Cavaliers roll past Heat 115-92
Evan Mobley scored 17 points, Jarrett Allen added 17 and 13 rebounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from an embarrassing loss at Miami 24 hours earlier by beating the Charlotte Hornets 115-92 on Monday night.
Mobley also had a career-high eight assists and seven rebounds in only 25 minutes. It was his second game back after he was sidelined for nine by a sprained ankle.
The Cavs were blown out by 37 on Sunday by the Heat, who were up 45 at one point. The loss seemed to be rock bottom for a tired Cleveland team dealing with injuries and sliding backwards in the Eastern Conference standings.
But a matchup against the struggling Hornets was just what the Cavs needed to stop a three-game losing streak.
Georges Niang made five 3-pointers and scored 17 for Cleveland, which had lost six of eight and came in just four games clear of a play-in spot after being among the East’s top teams for months.
Brandon Miller scored 24 points and Miles Bridges had 13 for Charlotte. The 17-win Hornets have dropped five straight and 12 of 14.
NETS 96, RAPTORS 88
TORONTO (AP) — Dennis Schroder scored 19 points against his former team, Trendon Watford had 11 of his season-high 19 points in the second quarter and Brooklyn snapped a six-game losing streak by beating the short-handed Toronto Raptors.
Mikal Bridges scored 13 points and Jalen Wilson added 12 as the Nets won for the first time since March 10 at Cleveland.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 18 points and Javon Freeman-Liberty had 15 for Toronto. The Raptors have lost 11 straight and are winless since a home victory over Charlotte on March 3.
KNICKS 124, PISTONS 99
NEW YORK (AP) — Donte DiVincenzo made a franchise-record 11 3-pointers and scored a career-best 40 points, leading New York to a rout of Detroit.
DiVincenzo broke the Knicks’ single-game record of 10 that was held by J.R. Smith and Evan Fournier, and moved into third in the NBA in 3-pointers made this season. He would have had one more, but one of his 3s in the third quarter was later overturned because he had first stepped out of bounds.
But the swingman stayed in the blowout long enough to get the record-setter with 3:16 remaining, then checked out shortly after to an ovation.
Jalen Brunson added 28 points, and Josh Hart had 11 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in his sixth triple-double this season. The Knicks won for the sixth time in seven games and remained a half-game behind Cleveland for third place in the Eastern Conference.
Marcus Sasser scored 24 points for the NBA-worst Pistons, who lost their seventh straight and fell to 12-60. They were without top player Cade Cunningham, along with Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, Simone Fontecchio and Isaiah Stewart because of injuries.
HAWKS 120, CELTICS 118
ATLANTA (AP) — De’Andre Hunter scored 24 points, including a clinching 3-pointer with 9.2 seconds remaining, and the patched-together Atlanta Hawks rallied from a 30-point deficit Monday night for a stunning 120-118 victory over the NBA-leading Boston Celtics.
The Celtics had won 20 of 22 and brought a nine-game winning streak into State Farm Arena — a run that certainly appeared in no jeopardy when Al Horford’s 3-pointer put Boston up 68-28 with just under 4 1/2 minutes left in the first half.
But the Hawks, clinging to the final play-in spot in the East and one of the league’s most disappointing teams, launched a comeback out of nowhere with All-Star guard Trae Young and three other key players sidelined by injuries.
It was the biggest comeback win for Atlanta since at least the 1997-98 season, when the NBA began keeping detailed play-by-play.
Bogdan Bogdanovic had 22 points and Murray chipped in with 19, but it was several players who are normally buried deep on the bench who really carried the Hawks.
The Celtics lost despite 37 points from Jayson Tatum. Brown added 24.
SPURS 104, SUNS 102
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Jeremy Sochan hit a key 3-pointer in the final minute and finished with 26 points and a career-high 18 rebounds as San Antonio Phoenix with Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama sidelined due to injury.
Devin Vassell added 26 points for San Antonio and celebrated the victory by yelling into the house microphone after the game: “That’s a big win. That’s a big win.”
Devin Booker scored 36 points and Kevin Durant added 29 as Phoenix split a two-game set in San Antonio.
ROCKETS 110, TRAIL BLAZERS 92
HOUSTON (AP) — Jalen Green scored 27 points to lead Houston to a win over Portland.
At 36-35, Houston is now just a half game behind Golden State for the final spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Green entered Monday tied for fourth in the NBA in scoring in March with 27.8 points per game on 51.4% shooting. Against Portland, he made 9 of 26 shots, including 4 of 12 from 3.
Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. was out, serving a one-game suspension for his Saturday night fight with Jazz guard Kris Dunn. In his place, Jock Landale had a season-high 17 points and added nine rebounds.
Dalano Banton led the Blazers with 28 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, while Scoot Henderson added 15 points.
WIZARDS 107, BULLS 105
CHICAGO (AP) — Jordan Poole scored 23 points and Washington won their season-high third straight game, beating Chicago Bulls.
Corey Kispert added 19 points and 12 rebounds. Marvin Bagley III scored 16 and the Wizards — owners of the NBA’s second-worst record — got some payback for a 29-point blowout in Chicago last week.
DeMar DeRozan led Chicago with 27 points. Coby White scored 22 as the Bulls lost their third in a row.
MAVERICKS 115, JAZZ 105
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Luka Doncic had 29 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds, and Dallas beat Utah.
Kyrie Irving scored 27 points for the Mavericks, who earned their fourth consecutive victory. P.J. Washington had 16 points, and Daniel Gafford finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Lauri Markkanen made six 3-pointers and scored 34 points for Utah. Markkanen ranks third among NBA 7-footers with 1,001 made 3-pointers for his career in his seventh season.
NUGGETS 128, GRIZZLIES 103
DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 29 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, Christian Braun scored 17 points and Denver beat Memphis.
Jokic, who left the game with 27 seconds remaining in the third quarter and Denver leading by 21 points, finished two assists shy of his 23rd triple-double of the season.
Lamar Stevens matched a season high with 19 points for the Grizzlies. Scotty Pippen Jr. added 17.
KINGS 108, 76ERS 96 — Domantas Sabonis had his NBA-leading 25th triple-double of the season on a milestone night, leading Sacramentto a victory over Philadelphia.
Sabonis had 11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists to become the fifth player in NBA history with at least 25 triple-doubles in a season, joining Nikola Jokic, Russell Westbrook, Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson.
Sabonis also posted his 54th consecutive double-double, breaking a tie with Kevin Love for the longest streak since the 1976-77 merger between the NBA and ABA. Sabonis is nowhere close to the all-time record of 227 straight double-doubles held by Chamberlain, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Keegan Murray and De’Aaron Fox each scored 23 points for the Kings, who snapped a 10-game skid against the Sixers to move into a tie for sixth place in the Western Conference with Dallas. Sacramento hosts the Mavericks on Tuesday night as the teams fight to remain in the top six and avoid the play-in tournament.
Tyrese Maxey scored 29 points to lead the Sixers, who wrapped up a 2-2 West Coast swing. Philadelphia dropped into eighth place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind idle Miami.
PACERS 133, CLIPPERS 116
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 31 points to lead Indiana to a win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Myles Turner had 24 points and seven rebounds, helping the Pacers to their sixth win in their last seven road games. Tyrese Haliburton finished with 21 points and nine assists.
Los Angeles dropped its fifth consecutive home game. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George each scored 26 points for the Clippers, and Russell Westbrook had 14 points and seven assists in his return after missing 12 games because of a fractured left hand.
