 102 - Orlando Magic 97
Jimmy Butler had 29 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and five steals, leading Miami to a win over host Orlando.
Orlando trailed 100-97 with 22 seconds left. After a timeout, the Magic missed twice before Butler came up with a steal and a layup to put the game away as Miami continued its run as one of the hottest teams in the NBA, going 10-1 since Feb. 18.
Orlando, which has lost eight straight games, was led by Nikola Vucevic, who had 38 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
Chicago Bulls 118 - Toronto Raptors 95
Patrick Williams scored a career-best 23 points -- 11 in the third quarter -- and host Chicago used a balanced attack to defeat depleted Toronto.
Zach LaVine added 15 points for the Bulls. Coby White and Lauri Markkanen each had 13 points, and Wendell Carter Jr. had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Norman Powell had 32 points for the Raptors, who had lost to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. Kyle Lowry added 20 points before picking up his second technical foul late in the game and Chris Boucher scored 17 points.
Philadelphia 76ers 134 - San Antonio Spurs 99
Tobias Harris had 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as host Philadelphia routed San Antonio, posting the Sixers’ largest margin of victory ever against the Spurs.
Seth Curry added 21 points, while Furkan Korkmaz and Danny Green each had 16 for the Sixers, who won their fifth in a row. Ben Simmons returned from a two-game absence due to COVID-19 contact tracing and had 14 points with nine assists. The Sixers played without Joel Embiid, who has a bone bruise on his left knee.
Derrick White and Drew Eubanks led the Spurs with 17 points apiece. The shorthanded Spurs, who opened a five-game road trip, were without LaMarcus Aldridge, who’s seeking a trade and will no longer play for the organization. DeMar DeRozan also missed the game following the death of his father.
Atlanta Hawks 100 - Cleveland Cavaliers 82
Rookie Nathan Knight scored a career-high 16 points to lead Atlanta to a win over visiting Cleveland, extending its winning streak to five games.
Knight, a backup forward-center playing on a two-way contract, helped fill the void left in the middle by injuries. The Hawks were without starter Clint Capela (left heel pain) and rookie backup Onyeka Okongwu (right adductor soreness).
Danilo Gallinari led the Hawks with 20 points and John Collins had 22 points and 13 rebounds. Trae Young played despite left quad soreness and scored 14.
