The Portland Trail Blazers are the only team to defeat the Phoenix Suns this season, and they have done it twice.

Portland will look to add another win over the powerful Suns when the teams finish a back-to-back in Phoenix on Saturday night.

The Trail Blazers won the front end in dramatic fashion on Friday night after Jerami Grant knocked down a fadeaway baseline jumper at the buzzer for a 108-106 victory.

Grant scored a season-high 30 points during a contest in which Portland let a 15-point, third-quarter lead get away and later went toe-to-toe down the stretch with a Phoenix squad that played in the 2021 NBA Finals.

And the Trail Blazers did it without their starting backcourt of Damian Lillard (calf) and Anfernee Simons (foot).

“We’re resilient,” Grant said. “We got a lot of depth and we got a lot of guys who can step up to the plate and score.”

Grant’s winning basket came on a play that was drawn up as a lob during the timeout. But Phoenix big man Deandre Ayton was positioned to stop it so Justise Winslow put more air under his high-arching crosscourt in-bounds pass with one second remaining.

Grant was able to gain separation from Ayton to make the catch and knock down the shot. He was then mobbed by his teammates.

“I knew I had to shoot it when I got it,” Grant said. “We had one second left and we went for the lob. It didn’t work but Justise made a good pass.”

Suns coach Monty Williams was more apt to place the loss on his team being outscored 34-21 in the second quarter.

He didn’t have an issue with the final-second defense.

“They throw it over the top and (Grant) makes a circus shot,” Williams said. “We forced that kind of a pass. He made a tough shot.”

Devin Booker scored 25 points for Phoenix and Ayton had 24 points and eight rebounds after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury.

The loss halted a five-game winning streak and Booker is well aware that the Suns’ only two losses have come against Portland. The other was a 113-111 overtime setback in Portland on Oct. 21.

He also noted that the Trail Blazers fared well without Lillard and Simons. It was the third straight game that Lillard missed.

“We’re just going to play,” Booker said of Saturday’s rematch. “Obviously, those are their two go-getters and they played well without them. Throwing them into the mix (Saturday would be) a bonus for everybody and everybody has more confidence. This should be another tough game.”

Portland coach Chauncey Billups said that you can oddly find a benefit when you play without your top shooters.

“When you’re missing guys like (Lillard) and (Simons), you become less predictable,” Billups said. “You never know where the ball is going and that’s tough to guard.”

It is unclear if Phoenix will have forward Cameron Johnson available on Saturday. He injured his knee in the first quarter and departed after playing five-plus minutes.

Another issue for the Suns was that point guard Chris Paul attempted just four shots — making one while scoring seven points. Paul did have 11 assists.

Phoenix did receive solid fourth-quarter play from Damion Lee, who scored 11 of his 13 points in the final stanza.

“D-Lee came up big,” Ayton said. “D-Lee is a champion. You can see that competitive spirit in him. Nothing bothers that dude and it is so contagious.”

–Field Level Media

Lost in the controversy surrounding San Antonio waiving former first-round pick Joshua Primo is the fact that the Spurs are off to a good start, and their wins haven’t come against tanking teams.

San Antonio is 5-4 with impressive victories at Indiana, Philadelphia and Minnesota, but the Spurs will be tested with a road game against the relatively rested Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.

The contest will be the first of a home-and-home set between the teams, as a rematch is set for Monday in San Antonio.

The Spurs are at a disadvantage after losing to the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 113-106 on Friday night and flying to Denver after the game. The Nuggets haven’t played since earning a 122-110 road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.

San Antonio released Primo on Oct. 28 after he was accused of indecent exposure by a former Spurs clinical psychologist, who has since filed a civil suit against the organization.

Then in the Spurs’ Sunday win over the Timberwolves, rookie guard Blake Wesley tore his left medial collateral ligament, and he is expected to miss six to eight weeks. Losing two ballhandlers within a week is tough for any team, especially for one as young as San Antonio. The Spurs started the season with the league’s third-youngest roster.

Wesley was going to get seasoning in the G-League before Primo was released, leading to him being called into action. Now the rest of the young roster will try to continue the surprising start for veteran coach Gregg Popovich.

In some ways, youth might be helping the team to a better-than-expected start.

“They’re young enough; they don’t know any better,” Popovich said recently.

San Antonio did get some pieces back on Friday. Devin Vassell had a career-high 29 points in his return from a four-game absence caused by a knee injury, and Keldon Johnson had 16 points while coming back after missing one game because of a calf ailment.

“I was itching to get back out there just to help my team,” Vassell said.

Now the Spurs will oppose a Nuggets team that is looking to build on the win at Oklahoma City. Denver led by 19 at in the first half, then fell behind late in the third quarter before recovering to get the win.

A big reason for the victory was Jamal Murray, who looked to be back in his 2020-21 form. Murray, who missed all of last season due to a torn left anterior cruciate ligament, has been on a minutes restriction to start the season and was inactive for the front end of a back-to-back in the first week.

Murray scored 16 of his season-high 24 points in the second half Thursday night, including a reverse jam that sparked a 29-15 fourth-quarter advantage for the Nuggets.

He also hit a step-back 3-pointer in the rally.

“I blacked out,” he said. “I kind of get like that.”

While Murray has been trying to find his groove, Nikola Jokic has been keeping the team afloat. He had 15 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists on Thursday, giving him 79 triple-doubles for his career and passing Wilt Chamberlain for the most all-time by an NBA center.

Jokic’s teammates gave him a signed ball after the game to commemorate the accomplishment.

“It’s nice,” Jokic said. “It’s not just my success. I cannot do it without my teammates. I just wanted to remember one day, when I find that ball in a closet, just to see who I played with.”

–Field Level Media

The Houston Rockets head back on the road again when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.

Houston is opening the season with 10 of its first 13 games on the road, which is hardly an ideal situation for the league’s second-youngest team.

Saturday’s matchup features a pair of teams eager to get back in the win column. The Rockets are riding a five-game losing streak, while Minnesota dropped its third straight with a 115-102 defeat against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.

Guard Kevin Porter Jr. is averaging 20.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists to lead Houston, which has won just once in its first nine games.

Despite the rough start, Porter remains optimistic.

“Losses are frustrating,” Porter said. “It’s a part of competition. There’s one winner and one loser. Every game, we’re in the game so we can’t allow these losses to switch our playing style and switch our concepts and switch the way we play because that’s not what’s wrong.”

Houston has lost five of its past six games against Minnesota, including all three meetings last season.

The Wolves fell to 4-5 with the loss to Milwaukee, which never trailed after the opening two minutes.

“We had a lot of silly plays that kind of happen when you’re in an overall funk,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “I’d like to see us compete a little bit harder at times when things are not going our way offensively. We’re allowing that to affect our defense too much right now.”

Minnesota shot 11 of 41 (26.8 percent) from 3-point range on Friday and received another inconsistent effort from its starting lineup.

Forward Jaden McDaniels (nine points) committed a season-high four turnovers in 18 minutes, while center Rudy Gobert was held scoreless in the first half and finished with seven points.

Timberwolves point guard D’Angelo Russell is averaging 8.8 points on 25.5 percent shooting over his last four games. Russell scored nine points on 3-of-15 shooting against the Bucks.

“He started the game really bright and I thought he had a lot of good looks,” Finch said. “He’s just got to stay confident.”

Minnesota will look to snap its losing skid against Houston, which played well in back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this week.

After falling 95-93 on Monday in Los Angeles, the Rockets dropped the rematch 109-101 on Wednesday in Houston despite the efforts of center Alperen Sengun (26 points, 13 rebounds).

“We have to execute plays towards the end of the game,” said Houston’s Jalen Green, who scored 22 points. “Sometimes we cannot get to the ball or we are not setting screens. Those are important down the stretch of the game, especially when we are that close.”

Houston will be without rookie forward Jabari Smith Jr. on Saturday due to an illness. Smith is averaging 10.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.

Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate, who has missed the past two games due to right ankle soreness, will be sidelined again on Saturday.

Green, a second-year guard who is averaging 19.3 points, believes the Rockets are gaining valuable experience.

“We’re holding our own,” Green said. “We’re battling. We’ve just got to put it all together. We just have to play as a team, stick together. We have a lot of rookies, second-year players. We’re still young. It’s all experience.”

–Field Level Media

The Milwaukee Bucks have the franchise record for longest winning streak to start a season, and they will try to keep it going when they face the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.

With a 115-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday in Minneapolis, the Bucks improved to 8-0. Not only does that mark set the franchise record, but it’s also the first 8-0 start in the NBA since the Golden State Warriors began the 2015-16 season with 24 consecutive wins and won a record 73 games.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday have fueled the Bucks’ sizzling start.

On Friday, Antetokounmpo missed out on scoring 30 points for the first time since the season opener. He finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for his first triple-double of the season, though.

Holiday is averaging 28.5 points, six rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.8 steals over the past four games. It’s his first career streak of at least four games scoring 25 or more points.

Both Antetokounmpo and Holiday have had success against the Thunder in their careers.

Antetokounmpo has averaged 23.2 points and 11.9 rebounds in 17 career games against the Thunder. The rebounding average is his highest against any opponent.

In 29 games against the Thunder, Holiday has averaged 16.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 7.9 assists — his second-best assist mark against an opponent.

Another key player recently for Milwaukee will get his first shot against the Thunder on Saturday.

Rookie MarJon Beauchamp is coming off a 14-point, five-rebound performance in 18 minutes against Minnesota.

Beauchamp had eight points and five rebounds total in four NBA games before Friday.

“He’s just kind of, I think, getting a better feel, getting more confident, we’re getting more confident in him,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

While the Thunder can’t match Antetokounmpo and Holiday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is playing at a high level, too.

Over the past five games since he returned from a one-game absence, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 28.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 2.6 steals and 1.2 blocks.

However, late in Oklahoma City’s loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, Gilgeous-Alexander adjusted a play during a timeout to open up space for teammate Josh Giddey.

“Dude’s got 35 (points) and he’s thinking about how to create more space for his teammate,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said of Gilgeous-Alexander. “That’s pretty special.”

Gilgeous-Alexander said he was just helping the Thunder do what they can to win — both in the moment and long term. The effort was unsuccessful on Thursday, though as Denver prevailed 122-110.

“For us to win games, it’s gonna take more than me,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished the contest with 37 points. “The guys gotta get comfortable out there. … I can’t score 110 points every night. We need the other guys, and I just want to make sure they’re comfortable offensively.”

Thunder forward Aleksej Pokusevski is listed as out for the Saturday game due to right shoulder bursitis. Pokusevski has not missed a game this season.

Saturday’s game is the first of two between the teams this season. It won’t take long before the second is played, as the Bucks and Thunder will meet again Wednesday in Oklahoma City.

Milwaukee won both matchups last season.

–Field Level Media

Tom Thibodeau doesn’t like change, but the New York Knicks’ coach does like winning.

The Knicks will look to build off a uniquely constructed victory when they host the Boston Celtics on Saturday night in the first matchup of the season between the longtime rivals.

Both teams will try to win the second game of a back-to-back set. The Knicks overcame a 12-point, fourth-quarter deficit Friday to edge the host Philadelphia 76ers 106-104. The Celtics fended off a late comeback attempt by the visiting Chicago Bulls to earn 123-119 victory.

The Knicks snapped a three-game losing streak and prevailed for the first time this season against a team projected to be in the NBA’s upper echelon. New York’s four losses have come against the Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks.

The Knicks might have fallen to the undermanned 76ers — who were without stars James Harden (foot) and Joel Embiid (non-COVID illness) — if not for Thibodeau’s constant tinkering with the lineup.

The coach made his first change of the year with the starting lineup, swapping out Evan Fournier — who entered Friday having started all 87 games he’d played for the Knicks since last season — for 22-year-old second-year player Quentin Grimes.

Grimes managed just two points, one rebound and one assist in 15 minutes.

In the fourth quarter, with New York center Mitchell Robinson out due to a right-knee injury he sustained in the first period, Thibodeau went small with power forwards Obi Toppin and Julius Randle playing together.

Toppin scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth and sank the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:27 left. Randle went 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final half-minute and wound up with 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

“He’s going to put us in positions where we’re going to be successful,” Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said of Thibodeau. “We’ve just got to execute, and he found something tonight. We rolled with it and came out with a win.”

Meanwhile, the Celtics emerged with a bit of revenge against the Bulls, who handed Boston its most lopsided loss of the season, a 120-102 drubbing on Oct. 24.

Jayson Tatum had 36 points, 12 rebounds and six assists on Friday night for the Celtics, whose 14-point, fourth-quarter lead was cut to 117-115 with a minute left. Tatum went shot 3-of-4 from the foul line down the stretch to help ice the win.

Malcolm Brogdon, who added 25 points off the Boston bench, also made two free throws in the final seconds.

The victory gave the Celtics a boost following a pair of recent overtime losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who topped Boston 132-123 on Oct. 28 and then 114-113 on Wednesday.

“That’s something that we’ve talked about a lot recently,” Tatum said about the narrow losses. “(Bouncing back is) the sign of a good team, and we talked about that at shootaround. And to go out and do it on the same night shows our growth.”

–Field Level Media

The New Orleans Pelicans hope to build on the momentum from a Friday victory when they begin a three-game road trip on Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Pelicans defeated the Golden State Warriors 114-105 — their lone home game sandwiched between three-game road swings.

The Hawks have not played since earning a 112-99 road win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

New Orleans took advantage of the short-handed Warriors, who were without four starters and handed the defending NBA champions their sixth straight road defeat. The Pelicans got Brandon Ingram back from a concussion that cost him four games, and he finished with 26 points, five rebounds and five assists.

“I’m still trying to get back in the flow,” said Ingram, who is averaging 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists. “Timing was a little off and my decision-making was a little slow. I wasn’t great at all. The last three or four days I was able to get back in the gym, go through my protocols and get my feel.”

Larry Nance Jr. came off the New Orleans bench to score a season-high 20 points and grab eight rebounds against the Warriors. His career high of 23 points came against the Hawks in 2020.

“Larry has been big for us since last year in the playoffs,” Ingram said. “He’s starting to get his legs under him. You can see the confidence behind him. I’ve been impressed what he’s been doing.”

The Pelicans also got Herbert Jones back on Friday, and he had four points and three steals. Jones missed four games with a hyperextended right knee.

Atlanta will keep a close watch on guard Trae Young, who briefly exited the game with the Knicks due to a scratched left eye.

“I think I’ll be able to play through it,” Young said. “It’s more just letting the swelling go down, but I’ll be able to play through it. Thankfully I get a couple days for it to kind of get better. I’ll probably wear goggles or glasses for some games, but it will be all right.”

Young is just eager to be on the court.

“I love to play,” he said. “Anytime I’m able to do that, I’m going to go out and try my best and play. Unless I literally cannot play, I’m not going to let my teammates down and sit out because I know I can be a presence on the floor, even if I’m just standing and getting everyone involved.”

Young leads the team with averages of 27.5 points and 9.4 assists. Dejounte Murray is putting up 22.0 points and 7.8 assists per game and had a career-high 36 points at New York. John Collins is averaging 13.5 points and 10.3 rebounds and leads the team with five double-doubles.

The Hawks, who haven’t played at home since Oct. 23, are coming off a 3-2 road trip.

New Orleans and Atlanta split two games last year, each winning on the other’s home court.

Murray produced two triple-doubles against the Pelicans last season as a member of the San Antonio Spurs — 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists on Dec. 12 and 15, 11 and 13, respectively, on March 26.

–Field Level Media

Something good should happen for the Brooklyn Nets or the Charlotte Hornets when they meet Saturday night in Charlotte.

Both teams need that desperately, though the Nets got a taste of something positive Friday night.

Brooklyn experienced on-the-court and off-court troubles throughout the past week, so a 128-86 romp past the host Washington Wizards should help matters.

“That’s how we want to play moving forward,” Nets standout Kevin Durant said after he finished with 28 points while six of his teammates also scored in double figures.

The Hornets have been ravaged by injuries, and they took two blowout road losses this week, including a 130-99 defeat against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.

This will be the first meeting of the season between the teams. Both teams had upheaval in terms of player availability, so future clashes might look different in terms of personnel.

But for now, this is where these teams are — and it has been troubling for both teams.

“Guys have to find a way to get ready to play,” Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. “We’re in a tough part of the schedule. That’s what the NBA is all about.”

The Nets have had such turmoil during the past week that getting away from New York might be a blessing. Guard Kyrie Irving has been suspended for at least five games in the wake of his support for an antisemitic documentary.

The response was encouraging with the Nets winning in Washington in their first game since the suspension.

“We’ve been able to support each other. We showed we were there for each other,” Nets interim coach Jacque Vaughn said. “There’s a mental piece to that, for sure.”

The Nets also played Friday minus injured Ben Simmons, who also will sit out the game in Charlotte due to a sore left knee.

Of course, road games on back-to-back nights are never an easy assignment.

The key, Vaughn said, will be concentrating on winning each game as it comes along amid the distractions for the team. Those have included the firing of coach Steve Nash.

The Hornets have had lots of moving parts as well. Forward Gordon Hayward missed the Friday game because of a shoulder contusion, adding to the injury list.

“I do believe in the group,” Clifford said. “We’ve got to be able to focus on other aspects of the game when the ball isn’t going in the basket. (Saturday night) I’ll be disappointed if it’s not a different-looking team. We have to get past this. It doesn’t matter who’s playing, it’s how we play.”

Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball (ankle) remains out, though Terry Rozier (ankle) and Cody Martin (quad) might be close to being back in action for the Brooklyn game.

“It’s a question of making sure they’re ready,” Clifford said. “We don’t want to go through this again.”

After the Hornets allowed Memphis to shoot 51 percent from the floor, including 16 of 36 (44.4 percent) from 3-point range, Clifford said, “We got outworked, outcompeted. That’s not OK.”

Most concerning to the coach was the Hornets’ deviation from a game plan. He said it’s the players’ responsibility to be on point when it comes to sticking to the plan.

“We got drilled on all the stuff we worked on,” Clifford said, knowing that a younger lineup in the game’s late stages might have been good for development. “They learned. They did some good things and they did other things that they can learn from.”

–Field Level Media

Brandon Ingram returned from a four-game absence caused by a concussion to score a game-high 26 points as the host New Orleans Pelicans held off the short-handed Golden State Warriors 114-105 on Friday night.

Larry Nance Jr. and CJ McCollum added 20 points each, Zion Williamson scored 16 and Trey Murphy III and Jose Alvarado had 10 points each.

Jordan Poole scored 20, Jonathan Kuminga and Ty Jerome had 18 each, Anthony Lamb scored 16 and Moses Moody had 14 for the Warriors, who completed an 0-5 trip and dropped to 0-6 on the road.

Golden State played without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins because of injury maintenance.

Trail Blazers 108, Suns 106

Jerami Grant sank a fadeaway jumper from the right baseline as time expired to give Portland a dramatic victory over host Phoenix.

Grant scored a season-best 30 points as the Blazers defeated the Suns for the second time this season. Jusuf Nurkic recorded 14 points and eight rebounds, and Justise Winslow had 12 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Devin Booker scored 25 points for Phoenix, which had a five-game winning streak halted. Deandre Ayton contributed 24 points and eight rebounds after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury. Damian Lillard (calf) and Anfernee Simons (foot) sat out.

Nets 128, Wizards 86

Kevin Durant collected 28 points, a season-high 11 assists and nine rebounds to help visiting Brooklyn overcome the absence of Kyrie Irving and breeze to a victory over Washington.

Durant, who is from the Washington D.C. area, made 10 of 21 shots from the floor and all six attempts from the free-throw line. Nic Claxton recorded 18 points and nine rebounds while Cam Thomas contributed 17 points and six assists off the bench. Royce O’Neale added 13 points with eight assists and Edmond Sumner had 11 points while making the start in place of Irving.

Irving sat out the first contest of his team-imposed suspension that spans “no less than five games” after he failed to formally apologize for the hurt caused by his posts following his promotion of a book and film with antisemitic messages. For the Wizards, Bradley Beal scored 20 points, Kyle Kuzma had 19 and Kristaps Porzingis collected 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Bucks 115, Timberwolves 102

Jrue Holiday scored 29 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his first triple-double of the season as Milwaukee improved to 8-0 for the first time in franchise history with a win over Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Antetokounmpo finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. Bobby Portis added 18 points, rookie MarJon Beauchamp scored a career-high 14 and Grayson Allen chipped in 10 for Milwaukee, which never trailed after the opening two minutes and led by as many as 22 points in the third quarter.

Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 24 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Mavericks 111, Raptors 110

Luka Doncic scored 35 points and made some history as Dallas held on to defeat visiting Toronto.

Doncic has scored 30 or more points in each of his first eight games of the season, a feat accomplished previously by one player: Wilt Chamberlain (1959-60, eight games; and 1962-63, 23 games). Spencer Dinwiddie had 21 points for Dallas, which has won three in a row. Christian Wood added 13 points, and Dorian Finney-Smith had 11 points.

The Raptors lost Pascal Siakam to a groin injury late in the third quarter, and he did not return. He had 18 points in 32 minutes. O.G. Anunoby scored 27 points for the Raptors.

Pacers 101, Heat 99

Buddy Hield tied his season high with 25 points, leading Indiana to a win over Miami in Indianapolis.

Miami’s Tyler Herro, who had a game-high 29 points, missed a would-be winning 3-pointer off the front rim at the buzzer. Miami, which was without leading scorer Jimmy Butler for a second straight game due to a sore left hip, also received 18 points and 10 rebounds from Bam Adebayo. Max Strus added 17 points, Gabe Vincent had 15 and Kyle Lowry 10.

Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton had a near triple-double with 22 points, nine assists and nine rebounds. Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana’s rookie first-round pick, added 23 points off the bench, going 10 for 12 from the foul line.

Celtics 123, Bulls 119

Jayson Tatum ran up a team-high 36 points, Sam Hauser and Derrick White buried key fourth-quarter 3-pointers and host Boston avenged a recent loss to Chicago.

Malcolm Brogdon chipped in with 25 points and Jaylen Brown added 16 for the Celtics, who had lost three of their previous four, including a 120-102 setback at Chicago on Oct. 24.

DeMar DeRozan had a season-best 46 points in defeat for the Bulls, who led by as many as eight late in the first quarter before gradually watching their two-game winning streak end.

Knicks 106, 76ers 104

Obi Toppin scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter and drained the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:27 left for visiting New York, which overcame a 12-point deficit to beat undermanned Philadelphia.

Jalen Brunson scored 23 points and Julius Randle (17 points, 10 rebounds) had a double-double for the Knicks, who snapped a three-game losing streak. RJ Barrett finished with 22 points and nine rebounds while Cam Reddish added 11 points off the bench.

Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points for the 76ers, who have lost two straight. They were without defending NBA scoring champion Joel Embiid, who missed a third straight game with a non-COVID illness, as well as James Harden, who suffered a right foot tendon strain Wednesday night that is expected to sideline him the remainder of the month.

Clippers 113, Spurs 106

Paul George scored 35 points and Ivica Zubac added 17 points and 15 rebounds as visiting Los Angeles came from behind in the fourth quarter to beat San Antonio to win its third straight game.

The Clippers trailed by four points heading to the fourth but ran past San Antonio with a 14-3 run over a span of four-plus minutes in the middle of the period. George hit a 3-pointer to put Los Angeles ahead for good at 99-96 with 6:41 to play and built its advantage to 11 points. John Wall added 15 points, Reggie Jackson scored 14 and Norman Powell added 13 off the bench for the Clippers.

Reserve Devin Vassell racked up a career-high 29 points to lead San Antonio, with Tre Jones adding 18, Keldon Johnson tallying 16 and Doug McDermott contributing 10 points. The game was the first of a home-road back-to-back for the Spurs, who play in Denver on Saturday.

Cavaliers 112, Pistons 88

Jarrett Allen had 23 points and seven rebounds and depleted Cleveland stretched its winning streak to seven games with a blowout win over host Detroit.

Kevin Love supplied 21 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds off the bench. Caris LeVert and Cedi Osman contributed 15 points and six assists apiece, while Evan Mobley tossed in 11 points with eight rebounds. Mobley added a career-high eight blocked shots for Cleveland, which hasn’t lost since its opener.

Cleveland’s starting backcourt was held out of action. Darius Garland was sidelined with a left knee sprain, while Donovan Mitchell sat out with a left ankle sprain. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 19 points, five assists and five rebounds while Saddiq Bey and Jaden Ivey had 18 points apiece.

Jazz 130, Lakers 116

Lauri Markkanen scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Utah to a victory at Los Angeles.

Former Laker Jordan Clarkson contributed 20 points and Mike Conley totaled 15 points and 10 assists as Utah snapped a three-game road losing streak.

Russell Westbrook led the Lakers with 26 points off the bench. Anthony Davis scored 22 points, but only two after halftime, and grabbed eight rebounds, and LeBron James tallied 17 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Grizzlies 130, Hornets 99

Behind a red-hot shooting night from Dillon Brooks and a record-setting performance from Steven Adams, Memphis rolled to a home win over Charlotte.

Brooks tied a career-high with six 3-pointers, finishing with a game-high 23 points. Adams had a double-double by halftime (13 points, 19 rebounds). His 16 boards through the game’s first two quarters set a Grizzlies franchise record and his career high for rebounds in the opening half. The entire Hornets team had just 17 at the break.

Charlotte’s Mason Plumlee had his streak of double-doubles snapped at two games. Plumlee finished with seven points, seven rebounds and three assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. led the Hornets with 17 points, while James Bouknight had a season-high 14 points.

–Field Level Media