The Miami Heat conclude a four-game homestand on Wednesday, hosting a Los Angeles Lakers team at the midpoint of a pivotal five-game road swing.

Los Angeles won the second game of its road trip Tuesday, snapping a four-game skid with a 129-110 rout of Orlando.

Russell Westbrook went for a triple-double of 15 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists.

“I have a responsibility when I have the ball in my hands to make guys better,” Westbrook said in his postgame interview with Spectrum SportsNet. “I take pride in that.”

LeBron James scored 28 points despite shooting 0-of-7 from beyond the 3-point arc. Thomas Bryant scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Troy Brown Jr. scored 15 points, Patrick Beverley added 14 points and Lonnie Walker IV chipped in 10.

The win marked a significant turnaround from the defensive woes that had plagued the Lakers over the previous four games, including the trip-opening loss Christmas Day at Dallas. The 124-115 defeat capped a stretch of the Lakers allowing 130.5 points per game over the four-game skid.

In each of its last seven losses, Los Angeles has given up at least 122 points. The Lakers have not allowed more than 119 points in any of their last five wins, dating back to Dec. 4.

The Lakers remain without Anthony Davis due to a stress injury in his right foot. Davis is averaging 27.4 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game.

“There’s nothing you can do to fill the void of Anthony Davis, especially the year he’s had,” Beverley told the Los Angeles Times. “You have to do it collectively.”

Miami, meanwhile, overcame the absences of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, as well as a lackluster 47-of-102 shooting, to down Minnesota 113-110 on Monday.

The Heat forced the Timberwolves into 22 turnovers, including a win-sealing steal by Victor Oladipo that denied Minnesota an opportunity at an overtime-forcing basket. Its defense, coupled with a balanced scoring effort that saw nine players score at least seven points, powered Miami to its first win in three games.

Max Strus led the way with 19 points, including 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range on a night Miami collectively shot less than 27 percent from outside.

“We’ve had a lot of moving parts,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, referring to Miami’s multitude of injuries this season. “Basically everybody on our roster has experienced those clutch moments.”

Miami’s roster uncertainty starts with the four-time All-NBA honoree Butler, whose absence on Monday marked his 13th game missed this season. Butler came out of the Heat’s three-point loss last Friday to Indiana with a sprained ankle that has him listed as day-to-day.

As for Adebayo, Monday was just his fourth missed contest in what has been a career-best scoring season at 20.8 points per game. He was scratched from the lineup against Minnesota due to a non-COVID illness and is considered day-to-day.

–Field Level Media

Wins have been very hard to come by for the Detroit Pistons this season. They found a highly improbable way to lose on Monday and enter their home game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday with a six-game losing streak.

Detroit led the Los Angeles Clippers by 14 points with three minutes remaining but got outscored 16-2 the remainder of regulation. Los Angeles then dominated the overtime session and stole a 142-131 victory.

“We needed that win right there to get our spirit back. We didn’t finish the game out,” Pistons forward/center Isaiah Stewart said. “That’s not on coaches. That’s on us. We took the lead for granted. They took their starters out.”

Since the 1996-97 season, only two other teams had erased deficits of 14 points or more in the last three minutes, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The Clippers had only one starter on the floor during a majority of the comeback.

“We fought our way back, got the lead, got a comfortable lead with three minutes to go and they threw in the towel,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. “We have to learn how to win. …

“It hurt. It should hurt because the guys played their hearts out to put themselves in a position to win.”

The Pistons wiped out a 15-point, third-quarter deficit and scored 13 unanswered points during the fourth quarter to build the 14-point advantage. They had eight players score in double figures, led by Bojan Bogdanovic with 23 points. Bogdanovic missed a potential winning shot in the final second of regulation.

“We’ve got to learn from it. We’ve got to prop ourselves back up,” Casey said. “We can’t pull the blanket over our head and say, ‘Woe is me,’ because no one is going to feel sorry for you. We have a team coming in here that’s playing very well.”

The Pistons, who play their next five games on the road after Wednesday, won their season opener against the Magic 113-109 behind a 24-point performance from Bogdanovic. They will play the remaining games of the four-game season series in Orlando on Feb. 23 and April 2.

Orlando will be playing the tail end of a back-to-back set on Wednesday. After winning eight of the previous nine games, the Magic were pummeled at home by the Los Angeles Lakers 129-110 on Tuesday.

The Lakers led by as many as 21 points while shooting 54.4 percent. The Magic, who also got outrebounded 46-37, never held a lead of more than three points.

“No defense,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Our ability to not get back in transition, we allowed our shot-making to impact the way we defended. Give the Lakers a ton of credit. … but that was not our brand of basketball — and we’ll be better (Wednesday).”

Top overall draft pick Paolo Banchero will look to bounce back from the worst game of his young career. The Orlando forward scored a season-low four points on 1-for-6 shooting and committed five fouls.

“These are the experiences all young players are going to have to go through,” Mosley said, “so he can look back and reflect on these situations.”

Markelle Fultz led Orlando with 16 points against the Lakers, and five of his teammates also finished in double figures.

The Magic are 4-12 on the road this season, and the Pistons are 4-13 at home.

–Field Level Media

Luka Doncic posted career highs of 60 points and 21 rebounds, dished out 10 assists and converted a put-back with one second left to force overtime, and the Dallas Mavericks emerged with a 126-121 win over the visiting New York Knicks on Tuesday.

It marked the first 60/20/10 performance in NBA history. New York sent Doncic to the free-throw line with a take foul, leading 115-112 with 4.2 seconds remaining. Doncic sunk the first shot, then — after intentionally missing the second — chased down the carom tipped backwards from a scrum and hoisted up a shot just before the buzzer to knot the score at 115.

In overtime, Dallas did not yield a field goal for more than four minutes, building a five-point lead in the process. Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie put the game away with foul shooting down the stretch.

Doncic’s historic performance overshadowed a career-best night from New York’s Quentin Grimes, who scored a personal-high 33 points and matched his career high with seven 3-pointers. Julius Randle added 29 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the loss, and Mitchell Robinson added 20 points and 16 rebounds.

Lakers 129, Magic 110

LeBron James scored 28 points to lead six players in double figures as visiting Los Angeles snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Orlando.

Russell Westbrook recorded a triple-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists, Thomas Bryant had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Troy Brown Jr. matched his season high with 15 points. Patrick Beverley scored 14 points and Lonnie Walker IV added 10.

Markelle Fultz led Orlando with 16 points, while Wendell Carter Jr. and Franz Wagner scored 15 apiece. Terrence Ross scored 13, Moritz Wagner had 12 and Bol Bol chipped in 10.

Wizards 116, 76ers 111

Kristaps Porzingis collected 24 points and 10 rebounds as host Washington overcame Joel Embiid’s 48-point performance and ended Philadelphia’s eight-game winning streak.

Bradley Beal scored 19 points and Kyle Kuzma and Rui Hachimura each added 14 to send the Wizards to their third win in four games following a 10-game losing skid.

Embiid made 17 of 32 shots from the floor and 13 of 14 from the free-throw line for the 76ers. James Harden recorded 26 points and 13 assists and Tobias Harris added 15 points.

Celtics 126, Rockets 102

Jaylen Brown scored 39 points and Jayson Tatum added 38 to become the NBA’s second 1,000-point scorer this season as host Boston coasted past Houston.

Boston shot 47.3 percent for the game and was 20 of 56 (35.7 percent) from long range, setting a franchise record for most 3-point attempts in a regulation game. Brown and Tatum each hit six triples. Robert Williams III had 11 points and 15 rebounds while Tatum added eight rebounds and four assists in Boston’s third straight win.

Jalen Green had a team-high 28 points and Kevin Porter Jr. contributed 22 points and nine assists for the Rockets, who have lost six of their past seven games. A Brown steal and Tatum windmill dunk came during a quick 7-2 stretch late in the fourth that put an exclamation point on Boston’s eighth straight home win against Western Conference foes dating back to last season.

Pacers 129, Hawks 114

Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton combined to score 51 points and Indiana beat Atlanta in Indianapolis to break a four-game losing streak against the visitors.

It was Indiana’s first victory over Atlanta since May 6, 2021. Hield scored 28 points. Haliburton scored 23 points, 16 in the second half, hitting 9 of 16 shots from the field, and added seven assists. Atlanta was led by John Collins, who scored a season-high 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double before fouling out. Trae Young tallied 22 points and 10 assists before leaving the game with 3:51 to play with a left calf contusion.

Indiana was ahead by 16 in the third quarter and had a 96-86 advantage going into the fourth. Atlanta cut the deficit to 103-97 on a basket by Collins at 8:51, but the Pacers went on a 17-3 run and took a 20-point lead with 5:54 left.

Clippers 124, Raptors 113

Ivica Zubac had 23 points and 16 rebounds, and visiting Los Angeles defeated Toronto.

Paul George added 23 points for the Clippers, who have won two in a row. Former Raptor Norman Powell scored 11 of his 22 points in the third quarter for the Clippers, who are 2-1 on a five-game road trip. Reggie Jackson added 20 points, and former Raptor Kawhi Leonard had 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

Pascal Siakam scored 36 points for the Raptors, who had won their two previous games. Gary Trent Jr. added 20 points, O.G. Anunoby scored 18, and Scottie Barnes had 17 points and 12 rebounds. Fred VanVleet left the game during the third quarter with a stiff back.

Thunder 130, Spurs 114

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points and Mike Muscala added 19 off the bench as Oklahoma City earned a victory over visiting San Antonio to complete the longest homestand in franchise history.

Jalen Williams added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder, who have sparked a mini revival by going 4-3 during the run of home games with all three defeats coming by one possession. The bench scored 68 points, the second most during a game in Oklahoma City history.

Devin Vassell scored 20 points for the Spurs and Keldon Johnson added 19 as San Antonio lost for the fifth time in its past seven games. The Spurs were playing for the second time in two nights after earning a victory over the Utah Jazz at home Monday.

Suns 125, Grizzlies 108

Duane Washington Jr. scored a career-high 26 points as visiting Phoenix snapped Memphis’ seven-game home winning streak.

Washington came off the bench and sunk 10 of 21 shots to go along with eight assists. Chris Paul, who was 4-for-5 from beyond the 3-point line, had 14 points and six assists. Jock Landale added 16 points and Deandre Ayton had 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Ja Morant led Memphis with 34 points and six assists. Desmond Bane added 14 points.

Warriors 110, Hornets 105

Klay Thompson scored a game-high 29 points and Jonathan Kuminga hit three key late hoops as Golden State survived a cold shooting night from 3-point range to edge visiting Charlotte.

Playing once again without injured stars Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors improved their league-best home record to 14-2 despite watching an 18-point lead disappear. Kuminga finished with 14 points.

Losing for the fourth time as they concluded a six-game trip, the Hornets got 21 points and 10 rebounds from LaMelo Ball, 19 points from Terry Rozier and a game-high 13 rebounds from Mason Plumlee.

Nuggets 113, Kings 106

Nikola Jokic had 20 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, Michael Porter Jr. scored 30 points and visiting Denver rallied from 20 down to beat Sacramento.

Jamal Murray had 25 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope finished with 11 for the Nuggets, who have won five straight.

De’Aaron Fox scored 26 points, Kevin Huerter had 21, Harrison Barnes finished with 13 and Keegan Murray and Trey Lyles added 11 apiece for Sacramento.

–Field Level Media

Nikola Jokic had 20 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, Michael Porter Jr. scored 30 points, and the visiting Denver Nuggets rallied from 20 down to beat the Sacramento Kings 113-106 on Tuesday night.

Jamal Murray had 25 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope finished with 11 for the Nuggets, who have won five straight.

De’Aaron Fox scored 26, Kevin Huerter had 21, Harrison Barnes finished with 13 and Keegan Murray and Trey Lyles added 11 each for Sacramento.

Kings coach Mike Brown was placed in health and safety protocol early Tuesday and assistant Jordi Fernandez led the team. Sacramento also was without center Domantas Sabonis, who has an avulsion fracture in his right thumb.

Denver’s Aaron Gordon was a late scratch with a right shoulder injury, and Bruce Brown suffered a sprained ankle in the first half and did not return.

The Kings used a 19-4 stretch to take a 39-22 lead in the second quarter, and the advantage grew to 20 on a 3-pointer by Huerter. Porter scored 10 of 19 first-half points in the final 6:21 to help Denver get within 56-47 at intermission.

Sacramento led by 11 early in the third when the Nuggets rallied behind Jokic, who scored 10 points in a 14-6 run that cut the Kings’ lead to 66-63. Sacramento went up 70-65, but Jokic hit a jumper and fed Vlatko Cancar for a layup to make it 70-69 midway through.

The lead seesawed between four and two the rest of the quarter and the Kings went into the fourth with an 83-79 advantage.

Bones Hyland and Cancar hit 3-pointers early in the fourth to get Denver within one again, and Murray’s layup with 9:24 left gave the Nuggets their first lead since early in the game.

Fox hit a 3-pointer to put Sacramento ahead 90-87, but Porter and Cancar hit consecutive 3-pointers to give Denver a 95-92 lead. Malik Monk tied it with two free throws with 3:28 left, but Porter and Murray hit 3-pointers and Murray had a steal and layup to make it 104-96 with 2:18 left.

–Field Level Media

Klay Thompson had a game-high 29 points, Jonathan Kuminga hit three key late hoops and the Golden State Warriors survived a cold shooting night from 3-point range to edge the Charlotte Hornets 110-105 in San Francisco on Tuesday night.

Playing once again without injured stars Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors improved their league-best home record to 14-2 despite watching an 18-point lead disappear.

Completing an energetic performance on the second night of a back-to-back, Charlotte got consecutive 3-pointers from LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward to draw even at 101-all with 4:19 to play.

After the teams went more than a minute and a half without a point, Kuminga put Golden State ahead for good with the first of his three difference-making baskets, a dunk off a Jordan Poole assist with 2:45 to go.

Kuminga added a short floater off a Draymond Green assist. After Poole scored from the interior and Ball responded by sinking two foul shots, Kuminga threw down another dunk off another Poole dish for a commanding 109-103 advantage with 21.1 seconds remaining.

Thompson did a majority of his scoring on 5-for-12 shooting from long range, but his teammates combined to go just 3-for-25 from beyond the arc.

Poole missed six of his seven 3-point shots but nonetheless backed Thompson with 24 points to go with six assists.

Kuminga finished with 14 points off the bench and Kevon Looney had 11 to complement nine rebounds for the Warriors, who have opened an eight-game homestand with two wins. Green chipped in with nine points, a team-high 11 rebounds and five assists, while Donte contributed nine rebounds and a game-high seven assists on a scoreless night.

Losing for the fourth time as they concluded a six-game trip, the Hornets got 21 points and 10 rebounds from Ball and a game-high 13 rebounds from Mason Plumlee.

Terry Rozier backed Ball with 19 points, while P.J. Washington and Hayward chipped in 14 apiece and Jalen McDaniels had 12.

The Hornets finished 10-for-38 (26.3 percent) from 3-point range, not much better than Golden State’s 8-for-37 (21.6 percent).

–Field Level Media

The Milwaukee Bucks’ season-worst losing streak has reinforced the notion that bad things come in threes.

The Bucks will look to end the three-game drought during a visit to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, when they aim to come untracked from behind the 3-point arc.

A 139-118 loss at NBA-leading Boston on Christmas Day saw the Celtics drill 19 baskets from 3-point range to Milwaukee’s 13. Grayson Allen, the Bucks’ leading 3-point shooter at 41.2 percent, missed each of his three attempts from deep and has tried just 17 long-range attempts in his past seven games.

“The sentiment of getting more threes up, I agree with and I need to do that,” Allen said. “I need to find ways to do that.”

Milwaukee has been without Khris Middleton (right knee soreness) for the past five games. Middleton told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the swelling in his knee gradually has subsided as he takes the injury day-by-day.

“Just trying to make sure that the next time I go back out there I’ll be out there for the long run,” Middleton said.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points at Boston to lead five Milwaukee players in double figures.

Chicago, meanwhile, saw its season-high, three-game winning streak snapped with a 133-118 loss to the visiting Houston Rockets on Monday. Chicago surrendered a 17-1 third-quarter run in the opener of a four-game homestand that concludes with three straight contests against Central Division foes.

The Bulls, who are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, are eager to make up ground. The urgency the team showed during the winning streak seemingly dissipated against the Rockets, who opened the game on a 23-5 tear.

Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan, who scored a team-high 31 points, called the start “unacceptable.”

“We can’t feel out games,” DeRozan said. “We gotta go out the gate and treat it like it’s the fourth quarter. That’s just how we have to play. We have to be more aware of that.”

Monday marked the first time the Bulls have lost while leading at halftime this season, stopping a string of eight straight wins in that scenario to start the campaign.

A lack of depth, especially on the defensive side, was evident down the stretch as the Bulls played without Alex Caruso (concussion), Javonte Green (right knee soreness) and Derrick Jones Jr. (left ankle sprain).

“In the fourth, we started to try to switch just to keep the ball in front of us,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “I know (Nikola Vucevic) got caught in a couple mismatches, which I was fine with because I felt they were hurting us from behind the line because we got into rotations. I was just trying to do something different.

“But whatever you have out there group-wise, there’s enough out there to win in my opinion. We have to be better defensively. We have to coach them better and help them more.”

Chicago edged host Milwaukee 118-113 on Nov. 23 in the first of four meetings between the teams. DeRozan scored 36 points while the Bulls drilled 18 3-pointers and shot 42.9 percent from distance.

Milwaukee has won 16 of the last 18 games between the teams, going back to January 2018.

–Field Level Media