Hawks Edge Nets in OT
The Atlanta Hawks edged the Brooklyn Nets 147-145 in overtime, snapping a three-game losing steak to get back to .500 for the season. The Hawks — who fell to the Indiana Pacers 157-152 Tuesday night — became the first team in NBA history to both score and allow at least 140 points in consecutive games.
Trae Young scored a season-high 43 points to lead the Hawks, also dishing out a team-high nine assists. Young shot 8-16 from 3-point range and made 11 of his 13 free throws.
Hawks forward DeAndre Hunter scored 25 points and matched his career high with 11 rebounds, while center Clint Capela scored 14 points with game highs of 15 rebounds and three blocks (tied). Young’s backcourt mate, Dejounte Murray, scored 20 points and handed out eight assists, but made just six of his 21 attempts from the floor.
The Nets’ Mikal Bridges led all scorers with 45 points, also snagging 10 rebounds. Bridges is just the fourth Net to record at least 45 points and 10 rebounds in a regular season game since the franchise joined the NBA in 1976:
Cliff Robinson (March 9, 1980)
Vince Carter (April 7, 2007)
Kyrie Irving (Jan. 20, 2023)
Mikal Bridges (Nov. 22, 2023)
Three other Nets recorded 20-point outings: Spencer Dinwiddie (26 points), Cameron Johnson (23), and Nic Claxton (22). Dinwiddie also distributed a game-high 12 assists, while Claxton posted team-high figures of 11 rebounds and three blocks.
Raptors Outscore Pacers
Led by Pascal Siakam’s 36-point effort, the Toronto Raptors outscored the Indiana Pacers 132-131. The Pacers have given up at least 125 points in each of their last five games, matching the longest such streak in franchise history (ABA seasons included).
Siakam shot 13-24 from the field and 9-11 from the free throw line, also grabbing 10 rebounds. The Raptors received solid efforts from Scottie Barnes (20 points, 12 rebounds, and four steals) and Dennis Schroder (26 points, six rebounds, and five assists) as well.
Tyrese Haliburton scored a team-high 33 points and dished out a game-high 16 assists for the Pacers. He became just the sixth player in NBA history to record at least 30 points and 15 assists in consecutive games, joining Oscar Robertson, Nate Archibald, Reggie Theus, Magic Johnson, and James Harden.
Haliburton has recorded at least 25 points and 15 assists in four of his last five games. The only other players in NBA history to produce four such games in a five-game span are Robertson, Archibald, and Russell Westbrook.
The Pacers’ Buddy Hield scored a season-high 31 points, sinking 12 of his 17 shots from the field. Hield hit seven 3-pointers, the 37th time he’s made at least five threes in a game with the Pacers. The only player in franchise history with more such games is Reggie Miller with 79.
Celtics Snap Bucks Streak
In a battle of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 119-116, snapping the Bucks’ five-game winning streak. The Celtics have won at least 12 of their first 15 games for the 23rd time in franchise history. No other franchise has recorded more than 15 such starts.
Jaylen Brown produced team highs of 26 points and eight assists to lead the Celtics, while Jayson Tatum scored 23 points and snagged a team-high 11 rebounds. It’s the 137th time Brown and Tatum have each scored at least 20 points in the same game, tying Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker for the seventh-most such games in franchise history by a duo.
Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis scored 21 points, hitting nine of his 15 field goal attempts. Porzingis is averaging 19.6 PPG with a true shooting percentage of 67.2% this season, the latter the fourth-highest such figure in the NBA among players averaging at least 15 PPG.
Brook Lopez scored a season-high 28 points to lead the Bucks, making 12 of his 18 shots from the field. Teammate Damian Lillard had 27 points, five rebounds, and five assists, while Giannis Antetokounmpo chipped in with 21 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and five assists. Neither Lillard (11-24 field goals) nor Antetokounmpo (7-20) shot well from the floor.
Quick Hitters
Other notes on a packed schedule:
Nikola Jokic compiled 30 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists, three steals, and two blocks, but it wasn’t enough as the Denver Nuggets fell to the Orlando Magic 124-119. It was Jokic’s 111th career triple-double and 25th career 30-point triple-double. Franz Wagner (27 points) and Paolo Banchero (23) scored a combined 50 points for the Magic, who have won five consecutive games and 10 out of 15 on the season.
The Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant scored a game-high 32 points in a 123-115 win over the Golden State Warriors. Durant hit all 15 of his free throws, the 72nd time he’s made at least 10 free throws in a game without a miss. That ties Dirk Nowitzki for the most such games in NBA history. Teammate Devin Booker scored 25 points with a game-high 10 assists and eight rebounds. Booker shot just 5-15 from the field, but made 13 of his 14 free throw attempts.
LaMelo Ball produced game highs of 34 points and 13 assists as the Charlotte Hornets downed the Washington Wizards 117-114. Ball also had eight rebounds, making him the first player in franchise history to record at least 30 points, five rebounds, five assists in four straight games. Hornets forward Mile Bridges had 33 points and 10 rebounds, sinking 11 of his 18 shots from the floor. The Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma scored a team-high 28 points on 12-22 shooting from the field, adding 10 assists and nine rebounds.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have won six consecutive games, the latest a 116-102 defeat of the Chicago Bulls. The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in a game-high 40 points, shooting 11-19 from the field and 17-18 from the free throw line. He also dished out a game-high 12 assists and blocked three shots. Teammate Chet Holmgren scored 18 points and recorded game highs of 13 rebounds and four blocks. DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 25 points, but made just six of his 17 attempts from the floor.
Luka Doncic tallied team highs of 30 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists as the Dallas Mavericks held off the Los Angeles Lakers 104-101. Backcourt mate Kyrie Irving chipped in with 28 points, shooting 11-22 from the field. LeBron James scored 26 points to lead the Lakers, adding nine rebounds and seven assists.
Zion Williamson scored a team-high 25 points on 10-16 shooting from the field, adding six assists and five rebounds in the New Orleans Pelicans’ 117-112 victory over the Sacramento Kings. The Pelicans have won four of their last five contests to climb one game over .500 for the season (8-7). The Kings were led by De’Aaron Fox (26 points and five assists) and Domantas Sabonis (23 points, nine rebounds, and six assists).
The Minnesota Timberwolves got off to a fast start and never looked back, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 112-99. The Timberwolves — who led 37-20 at the end of the first quarter — have won 10 of their last 11 games and lead the Western Conference with a record of 11-3. Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards led all scorers with 31 points, adding six rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Teammate Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 23 points, 11 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
Despite the absence of All-Star center Bam Adebayo, the Miami Heat blew out the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-96, snapping the Cavaliers’ four-game winning streak. Kyle Lowry scored a season-high 28 points for the Heat, hitting seven of his 10 attempts from 3-point range. Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. came off the bench to score a career-high 22 points on 7-10 shooting from the field for the Heat.
The LA Clippers never trailed in a 109-102 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, handing the reeling Spurs their 10th consecutive loss. Kawhi Leonard (26 points) and Paul George (24) combined for 50 points to lead the Clippers, who have won three in a row after a six-game losing skid. Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama scored a team-high 22 points with game highs of 15 rebounds and three blocks. It’s the fifth time the Spurs have lost at least 10 games in a row since joining the NBA in 1976. Three of those streaks have come in the last two seasons.
The Portland Trail Blazers took care of the Utah Jazz 121-105, as Jerami Grant scored a game-high 30 points on 10-13 shooting from the floor. Lauri Markkanen had 24 points, eight rebounds, and three steals for the Jazz, who have lost four straight games and eight of their last 10 overall.
The Houston Rockets’ Jalen Green scored a season-high 34 points in an easy 111-91 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Green made just three of his 13 attempts from 3-point range, but was 10-13 inside the arc. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane scored 23 points apiece to lead the Grizzlies, who fell to 3-11 on the season.