NBA Roundup: Lakers Rally, but Sixers Win in OT

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) drives past Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonnie Walker IV (4) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center, in Philadelphia, on Dec. 9, 2022. Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports via Field Level Media

Joel Embiid scored 38 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, De'Anthony Melton posted career highs with 33 points, eight 3-pointers and seven steals and the host Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 133–122 in overtime.

The Lakers rallied from nine down in the final 29 seconds to force overtime, but the 76ers scored the first 12 points of the extra session to snap a three-game losing streak.

James Harden contributed 28 points and 12 assists and Tobias Harris chipped in with 14 points and nine rebounds for Philadelphia.

Los Angeles’ Anthony Davis returned from a one-game absence caused by a non-COVID illness to produce 31 points and 12 rebounds, but the Lakers dropped their third in a row. Russell Westbrook had 12 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds to become the first Laker to record a triple-double off the bench since Magic Johnson on Feb. 14, 1996.

Timberwolves 118, Jazz 108

D'Angelo Russell hit six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and scored 30 points to lead Minnesota to a win over Utah in Salt Lake City.

Rudy Gobert added 22 points and 13 rebounds in his first game in Utah since being traded to Minnesota from the Jazz this offseason. Gobert, who remains beloved in Utah, received a warm reception from Jazz fans and a standing ovation after a video tribute early in the night.

Malik Beasley, one of the handful of players traded to Utah along with four first-round draft picks, led the Jazz with 23 points. Jarred Vanderbilt, also part of that deal, had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Utah.

Bucks 106, Mavericks 105

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points and Brook Lopez sank the game-winning layup with 7.1 seconds to go as Milwaukee stole a game at Dallas.

George Hill made a lob pass to Lopez from the sideline, with the basket putting the Bucks ahead by one. After a Mavericks timeout, Luka Doncic missed a potential game-winning 3-point shot. The decisive finish was Lopez’s only field goal of the night.

Doncic wound up with 33 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. Antetokounmpo, who saw his streak of eight consecutive 30-point games end, was helped by teammates Khris Middleton (19 points) and Jrue Holiday (17).

Knicks 121, Hornets 102

Julius Randle pumped in 33 points to propel New York to a road victory against Charlotte.

New York, which won its third in a row, shot 38.2 percent from 3-point territory by making 13 of 34 attempts. Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley and Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 11 points apiece.

Terry Rozier’s 24 points and Kelly Oubre Jr.’s 22 points were the driving forces for Charlotte, which lost its fourth in a row.

Pacers 121, Wizards 111

Buddy Hield scored a season-high 28 points and Tyrese Haliburton collected 23 points and 11 assists to fuel Indiana to a victory over Washington in Indianapolis.

Rookie Bennedict Mathurin recorded 18 points and eight rebounds and Oshae Brissett added 16 and eight, respectively, for the Pacers.

Kyle Kuzma added 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Wizards, who have dropped five in a row overall and seven straight games on the road. Jordan Goodwin added 19 points off the bench.

Nets 120, Hawks 116

Kevin Durant scored 34 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:17 remaining, and Brooklyn made enough plays down the stretch to seal a victory over Atlanta in New York.

Kyrie Irving added 33 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets, who went 6–1 on a season-high, seven-game homestand, with five of those wins coming by single digits.

Trae Young scored 33 and Bogdan Bogdanovic added a season-high 31, but the Hawks lost their third game in a row and fell for the seventh time in 10 games.

Pelicans 128, Suns 117

Zion Williamson scored 35 points, Jose Alvarado added 20 off the bench and red-hot New Orleans defeated visiting Phoenix.

CJ McCollum added 18 points, Larry Nance Jr. scored 17 and Jonas Valanciunas contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Pelicans won their sixth straight and 11th in 13 games.

Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 14 rebounds while Chris Paul amassed 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Suns, who lost for the fourth time in five games.

Kings 106, Cavaliers 95

Harrison Barnes led a balanced attack with 20 points and Sacramento responded to its biggest deficit of the night with a game-ending, 19-point flurry that produced a stunning triumph at Cleveland.

Kevin Huerter went for 19 points, while Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray each offered up 18 as the Kings rebounded from a trip-opening loss at Milwaukee to win for the fourth time in their past five games.

Caris LeVert had a game-high 22 points for the Cavaliers, who played without Donovan Mitchell, a late scratch due to lower right leg soreness. Darius Garland also had 19 points as Cleveland lost for the second time in its three games.

Grizzlies 114, Pistons 103

Jaren Jackson Jr. led a balanced attack with 20 points as host Memphis extended its winning streak to five games by defeating Detroit.

Brandon Clarke had 17 points and seven rebounds and Dillon Brooks supplied 16 points. Ja Morant, one of the league’s top 10 scorers, was held to 15 points but also contributed 12 assists, six rebounds and three steals.

Bojan Bogdanovic led seven Detroit players in double figures with 19 points. Marvin Bagley III had 14 points as the Pistons lost for the sixth time in eight games.

Magic 113, Raptors 109

Franz Wagner scored the go-ahead basket in the final minute and had a season-best 34 points as Orlando defeated visiting Toronto.

Paolo Banchero added 23 points for the Magic, who have won two in a row after losing nine straight. Orlando’s Cole Anthony contributed 18 points.

Pascal Siakam had 36 points for Toronto. Gary Trent Jr. added 20 points and Fred VanVleet had 19 points as the Raptors fell to 2–4 in their past six games