MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant had 26 points, 10 assists and a fourth-quarter dunk over Victor Wembanyama, Desmond Bane added 24 points and Memphis used a second-half spurt to beat San Antonio.
Santi Aldama added 13 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis, which snapped a three-game losing streak
Wembanyama led the Spurs with 20 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Keldon Johnson finished with 19 points, along with six rebounds and four assists. Julian Champagnie and Jeremy Sochan scored 12 points apiece.
Morant brought the Memphis crowd to its feet with 9:11 left as he drove down the right side of the lane, cut left into the middle and dunked on the 7-foot-3 rookie from France, who leads the NBA in blocked shots. The dunk led to a scream, a shake of the head from Morant and an 88-70 lead for the Grizzlies.
THUNDER 127, CELTICS 123
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder held off the NBA-leading Boston Celtics 127-123 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.
Josh Giddey had 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Chet Holmgren added 14 points, seven assists and four blocks for the Thunder, who entered the night with the league’s fourth-best record.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 34 points and Jayson Tatum had 30 for the Celtics, who had won six straight and 11 of 12.
Oklahoma City has won eight of nine. During that stretch, the Thunder have beaten defending champion Denver twice, ended the Los Angeles Clippers win streak at nine, beaten Minnesota — the top team in the West — by 23, and now topped the Celtics.
76ERS 110, BULLS 97
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid had 31 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in his return from a sprained right ankle, Tyrese Maxey scored 21 points and Philadelphia beat Chicago.
Embiid missed all four games on the 76ers’ holiday road trip, and they went 2-2. One of those games was in Chicago just three nights earlier, a 105-92 loss in which the Sixers never led in the second half.
Embiid is the reigning NBA MVP for a reason. With the big man back, the Sixers turned this into an early blowout against a Bulls team that had played well recently without injured guard Zach LaVine. LaVine can return to the lineup as early as Friday. Even the two-time All-Star wouldn’t have helped much in this one as the Bulls fell to 10-6 this season without him.
The 76ers raced to a 43-18 lead after one quarter, with the Bulls missing all 10 3-pointers.
DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 16 points. Andre Drummond had 11 points, 17 rebounds and muffed a dunk to the delight of the home crowd when he was stuffed by the front of the rim. Forward Patrick Williams left with an injured right ankle.
WARRIORS 121, MAGIC 115
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 36 points and delivered on key plays in the fourth quarter to help Golden State snap a three-game losing streak with a victory over Orlando.
Curry scored or set up 13 straight Warriors points in a four-minute stretch late in the fourth quarter that gave Golden State its first win in three tries on a season-high, seven-game homestand.
Jonathan Kuminga added 19 points and Klay Thompson scored 15 for the Warriors.
Paolo Banchero and 27 points and 12 rebounds for Orlando, while Franz Wagner added 25 points. The Magic have lost their first two games on a four-game road trip.
HORNETS 111, KINGS 104
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Terry Rozier scored 14 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter after missing a game due to illness, and Charlotte beat Sacramento to snap an 11-game losing streak.
Rozier added six assists and Charlotte outscored Sacramento 36-26 in the final period, finishing the game on a 10-0 run. Miles Bridges had 27 points and P.J. Washington added 17.
De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 30 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter. Domantas Sabonis had 23 points and 19 rebounds for his 15th straight double-double, tied for the longest streak in the NBA this season.
Sabonis also committed 11 turnovers, contributing to Sacramento’s season-high 21.
PELICANS 112, NETS 85
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — CJ McCollum scored 16 points, Herb Jones added 14 and New Orleans routed Brooklyn for its third straight victory and eighth in 11 games.
Jose Alvarado scored 13 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 11 points and 12 rebounds for New Orleans, which opened the game on a 9-0 run, never trailed and led by as many as 32 points.
It was the fewest points the Nets have scored this season and fewest the Pelicans have allowed.
The Nets shot a season-worst 35.7% (35 for 98) while losing their fourth straight. Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas, who entered the game averaging a team-leading 22.4 points per game, missed all 11 of his shots and did not score. Thomas, Spencer Dinwiddie (0 for 6) and Royce O’Neale combined to go 0 for 23. Brooklyn attempted 43 3-pointers, missing 32.