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Jalen Brunson posted his second double-double in three games on Wednesday night for the host New York Knicks, who continued their surge with a 122-112 win over the Denver Nuggets.
Brunson, who finished with 30 points and 15 assists, had 15 points during a decisive third-period run for the Knicks, who have won five straight following a 3-6 skid.
Brunson is just the fourth player in team history to finish with at least 30 points and 15 assists in a game and the first since Nate Robinson had 33 and 15 in a 128-124 overtime win over the host Los Angeles Clippers on February 11, 2009.
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P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford had double-doubles, four of their Dallas teammates scored in double figures and the visiting Mavericks defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 137-136 on Wednesday night.
Washington finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, and Gafford had 22 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. Kyrie Irving logged 25 points, nine boards and six assists. Klay Thompson added 20 points, Quentin Grimes had 17 and Spencer Dinwiddie put up 11 as Dallas won for the third time in four games.
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Tyrese Maxey supplied 30 points and eight assists to guide the host Philadelphia 76ers to their fourth straight win, a 117-104 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.
Kelly Oubre Jr. added 15 points and four steals for Philadelphia, which continued to play without Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (finger), among others. Several role players made solid contributions, including Eric Gordon (14 points) and Kyle Lowry and Ricky Council IV (13 each).
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Kristaps Porzingis scored a season-high 34 points and collected 11 rebounds to help the Boston Celtics breeze to a 122-100 victory over the visiting Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.
Porzingis made 10 of his 18 field goal attempts, including 8 of 14 shots from behind the 3-point arc. His eight 3-pointers tied his career high.
Porzingis had 26 points in the first half, when he made 6 of 8 shots from behind the 3-point arc.
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Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points and Evan Mobley collected 22 points and 15 rebounds, lifting the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers to a wire-to-wire 126-106 victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
Mitchell made 14 of 23 shots from the floor − and 5 of 11 from 3-point range − as Cleveland overcame the absence of Darius Garland (rest) to avenge a 122-113 setback in Miami on Dec. 8.
Ty Jerome scored 20 points and Georges Niang added 15 off the bench for the Cavaliers, who shot 54 percent from the floor and held a decisive 68-38 edge in points in the paint.
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Pascal Siakam had a season high 37 points, Tyrese Haliburton added 30 and the host Indiana Pacers fought off a strong challenge to defeat the Detroit Pistons 133-119 Wednesday night in Indianapolis.
The game saw a total of six technical fouls called, four on Detroit, and Pistons backup center Isaiah Stewart ejected in the second quarter after a flagrant foul on Pacers forward Thomas Bryant.
Indiana never trailed but couldn’t put the Pistons away until a 14-7 spurt that included a banked-in three by Siakam and a three by Haliburton in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 127-112 with two minutes left.
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Keon Johnson scored 18 points and the Brooklyn Nets claimed a 104-83 victory over the host Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night, snapping a seven-game losing streak.
In a matchup of teams that began the night with two of the three worst records in the Eastern Conference, the Nets were in control for most of the night. Jalen Wilson added 15 points, Tosan Evbuomwan had 14 and Ziaire Williams 13. Nic Claxton supplied 12 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots − Reuters.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter