NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson had 32 points and eight assist and the New York Knicks beat Miami 125-109 on Saturday, winning their sixth straight and sending the Heat to a sixth consecutive loss.
Julius Randle added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Knicks, but left with 4:27 remaining after appearing to land hard on his shoulder when Jaime Jaquez Jr. stepped in front of him trying to take a charge on Randle’s drive to the basket.
Brunson helped the Knicks break it open for good with a 13-3 spurt to open the fourth quarter and then sent the Heat into a timeout as a sold-out crowd roared when his 3-pointer midway through the period made it 112-96.
OG Anunoby also had 19 points for the Knicks, who improved to 12-2 this month after he made his first start on New Year’s Day.
Jimmy Butler scored 28 points for the Heat, who got Jaquez back after a six-game absence because of a groin injury, but were outscored 36-23 in the fourth quarter. Duncan Robinson had 19 points and Tyler Herro finished with 18.
BUCKS 141, PELICANS 117
MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points and 12 rebounds in Milwaukee’s blowout victory over New Orleans.
Damian Lillard added 26 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Brook Lopez scored 24 points with 6-for-9 shooting from 3-point range, and Bobby Portis had 20 points.
The Bucks shot 56% as they improved to 2-1 in their third and final game with Joe Prunty as interim head coach following the firing of Adrian Griffin. Doc Rivers held his introductory news conference as Griffin’s permanent replacement Saturday.
Brandon Ingram scored 26 points for New Orleans.
WIZARDS 118, PISTONS 104
DETROIT (AP) — Kyle Kuzma scored 30 points and Washington beat Detroit for Wizards interim coach Brian Keefe's first victory.
Keefe lost his first game Thursday, hours after Wes Unseld Jr. was moved to the Wizards’ front office. Jordan Poole added 17 points to help Washington end a six-game losing streak.
Bojan Bogdanovic led Detroit with 30 points.
NUGGETS 111, 76ERS 105
DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 26 points and 16 rebounds, but was denied his rematch with fellow MVP contender Joel Embiid on Saturday when the Denver Nuggets fended off the short-handed but gritty Philadelphia 76ers 111-105.
Philadelphia’s star center missed a game at Denver for a fourth consecutive season after the team’s medical staff determined he shouldn’t play on his balky left knee.
Jamal Murray added 23 points for Denver and Michael Porter Jr. had 20. Paul Reed led Philadelphia with a career-best 30 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 25.
The 76ers scratched Embiid minutes before tipoff after he had discomfort in his troublesome left knee during warmups. It denied basketball fans another marquee matchup between the last two NBA MVPs.
CLIPPERS 115, CELTICS 96
BOSTON (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points in only 29 minutes and Los Angeles routed Boston.
Paul George added 17 points for the Clippers, who used a 21-0 run in the third quarter to win their fifth straight and avenge a 37-point home loss to Boston in December. Leonard, George and the rest of the starters sat out the fourth quarter.
It was the most-lopsided loss of the season for Boston, which lost for just the second time at home after starting the season 20-0 at TD Garden.
Jayson Tatum led Boston with 21 points. The Celtics shot 35% from the field.
JAZZ 134, HORNETS 122
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Lauri Markkanen had 33 points and 12 rebounds and Utah beat Charlotte for its 11th victory in 15 games.
Collin Sexton added 24 points and 13 assists. The Jazz shot 56% from the field, made 17 3-pointers and built 36-point lead in the third quarter.
P.J. Washington tied a career high with 43 points — 31 in the second half — and Nick Richards added a career-best 26 to go with 13 rebounds for Charlotte.
NETS 106, ROCKETS 104
NEW YORK (AP) — Cam Thomas scored 37 points and Brooklyn outlasted Houston to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Nets led by 28 points in the second quarter, with the Rockets rallying to cut it to one with seconds left.
Mikal Bridges and Dorian Finney-Smith each had 19 points for Brooklyn. Jalen Green, Canada's Dillon Brooks and Cam Whitmore each had 19 points for the Rockets. They have lost seven of their last 10 games.
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