Thunder rally from 21-point deficit to beat Grizzlies 117-116

Ajay Mitchell added 23 points for Oklahoma City, which has won 16 straight against Memphis, including a sweep in the first round of last year’s playoffs. Aaron Wiggins finished with 16 points.

Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 23 points and seven rebounds. GG Jackson finished with 18 points, and Santi Aldama added 15. Memphis has lost six of seven.

Oklahoma City whittled away and pulled within 80-68 midway through the third, helped by a 15-6 run. Oklahoma City shot 61% in the third period and trailed 94-81 after three quarters.

The Thunder took the lead with 1:07 left in the fourth quarter when a 3-pointer by Kenrich Williams made it 115-114.

While Memphis has dealt with absences much of the season, Oklahoma City played without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, among others. While Hartenstein has been out for several games with a soleus strain, Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Cason Wallace played in Wednesday’s 129-125 overtime loss to Utah.

PELICANS 128, WIZARDS 107

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trey Murphy III scored 35 points, Zion Williamson added 31 and Derik Queen had a triple-double to help New Orleans snap a nine-game losing streak with a rout of Washington.

Kyshawn George and Tristan Vukcevic scored 15 points apiece for the Wizards, who were without newly acquired guard Trae Young because of quadriceps and knee issues.

Queen, the standout rookie for New Orleans, was terrific in his return to the D.C. area. The former Maryland star had 14 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists for the second triple-double of his young career. The rebound and assist totals were season highs for him.

Young was on the bench with the team and got a nice hand from the crowd when he was introduced during a break in the first quarter. The trade that sent him from the Hawks to the Wizards was finalized Friday.

The Pelicans also made that trip, having lost at Atlanta on Wednesday night before beating the Wizards.

New Orleans led 60-50 at halftime and extended its advantage to 21 in the third quarter. Washington got back to within 10 in the fourth, but a 21-5 run by the Pelicans made it a blowout again.

Jeremiah Fears scored 21 points for New Orleans, which shot 53% from the field and outscored the Wizards 68-46 in the paint.

CELTICS 125, RAPTORS 117

BOSTON (AP) — Payton Pritchard had 28 points and eight assists, and Boston held off short-handed Toronto.

Jaylen Brown added 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Celtics, who won for the fifth time in six games. Boston connected on 14 3-pointers and shot 54% from the field to help pull away in the second half.

The loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Raptors. They played without starters Brandon Ingram (sprained right thumb) and Scottie Barnes (sprained right knee). Toronto center Jakob Poeltl also missed his ninth straight game with a sprained back.

RJ Barrett and Ja’Kobe Walter both had 19 points for Toronto. Immanuel Quickley finished with 17 points and 13 assists.

One game after making just seven 3s during a win at Charlotte, the Raptors knocked down 18 from beyond the arc to keep pace with the Celtics, who led 68-60 at halftime.

Boston found a groove in the third quarter, using a 13-3 run to push its lead to 93-73.

Toronto chipped away and got back within 108-103 with just over six minutes to play. But a 12-3 spurt by the Celtics got the lead back up to double digits.

76ERS 103, MAGIC 91

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Tyrese Maxey had 29 points and three steals, Joel Embiid added 22 points and nine rebounds, and Philadelphia beat Orlando in a game in which the teams combined to make 8 of 57 3-point shots.

Paul George scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half and added nine rebounds for the 76ers, who won for the fifth time in six games. Philadelphia has won four straight on the road.

Desmond Bane led Orlando with 23 points. Anthony Black added 21 points and Paolo Banchero finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

Philadelphia shot 4 for 28 (14.3%) from long range to Orlando’s 4 for 29 (13.8%).

Maxey, the NBA’s third-leading scorer at 30.7 points per game, made only 3 of 12 shots in a 12-point first half and missed all four of his 3-point attempts. He finished 10 for 22 overall and 3 for 8 on threes.

When Maxey hit his second 3-pointer of the game with 1:36 remaining in the third quarter, the 76ers were 3 for 22 from 3-point range and had a seven-point lead. His final 3-pointer came with 3:42 left and gave the 76ers their largest lead, 101-85.

Referee Bill Kennedy left the court in a wheelchair after suffering an apparent leg injury during the first quarter.

CLIPPERS 121, NETS 105

NEW YORK (AP) — James Harden scored 31 points, Kawhi Leonard had 26 and Los Angeles beat Brooklyn.

Reserve guard Jordan Miller made his first six shots and added 21 points. John Collins had 16 for the Clippers, who bounced back from their loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday to win for the eighth time in 10 games. Leonard, questionable earlier in the day with a sprained right ankle, started slowly but had 19 points in the second half.

Rookie guard Egor Demin scored 19 points for the Nets, who lost on a buzzer-beater in overtime against Orlando on Wednesday. But it was quickly clear this one would never be close.

Michael Porter Jr. struggled to 18 points, missing all nine 3-point attempts.

The Clippers scored the first eight points, and after Nic Claxton made two free throws, Harden scored the next six in an 8-0 run that made it 16-2. Demin made a 3-pointer to snap Brooklyn’s 0-for-8 start, but then Leonard and Harden scored to make the Clippers 8 for 9 and give them a 21-5 lead.

The Clippers opened the second quarter with a 10-0 run to make it 45-25 on former Nets center Brook Lopez’s three-point play. Los Angeles led by 22 before taking a 63-47 halftime lead.

HAWKS 110, NUGGETS 87

DENVER (AP) — Dyson Daniels had 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and Atlanta used a big fourth quarter to beat Denver in its first game since trading Trae Young.

Jalen Johnson scored 29 points and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 22 for Atlanta, which outscored Denver 36-12 in the final 12 minutes to pull away.

Both teams were dealing with significant absences.

In addition to Nikola Jokic (hyperextended left knee) and Jonas Valanciunas (calf) remaining sidelined, Jamal Murray (ankle) and Spencer Jones (ankle) were also sidelined for Denver. Murray, who had a career-high 17 assists in the win at Boston on Wednesday night, has missed two of the last four games.

The injury-ravaged Nuggets couldn’t recapture the magic of their improbable wins at Philadelphia and the Celtics to end their seven-game road trip. Peyton Watson led Denver with 25 points and Aaron Gordon scored 14 off the bench in his third game back after missing 19 with a hamstring injury.

Kristaps Porzingis (Achilles tendon) did not dress for Atlanta and CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert have yet to join the team since being acquired in the trade that sent Young to Washington.

SUNS 112, KNICKS 107

PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker scored 31 points and Dillon Brooks added 27 as Phoenix beat New York.

Royce O’Neale had 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting on 3-pointers and Mark Williams 10 to help Phoenix win for the fourth time in five games. Brooks shot 8 for 15 from the field, including 5 for 9 from beyond the arc. Booker was just 10 for 23, but made 4 of 6 from 3.

Jalen Brunson scored 27 points to lead the Knicks, who have lost five of seven. Miles McBride had 17 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 15 points and 12 rebounds, OG Anunoby also scored 15 and Jordan Clarkson 12 and Mikal Bridges 11.

The Knicks trailed by 12 points late in the third quarter before Onunoby’s 3 with 7:47 to go in the fourth pulled them to 96-92. Mitchell Robinson had a layup and then an alley-oop dunk to cut the Knicks’ deficit to 101-99 with 4:10 left, and Anunoby made two free throws to tie the score a little more than a minute later.

Booker hit a jumper to put the Suns back ahead, and O’Neale made a 3 to push the lead to five with 1:16 remaining. McBride’s jumper made it 106-103 about 20 seconds later. Grayson Allen made two free throws with 14 seconds to go before Bridges made a 3 to get the Knicks within two 9 seconds later. Allen was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play and made both free throws.

Anunoby made 1 of 3 free throws with 2 seconds left, and Brooks made two from the line with 0.8 seconds remaining to seal the win.

WARRIORS 137, KINGS 103

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry had 27 points and a season-high 10 assists for his second double-double this season, and Golden State beat skidding Sacramento.

Jimmy Butler added 15 points, six assists and six rebounds as the Warriors finished with a season-best 39 assists. Curry scored 18 by halftime and finished 10 of 21 from the floor with six 3-pointers for his 11th game in the last 13 with 25 or more points.

DeMar DeRozan had 24 points for the Kings, who have lost seven straight and eight of nine. Zach LaVine scored 15 but missed six of his seven 3-point tries as Sacramento went 7 for 27 from long range.

Dennis Schroder’s layup and sixth straight point tied the game at 84 with 3:13 left in the third quarter, but the Warriors responded with a 13-0 burst to end the period.

Golden State has won eight of 11 and three straight at home, continuing a key eight-game stretch at Chase Center. The Warriors have scored at least 120 points in their last seven victories.

TRAIL BLAZERS 111, ROCKETS 105

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Toumani Camara scored 25 points and Portland extended its winning streak to a season-best five games with a victory over Houston.

Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija each added 20 points for Portland.

Kevin Durant had 30 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets. He passed Wilt Chamberlain for seventh place on the NBA’s career scoring list when he made a 3-pointer in the third quarter.

Durant needed 15 points going into the game to eclipse Chamberlain, who scored 31,419 points. Durant’s jumper with 7:57 left in the third gave him 31,422.

Avdija hit a 3 to pull the Blazers to 99-98 with 3:54 left, then made four straight free throws to give Portland a 102-99 lead with 2:43 remaining.

Amen Thompson, who had 24 points and nine rebounds, dunked to make it 102-101.

Portland stretched the lead to 107-103 on Sidy Cissoko’s dunk and held off Houston the rest of the way.

BUCKS 105, LAKERS 101

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo blocked a shot by LeBron James and stole the ball from him on consecutive possessions in the final minute, and Milwaukee blew a fourth-quarter lead before rallying for a victory over Los Angeles.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points, and he hit two free throws to break a tie after Antetokounmpo blocked a driving layup attempt by James with 39 seconds left.

Antetokounmpo then knocked the ball out of James’ hands from behind with 2 seconds left, and Porter hit two more free throws to seal Milwaukee’s fifth win in seven games — its first over a team with a winning record since Dec. 11. Antetokounmpo finished with 21 points in his lowest-scoring effort since returning from his right calf strain.

Luka Doncic had 24 points and nine assists on 8-of-25 shooting for the Lakers. He had his lowest-scoring performance since Christmas, and he fouled out on Porter’s 3-point attempt with 16.2 seconds to play.

James had 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, but Antetokoumpo got the best of the top scorer in NBA history at crunch time. Los Angeles has lost six of 10.