Donovan Mitchell scored 17 of his 27 points in the second quarter and Evan Mobley finished with 21 points, fueling the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a dominant 142-105 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday.
Mitchell made 10 of 15 shots from the floor while Mobley sank 9 of 11 attempts and collected eight rebounds and three steals for Cleveland, which cruised to its sixth straight win and 10th in the last 11 games.
The Cavaliers shot a robust 60.9 percent from the floor and dominated the interior with a 66-38 advantage in points in the paint. Cleveland led 41-29 after the first quarter and 77-50 at the half.
New York’s Jalen Brunson scored 16 of his 26 points in the first quarter while Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 points.
Grizzlies 105, Magic 104
Desmond Bane hit a tiebreaking foul shot with 45.0 seconds left and visiting Memphis rallied from a 19-point third-quarter deficit to defeat Orlando.
Jaren Jackson Jr. blocked a potential game-winning eight-foot shot attempt by Paolo Banchero in the closing seconds to preserve the win for the Grizzlies, who snapped a two-game losing streak.
Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 23 points and five assists, and Bane and Jackson added 16 points apiece. Franz Wagner scored 10 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter for Orlando, which had won three of its previous four games.
Bucks 104, Wizards 101
Short-handed Milwaukee weathered a sluggish start and a game-ending, seven-minute field-goal drought to score its second win in as many nights, beating host Washington.
Brook Lopez finished with 18 points and nine rebounds to help carry the load with Damian Lillard out and Giannis Antetokounmpo limited to less than 20 minutes of playing time. Former Wizard Kyle Kuzma – recently acquired in a trade for Khris Middleton — led the Bucks with 19 points.
Wizards rookie Alex Sarr led all scorers with 22 points, and Corey Kispert came off the bench to knock down 4 of 7 3-point attempts en route to 16 points. Middleton finished with 12 points against his former team.
Heat 120, Raptors 111 (OT)
Tyler Herro scored 28 points and dished out seven assists as Miami won at Toronto to end a four-game losing streak.
Bam Adebayo produced 19 points and 12 rebounds while Andrew Wiggins added 25 points as the Heat ended a four-game losing streak.
RJ Barrett scored 29 points for the Raptors, who have lost six of seven. Immanuel Quickley added 23 points, and Scottie Barnes put up 13.
Pistons 125, Spurs 110
Cade Cunningham amassed 25 points and 12 assists to lead a balanced attack as Detroit took charge in the third quarter and strolled to a win over short-handed San Antonio in Austin, Texas.
The game was the second in two nights for the Spurs in the Texas capital, their home away from home, and the eighth of their 12-game rodeo road trip. San Antonio, playing without star center Victor Wembanyama, was the worse for wear, running out of gas in the second half after leading by as many as 10 points late in the second quarter.
Detroit, which equaled a season high with its fifth straight win, grabbed the lead on a Cunningham 3-pointer just before halftime and stretched its advantage to 101-80 on Malik Beasley’s 3-pointer late in the third. Tobias Harris added 22 points, Jalen Duren racked up 21 points and 15 rebounds and Beasley had 16 points for Detroit. Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 28 points off the bench while De’Aaron Fox added 27.
Mavericks 111, Pelicans 103
Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 35 points and host Dallas came to life at the start of the fourth quarter on the way to beating New Orleans.
P.J. Washington added 24 points and seven rebounds for Dallas, which led by only two after Pelicans wing Bruce Brown made good on a layup 29 seconds into the final frame. But the Mavericks responded with an 8-0 and never trailed.
Zion Williamson paced the Pelicans with 29 points and seven rebounds while Trey Murphy III went for 20 points, six boards and six assists.
Rockets 121, Timberwolves 115
Jalen Green scored 35 points to lead Houston past visiting Minnesota for the Rockets’ third win in four games.
Green, who hit 5 of 11 3-point attempts, was supported by Alperen Sengun (24 points, 13 rebounds) and Amen Thompson (17 points, 10 rebounds). Jabari Smith Jr. added 15 points, including 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc, and nine rebounds in his return from a 22-game absence with a broken left hand.
Anthony Edwards scored 37 points for Minnesota, including 25 in the first half, but was held to three points on 1-of-6 shooting in the fourth quarter.
Warriors 132, Kings 108
Four Golden State players put up 20-plus points as the visiting Warriors improved to 4-1 in the Jimmy Butler era with a romp over Sacramento.
Moses Moody and Buddy Hield led the way for Golden State with 22 points apiece. Brandin Podziemski had 21 and Stephen Curry 20, helping the Warriors earn their third win in four games. Butler contributed 17 points.
DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 34 points for the Kings, who lost their second straight game.
Thunder 130, Jazz 107
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points and Chet Holmgren had 20 as Oklahoma City returned from the All-Star break with a victory over Utah in Salt Lake City.
Gilgeous-Alexander also handed out eight of the Thunder’s season-high 38 assists in the team’s eighth win in nine outings. Jalen Williams had a special night, totaling 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists while playing against younger brother Cody Williams for the first time in their NBA careers.
John Collins scored a game-high 26 points and Keyonte George, who had some nice moments during All-Star weekend, added 20 points and six assists in Utah’s loss. Jordan Clarkson contributed 19 points and Walker Kessler hauled in 19 rebounds, but the Jazz lost for the 14th time in their past 17 games.
–Field Level Media
