CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Damian Lillard had 29 points and 12 assists, Bobby Portis had 23 points and 17 rebounds in his first game since Jan. 23 and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Charlotte Hornets 112-102 on Wednesday night in their first game since trading longtime guard Khris Middleton.
Brook Lopez added 14 points on four 3s as the Bucks snapped a four-game losing skid.
Nick Smith Jr. had 23 points on four 3s for Charlotte, which has lost six straight.
The Bucks pushed their lead to 21 in the third quarter, repeatedly getting open looks from beyond the arc against a depleted Hornets roster.
Lillard was forced to carry the load for the Bucks, who played without Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo went through pre-game warmups and was introduced before being scratched due to left calf soreness minutes before tipoff.
CAVALIERS 118, PISTONS 115
DETROIT (AP) — Darius Garland hit a 31-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Cleveland a win over Detroit.
The Cavaliers, playing without All-Star Donovan Mitchell who missed the game with a shoulder contusion, overcame nine points from Detroit’s Cade Cunningham in 11 seconds.
Cunningham made it 112-109 with a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left, but Garland hit a free throw to make it a two-possession game.
Cunningham made three free throws to pull Detroit within one with 7.3 seconds to go. The Pistons fouled Garland, who made 115-112. Cleveland fouled Cunningham on a 3-point attempt, and he hit all three, tying the game with five seconds left. Garland rushed down the court and hit the winning shot from just inside the center-court logo.
Evan Mobley had 30 points for Cleveland and Garland added 25. Cunningham had 38 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
SPURS 126, HAWKS 125
ATLANTA (AP) — Victor Wembanyama broke a tie with a free throw with 2.4 seconds left and De’Aaron Fox scored 24 points in his first game for San Antonio, leading the Spurs to a victory over Atlanta.
Fox arrived from Sacramento in a three-team trade Sunday and started in his San Antonio debut as Wembanyama’s new point guard.
Wembanyama, who also had 24 points, intentionally missed the second free throw, denying Atlanta the opportunity for an inbounds play. Trae Young missed a last-second 3-pointer.
Wembanyama added 12 rebounds. Fox matched his season high with 13 assists.
Young had 32 points with 12 assists for Atlanta. Onyeka Okongwu had a career-high 30 points.
WIZARDS 119, NETS 102
NEW YORK (AP) — Jordan Poole scored 19 points to lead Washington to a win over Brooklyn.
Poole was one of six Wizards (9-41) to finish in double-figure scoring as Washington won its third straight game. Kyshawn George and Corey Kispert each had 17 while Bub Carrington chipped in 16.
Keon Johnson scored 25 points and Cam Johnson added 17 for Brooklyn (17-34).
Leading 88-73 entering the fourth quarter, the Wizards used a 15-9 spurt in the first 5 1/2 minutes to extend their lead to 103-82. Kispert, Carrington, and George each knocked down long 3s in the stretch.
HEAT 108, 76ERS 101
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyler Herro scored 30 points Wednesday, and Bam Adebayo had 18 points and 13 rebounds as Miami defeated Philadelphia on the night the Heat traded Jimmy Butler to Golden State.
The game played out amid online reports in the first half that Butler would be traded to the Warriors. Butler was suspended by the team for the game, and Josh Richardson, also reportedly part of the deal, was out with a foot injury.
Tyrese Maxey scored 31, his seventh straight scoring at least 30 points. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 15 points and 11 rebounds. The 76ers forced 22 turnovers but couldn’t capitalize on them.
GRIZZLIES 138, RAPTORS 107
TORONTO (AP) — Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 32 points, Ja Morant had 16 of his 26 in the third quarter and Memphis won their fourth straight game, routing Toronto.
Making his first professional appearance in his home city, Grizzlies rookie Zach Edey had 13 points and 14 rebounds for his eighth double-double and third in three games.
The Grizzlies won their third consecutive meeting with the Raptors and their fifth straight in Toronto.
Memphis scored a franchise-record 155 points in Dec. 26 home win over Toronto, including 78 in the first half. The Grizzlies didn’t match that mark Wednesday, but a season-high 85 points in the second half got them close.
Jamal Shead, Ochai Agbaji and Ja’Kobe Walter each scored 14 points for the Raptors. Gradey Dick had 13 and Scottie Barnes added 11.
TIMBERWOLVES 127, BULLS 108
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 49 points, including 20 in the third quarter, as Minnesota beat short-handed Chicago.
Edwards hit six 3-pointers and was 17 of 18 from the free-throw line and also added nine rebounds. He tied Kevin Garnett for the second-most 30-point games and tied Karl-Anthony Towns for the most 40-point games in team history.
Naz Reid had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Rudy Gobert added 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Coby White had 20 points, and Nikola Vucevic had 10 points and 11 rebounds for Chicago, which was without center Zach Collins, swingman Kevin Huerter and guard Tre Jones after the weekend trade that sent Zach LaVine to Sacramento and Kings guard De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio.
NUGGETS 144, PELICANS 119
DENVER (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. tied a career high with 39 points on the eve of the trade deadline, Nikola Jokic added 38 and Denver beat struggling New Orleans for their fourth straight win.
Porter finished 16 of 23 from the field, including five 3-pointers, and had 12 rebounds. His name has been mentioned in trade speculation ahead of Thursday’s deadline, but coach Michael Malone recently dismissed the notion.
Jokic added 10 assists and eight rebounds for the short-handed Nuggets, who were missing Russell Westbrook (hamstring) and Peyton Watson (knee). Aaron Gordon matched a career best with 12 assists.
Zion Williamson finished with 28 points for the Pelicans, who lost their seventh straight game.
WARRIORS , JAZZ
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jordan Clarkson scored 31 points and Keyonte George added 26 to lead Utah to a victory over Golden State.
Isaiah Collier added 20 points and 11 assists. Walker Kessler chipped in 15 points and 18 rebounds and John Collins added 19 points.
Stephen Curry led Golden State with 32 points and seven assists. Brandin Podziemski added a career-high 29 points and Buddy Hield chipped in 18.
THUNDER 140, SUNS 109
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 50 points and NBA-leading Oklahoma City routed Phoenix to improve to 40-9.
The Thunder said Gilgeous-Alexander became the ninth player in NBA history to score at least 50 points three times in a seven-game span. He had a career-high 54 against Utah on Jan. 29 and 52 at Golden State a week ago.
Phoenix’s Kevin Durant sat out with a sprained left ankle. The 36-year-old All-Star forward remains 26 points short of 30,000 for his career.
Oklahoma City’s fans still got a show. Several times, they serenaded Gilgeous-Alexander with the “M-V-P! M-V-P!” chants once reserved for Durant as the former Thunder star watched from the Phoenix bench.
Bradley Beal led Phoenix with 25 points, Devin Booker had 19 and Royce O’Neale 18. They have lost three in a row.
MAGIC 130, KINGS 111
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Franz Wagner had 31 points, Paolo Banchero added 23 and Orlando beat Sacramento to spoil Zach LaVine’s Kings debut and end a four-game losing streak.
LaVine had 13 points. He went from Chicago to Sacramento on Sunday in a three-team trade that sent De’Aaron Fox from the Kings to San Antonio.
Anthony Black added 15 points for the Magic, and Goga Bitadze and Cole Anthony had 14 each. Orlando also ended a seven-game road losing streak.
Domantas Sabonis had 21 points and 13 rebounds for Sacramento, and DeMar DeRozan added 19 points. The Kings had won seven in a row at home.
The Magic outscored the Kings 42-23 in the third quarter and led by 30 points in the fourth.
The Associated Press
