Devin Booker scored 44 points on 17-of-23 shooting to help the Phoenix Suns roll to a 132-101 victory over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

Kevin Durant was scheduled to make his home debut for Phoenix but slipped and injured his left ankle in pregame warmups.

Booker made up for Durant’s absence, sinking six 3-pointers while scoring 35 or more points for the fourth consecutive game.

Terrence Ross came off the bench to score 24 points and hit a season-high six 3-pointers to help the Suns win for the 16th time in 21 games. Phoenix’s Chris Paul recorded 18 points, nine assists and four steals, and Deandre Ayton had 12 points and eight rebounds.

Lindy Waters III had 23 points and six 3-pointers for the Thunder, who had a three-game winning streak end. Tre Mann scored 14 points, Ousmane Dieng added 12 and Josh Giddey tallied 10.

The Thunder played without All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (injury management) and impressive rookie Jalen Williams (wrist).

Durant’s next opportunity to play in front of the home fans for the first time is Saturday against the Sacramento Kings.

Phoenix shot 52.1 percent from the field, including 20 of 43 (46.5 percent) from 3-point range, while beating Oklahoma City for the seventh time in the past eight meetings.

The Thunder connected on 37.5 percent of their attempts and were 15 of 43 (34.9 percent) from behind the arc.

Ross scored 13 points in the third quarter as Phoenix turned an eight-point halftime lead into a 104-80 advantage.

The Suns were 8 of 12 from 3-point range in the period with Ross knocking down 3 of 4. Paul sank two in a 59-second span to give Phoenix an 85-66 lead with 6:41 left in the quarter.

The Thunder moved within 14 on Mann’s basket with 2:47 left before Phoenix completed the quarter with a 12-2 push.

The Suns continued to thrive in the fourth quarter, and the lead went over 30 on Cameron Payne’s 15-foot jumper with 9:10 left. Booker followed with a jumper and a 3-pointer to make it a game-best 121-85 lead, and he exited a short time later with 7:26 to play.

Booker scored 17 first-quarter points as the Suns roared out to a 34-21 advantage. He had 30 at halftime.

Waters took over for Oklahoma City in the second quarter, scoring 18 of his 21 first-half points. The Thunder trailed 60-52 at the break.

–Field Level Media

Zach LaVine scored 29 points, Nikola Vucevic had 25 points and 15 rebounds and the visiting Chicago Bulls beat the Denver Nuggets 117-96 on Wednesday night.

Patrick Williams scored 18 points and DeMar DeRozan added 17 for the Bulls, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

Nikola Jokic had 18 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, Aaron Gordon scored 17 points, Michael Porter Jr. added 12 and Jamal Murray finished with 11 for the Nuggets, who had their eight-game home winning streak snapped.

Denver’s last home loss came Jan. 22 to Oklahoma City.

The Nuggets led by 10 in the first quarter, but Chicago erased most of its deficit by the start of the second. The Bulls outscored Denver 26-23 in the second quarter to trail just 52-51 at halftime, and then they dominated out of the break.

After the Nuggets scored the first five points of the third quarter, Chicago took over. Vucevic hit a 3-pointer and LaVine made a layup and had a fastbreak dunk to help put the Bulls up 68-63. Bruce Brown broke the streak with a layup, but Chicago kept adding to its lead.

Vucevic made two free throws and Patrick Beverley, LaVine and Williams hit 3-pointers on an 11-1 run that made it 79-66.

Denver crept within five, but the Bulls took an 87-76 lead into the fourth quarter.

DeRozan scored the first three points of the period before Vucevic converted a three-point play and made a hook shot after two free throws by Murray.

Williams had a layup and a tip-in to put the Bulls ahead 99-80 and force a Nuggets timeout.

Jokic hit a 3-pointer and was driving to the bucket to cut the deficit to 14 but Williams stripped him, which led to a DeRozan dunk.

Murray missed a 3-pointer on the other end and LaVine drained one from 26 feet out to make it 104-83. Jokic made his third 3-pointer of the night, but Coby White answered with one from deep and Chicago closed it out.

–Field Level Media

Six-time NBA All-Star Shawn Kemp, one of the most iconic players in Seattle SuperSonics history, reportedly was arrested in Tacoma, Wash., on Wednesday and charged with a drive-by shooting.

The Tacoma Police Department tweeted that a 53-year-old man was “booked for Drive-By Shooting” after shots were fired following an altercation between occupants of two cars in a parking lot at 1:58 p.m. PT.

At 1:58 pm, an altercation between the occupants of 2 cars led to shots being fired at a parking lot in the 4500 blk of S. Steele St. One car fled. No injuries were reported. A gun was recovered. A 53-yr-old male was booked for Drive-By Shooting. The investigation is ongoing. pic.twitter.com/XTIeU1I4Jj

— Tacoma Police Department (@TacomaPD) March 9, 2023

Pierce County inmate records show that Shawn Travis Kemp booked into jail on a drive-by shooting charge at 5:58 p.m. PT.

Shawn Kemp the former basketball player is 53 and his middle name is Travis. Multiple outlets subsequently corroborated the report.

Drafted by Seattle out of Trinity Valley Community College in Texas with the 17th overall pick in 1989, Kemp played the first eight of his 14 career NBA seasons for the Sonics. He was an All-Star six straight seasons and three times made the All-NBA second team.

Known for his ability to fly high above the rim and throw down thunderous dunks, Kemp averaged 14.6 points over his career (16.2 with Seattle). He also averaged 8.4 rebounds, 9.6 with the Sonics.

After playing in Seattle, Kemp spent three seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, two with the Portland Trail Blazers and one with the Orlando Magic, in his final season in 2002-03.

In 2005, Kemp was arrested in Seattle and charged with marijuana and cocaine possession in his truck.

In 2020, Kemp was among a group who opened Shawn Kemp’s Cannabis, a marijuana dispensary in Seattle.

–Field Level Media

CJ McCollum scored 13 of his game-high 32 points in the final four minutes as the host New Orleans Pelicans held off the Dallas Mavericks 113-106 on Wednesday night.

McCollum finished 6 of 8 on 3-pointers and made three straight during his late-game blitz to stem the Mavericks’ rally from a 19-point deficit.

Trey Murphy III added 16 points, Herbert Jones Jr. and Jaxson Hayes scored 14 each, and Brandon Ingram had 12 before leaving the game for good late in the second quarter because of a right ankle sprain.

Kyrie Irving scored 27, Tim Hardaway Jr. had 17, Luka Doncic had 15 before leaving the game for good late in the third quarter because of a left thigh strain, Christian Wood also scored 15, Dwight Powell had 12 and Jaden Hardy 11 to lead the Mavericks.

Murphy’s 3-pointer gave New Orleans a 64-45 lead early in the third quarter, but Dallas made a push.

Irving made two 3-pointers and Hardaway added another as the Mavericks pulled within 69-61.

Later in the quarter, Jones and Willy Hernangomez scored four points each and the Pelicans held an 83-65 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Dallas used six 3-pointers, including Irving’s four-point play, and two three-point plays to close within 97-94 with 4:12 remaining, but McCollum answered by making five consecutive shots to preserve the lead and help put the game away.

Doncic had three assists as Powell scored the last six Mavericks points of an early run, producing a 16-8 lead.

The Pelicans turned the tables by outscoring Dallas 16-8, led by Jones’ five points, to forge a 24-all tie at the end of the first quarter.

McCollum and Naji Marshall both made a 3-pointer as New Orleans scored the first eight points of the second quarter and the lead grew to 39-28 on a 3-pointer by Josh Richardson.

The Mavericks pulled within six points on a three-point play by Wood, but the Pelicans scored the next six points to make it 47-35.

McCollum scored eight points and Hayes added four as New Orleans extended its lead to 59-43 at halftime.

–Field Level Media

Kevin Durant will have to wait a little bit longer to make his home debut with his new team, as the star forward will miss the Phoenix Suns’ Wednesday game against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder due to an ankle injury.

Durant slipped on the court during his pregame warmup routine while going up for a layup. He appeared to roll his left ankle but got up and finished his on-court work.

Torrey Craig will take over in the Suns’ starting lineup.

Durant, 34, was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 9 while he was sidelined due to a knee injury. He returned to action on March 1 and has played three games for Phoenix, posting averages of 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 69 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from 3-point range.

In 42 games (all starts) with the Suns and Nets this season, Durant has averaged 29.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists.

Craig, 32, was averaging 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 62 games (49 starts) this season entering the Wednesday game.

The Suns’ next game is Saturday against the visiting Sacramento Kings.

–Field Level Media

Darius Garland scored 25 points and dished a game-high seven assists to lead the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers to a 104-100 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

Donovan Mitchell, despite going just 1-for-7 on 3-pointers, added 18 points as Cleveland won its third straight game. Teammate Jarrett Allen had 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 28 points, five rebounds and five assists as Miami had its two-game win streak snapped.

Tyler Herro added 22 points for Miami, and Bam Adebayo had 17 points.

The Heat committed a season-high 24 turnovers, and that helped to somewhat negate their 50 percent shooting from the floor.

Heat power forward Kevin Love, who missed Miami’s previous game due to a rib injury, returned to play against his former team, producing eight points and eight rebounds.

Miami shot 70.6 percent in the first quarter, including 2 of 4 on 3-pointers, to grab a 30-26 lead. Love was a low-key standout with four points, four rebounds and two charges drawn in that first period.

The first half, which featured 18 lead changes and six ties, ended with Cleveland on top, 57-53. Miami, which had Adebayo for just two minutes in the second quarter, cooled off with a 38.9 shooting percentage. Cleveland shot 52.2 percent.

Cleveland grew its lead to 78-66 midway through the third quarter, but Miami responded with a 9-0 run. The Cavs recovered to take an 87-82 edge into the fourth quarter.

Miami cut its deficit to 98-97 on a Caleb Martin dunk with 2:44 left. But Garland made two straight huge plays — a fadeaway jumper in the lane and an assist that led to an Isaac Okoro layup, giving Cleveland a 102-97 lead with 49 seconds left.

Herro kept Miami in the game with a 3-pointer from the left corner with 20.7 seconds remaining.

Allen then made 1 of 2 free throws to give Cleveland a 103-100 lead. Miami’s Max Strus had a would-be tying 3-pointer rim out, and Evan Mobley made a clinching free throw with 2.3 seconds left.

–Field Level Media

Jayson Tatum tossed in 30 points in 31 minutes as the Boston Celtics broke a three-game losing streak by beating the visiting Portland Trail Blazers 115-93 Wednesday night.

Tatum, who didn’t make the trip to Cleveland for Boston’s 118-114 loss to the Cavaliers on Monday because of a sore knee, made 11 of his 17 field-goal attempts. He was 6 of 10 on 3-point attempts, and also had seven rebounds.

Portland shot 36.6 percent from the field (30 of 82). The Trail Blazers were 11 of 39 from 3-point range, and also committed 16 turnovers.

The Celtics improved their home record to 26-9, while the Trail Blazers dropped to 14-20 in road games. The victory also ended Boston’s two-game losing streak at home.

Damian Lillard led Portland with 27 points, five rebounds and eight assists. He made each of his 11 free-throw attempts.

Lillard was 2-for-8 on 3-point attempts, with both of his made 3-pointers coming early in the first quarter.

Trendon Watford and Shaedon Sharpe each came off the bench to score 12 points for the Trail Blazers, who trailed by as many as 27 points in the fourth quarter. Watford also had a game-high 10 rebounds.

Boston led 35-28 after one quarter and 60-45 at halftime. Tatum made a 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds remaining in the third quarter that helped the Celtics take a 94-72 lead into the fourth. Tatum didn’t play in the final quarter.

Portland hasn’t beaten a team that currently has a winning record since Feb. 8, when it outscored Golden State 125-122.

Derrick White added 21 points, five rebounds and seven assists for the Celtics. Al Horford, who also didn’t play in the loss to Cleveland, finished with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists.

All five Boston starters scored in double figures as Jaylen Brown added 11 points and Marcus Smart finished with 10.

It was the first of two meetings between the Celtics and Trail Blazers this season. The teams will play at Portland on March 17.

–Field Level Media

Trae Young scored 28 points and De’Andre Hunter scored five of his 15 points in the final 67 seconds to help the visiting Atlanta Hawks erase a 15-point second-half deficit and beat the Washington Wizards 122-120 on Wednesday.

Hunter’s three-point play with 1:07 left put Atlanta ahead to stay and his two free throws with 18.3 seconds remaining gave the Hawks the advantage they needed to break their two-game losing streak.

The Wizards were led by Kristaps Porzingis, who scored a season-high 43 points on 17-of-22 shooting and seven 3-pointers, with five rebounds and five assists. Washington has dropped three of its last four games.

The season series is tied at one game each. The teams will play again on Friday in Washington and complete the season series April 5 in Atlanta.

The victory allowed Atlanta to put some distance between itself and the Wizards in the Eastern Conference standings. The Hawks remain in the No. 8 position and lead No. 10 Washington by two games.

Young was 11-for-14 shooting with three 3-pointers, 10 assists and three steals. Dejounte Murray scored 17 points, John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic each scored 14 and Clint Capela had 13 points.

The Hawks extended their streak of scoring 100-plus points to 41 games, the third-longest such streak in franchise history.

Washington also got 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists from Kyle Kuzma and received 24 points and eight assists from Bradley Beal. But Beal missed a crucial free throw with 52.7 seconds left and traveled following a timeout, which allowed Atlanta to extend its lead to five points.

The Hawks led by as many as nine points (14-5) in the first half, but had seven turnovers and could not slow Porzingis, who scored 22 points in the first half. Washington took its first lead at 49-47 and enjoyed a 61-58 advantage at halftime. Young had 15 points at halftime for Atlanta.

–Field Level Media

The season-best nine-game winning streak put together by the New York Knicks was torpedoed by one of the worst teams in the NBA.

The Knicks aim to start a new stretch of success on Thursday night when they visit the Sacramento Kings, easily the biggest surprise team in the league.

New York beat the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets twice during the streak and also defeated the Miami Heat before seeing the run end Tuesday with a 112-105 home loss to the lowly Charlotte Hornets, the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks led by 16 points at halftime but suddenly ran out of steam and got outscored 62-39 in the second half.

“We just ran out of gas, that’s all,” All-Star forward Julius Randle said. “We gotta be better and take care of business. We gotta take care of business, regardless.”

The setback marked the first defeat for New York since acquiring guard Josh Hart from the Portland Trail Blazers four weeks ago.

“I think we didn’t play our style of basketball. We didn’t play winning basketball,” Hart said after dropping to 9-1 with the Knicks. “We gotta make sure we’re full of energy and lively every time we step on the court. … I don’t think we can blame this on fatigue. But we have to continue to grow and play winning basketball.”

Standout point guard Jalen Brunson (left foot) has missed the last two games but did travel to Sacramento for the start of a four-game western swing. It isn’t yet known if he will be available against the Kings.

Immanuel Quickley started the past two games in place of Brunson for New York. He scored a career-best 38 points in a 131-129 double-overtime road win over the Celtics on Sunday but dropped down to 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting against the Hornets.

The Knicks will try to bounce back against the Kings, who have won six of their past seven games to move into a tie for second place with the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference.

Sacramento’s lofty status is unforeseen territory for a franchise that has missed the playoffs in each of the previous 16 seasons. In fact, the Kings (38-26) can equal their most victories during their long drought by beating New York.

The last time Sacramento even had a winning season was the 2005-06 campaign, the same season of its last playoff appearance.

Ending the drought is at the forefront of the Kings’ minds.

“We want to play our first (playoff) game at home,” Kings rookie forward Keegan Murray said. “It’s not easy, we know we have a lot of tough stretches coming up. … We know we have to be locked in every single night.”

Sacramento is coming off Monday’s 123-108 home win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Domantas Sabonis recorded his eighth triple-double of the season while increasing his league-best double-double count to 52 with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

Also standing out was Kevin Huerter, who had 25 points and is averaging 24 in the first three games on a four-game homestand. Huerter made six treys in each of the past two games and is 15 of 23 (65.2 percent) from beyond the arc during the three-game stretch.

Huerter shot just 29.2 percent from 3-point range in February.

“He has to be able to impact the game with his shooting, but what I like just as much as his shooting (Monday), he had eight assists,” Sacramento coach Mike Brown said. “On top of that, I challenged him. I challenged him to go get some rebounds and he came up with five rebounds.”

The Kings expect to have All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox (hamstring) back for the contest after a one-game absence.

–Field Level Media

Right back to their winning ways after losing their 16-game winning streak this past weekend, the Milwaukee Bucks are back home to welcome the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.

The Bucks defeated the Orlando Magic 134-123 on the road on Tuesday night. It was Milwaukee’s 14th consecutive win over Orlando, the longest active winning streak for a team against a single opponent in the NBA.

Without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday, the Bucks were led by Brook Lopez, who scored 26 points, while Jevon Carter and Khris Middleton each added 24. Middleton also supplied a team-high 11 assists in his first start since Dec. 15.

“Doing a little bit of everything, (he) set a good tone for us early,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said of Middleton. “We’re fortunate to have a guy like him. We were fortunate to have him come off the bench for a good, long stretch. … He’s going to continue it where he’s always been in our starting lineup.”

Brooklyn won its third consecutive game on Tuesday, defeating the Houston Rockets 118-96. Mikal Bridges continued to shine in his new uniform, leading the team with 30 points and five assists while Spencer Dinwiddie added 23 points and Nic Claxton had 18 to go along with 13 rebounds.

“He is the ultimate competitor. … I love that piece about him,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said of Bridges. “That ability to contribute as a teammate. He is very unselfish. He gives up his time, gives his knowledge in the locker room and during the games. So it’s really been a joy to be around him and learn him as an individual.”

On the injury front, Antetokounmpo (illness) and Holiday (neck) are both listed as probable for Milwaukee, while Wesley Matthews (hamstring) and newly-acquired guard Goran Dragic (knee) have been listed as out for Thursday’s game.

Brooklyn was without Ben Simmons on Tuesday due to soreness in both his knee and back, and he will be out once again against the Bucks. For additional support in the frontcourt, the Nets signed center Nerlens Noel to a 10-day contract after he was bought out by Detroit, and he made his debut Tuesday. He played 18 minutes, scoring two points and grabbing three rebounds.

Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee in points and rebounds with 31.2 and 11.9 per game, respectively. Holiday leads the way with 7.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while Lopez continues to be a force down low, averaging a team-high 2.4 blocks per game.

Bridges is leading the Nets with 26.5 points per game in the 10 games he’s played so far, while both Dinwiddie and Cameron Johnson trail behind him, averaging 17.6 and 17.2 points, respectively. Claxton leads the squad with 9.1 rebounds per game to go along with an average of 2.6 blocks.

This will be the fourth and final matchup between teams as Milwaukee looks to win the season series 3-1. The last matchup was back on Feb. 28 when the Bucks took a 118-104 win on the road.

–Field Level Media