NBA Roundup: Cade Cunningham, Pistons Rally to Dump Jazz

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) receives congratulations from guard Cory Joseph (18) after he makes a three point basket in the second half against the Utah Jazz at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, on Jan. 10, 2022. Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports via Field Level Media

Rookie Cade Cunningham set a career best with 29 points and the host Detroit Pistons rallied from a 22-point deficit to defeat the Utah Jazz 126–116 on Monday.

Cunningham, the top pick in the draft, scored all but five of his points after halftime. He also dished out eight of Detroit’s 30 assists. Saddiq Bey matched Cunningham with 29 points, while Cory Joseph contributed 16 points off the bench. Trey Lyles added 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists.

Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz, who have lost three straight, with 31 points. Hassan Whiteside contributed 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Jordan Clarkson tossed in 16 points.

Utah was missing five players who were in the league’s health and safety protocol, including starting center Rudy Gobert. Rex Kalamian coached the Pistons after head coach Dwane Casey entered the protocol earlier in the day.

Trail Blazers 114, Nets 108

Anfernee Simons totaled 23 points and a career-high 11 assists as host Portland executed down the stretch and turned back Brooklyn.

Robert Covington added 21 points as the Blazers won for the third time in five games and were without Damian Lillard (abdominal injury). Ben McLemore scored 20 points and hit two of his five 3-pointers in the final 96 seconds.

Kevin Durant collected 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who lost for the fifth time in seven games. Kyrie Irving added 22 but shot 9 of 21 in his second game of the season. The unvaccinated guard is only eligible to play road games due to New York’s vaccine mandate.

Celtics 101, Pacers 98 (OT)

Jaylen Brown finished with 26 points, a career-high 15 rebounds, and six assists as host Boston held off Indiana for its second straight win and fourth in six games.

Brown’s floater with 2:34 left in overtime put the Celtics in front for good as Boston outscored the visitors 12–9 in the extra period. Jayson Tatum had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Robert Williams III contributed 14 points and 12 boards.

Domantas Sabonis recorded a triple-double with 11 points, 23 rebounds, and 10 assists for the Pacers, and Torrey Craig had 19 points off the bench. Indiana took its seventh loss in eight games.

76ers 111, Rockets 91

Joel Embiid recorded 30-plus points for his seventh consecutive game as Philadelphia extended its winning streak to seven by dealing host Houston its 11th loss in 12 games.

Embiid finished with 31 points, eight rebounds, and six assists despite sitting out the fourth quarter with the 76ers holding a safe lead. Andre Drummond contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for the 76ers, who outscored the Rockets 56–28 in the paint.

Christian Wood and Jalen Green scored 14 points apiece for the Rockets, who committed 21 turnovers, missed 29 of 42 3-point attempts, and trailed by as many as 27 points.

Hornets 103, Bucks 99

LaMelo Ball scored the winning basket as part of a 23-point outing, leading Charlotte to a victory over visiting Milwaukee.

Charlotte swept two games against the defending NBA champions across three nights to complete a 3–0 homestand. Ball made the tiebreaking basket on a floater as he crossed the lane with 15.4 seconds to play.

Terry Rozier racked up 27 points, Miles Bridges finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Gordon Hayward provided 14 points as the Hornets overcame 13-for-44 shooting from 3-point range (29.5 percent). Khris Middleton’s 27 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 26 points paced the Bucks, who have lost four of their past five games.

Knicks 111, Spurs 96

RJ Barrett scored 25 of his 31 points in the final 26-plus minutes as host New York pulled away from San Antonio to win for the third time in its last four games.

Barrett, who scored the Knicks’ final eight points of the first half, produced his fourth 30-point game of the season. Mitchell Robinson finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for New York, and Evan Fournier and Alec Burks added 18 and 16, respectively.

Dejounte Murray scored 24 points for the Spurs, who concluded a 1–6 road trip with their third consecutive defeat. Jakob Poeltl collected 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Lonnie Walker IV had 15 points.

Cavaliers 109, Kings 108

Evan Mobley broke a fourth-quarter tie with two of his 17 points and added a three-point play shortly thereafter as Cleveland grabbed a late double-figure lead and held on to win at Sacramento.

Kevin Love and Cedi Osman came off the Cleveland bench and scored 18 and 15 points, respectively, to complement Jarrett Allen’s 18, Mobley’s 17, Lauri Markkanen’s 15, and Darius Garland’s 12. The Cavaliers improved to 2–1 to start a Western swing.

Tyrese Haliburton had a game-high 21 points and Buddy Hield added 19 to pace the Kings, whose fifth consecutive loss wasn’t decided until De'Aaron Fox misfired on a potential game-winning, step-back jumper shortly before the final horn.