NBA

The Heat stopped the Bulls’ late rally for a 116-113 victory


CHICAGO (AP) – Norman Powell scored 21 points, Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 12 rebounds and the Miami Heat held on for a 116-113 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

Ayo Dosunmu had 23 points to lead the Bulls, who trailed by 13 in the fourth quarter and were down 104-92 with 8:02 left before outscoring the Heat 21-12 the rest of the way.

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With Chicago trailing 110-100, Dosunmu made two layups and a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 3 with 2:05 left. After a layup by Powell, Nikola Vucevic converted a hook shot to make it 112-109 with 54 seconds left.

Dosunmu and Powell each made two free throws and after Pelle Larsson was fouled, Coby White hit his foul shots to make it a one-point game with 7 seconds left. Larsson missed a layup 2 seconds later to give Miami a three-point lead and White missed a 3-point attempt to seal the win for the Heat.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Chicago. Larsson has 15 points.

Vucevic had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Matas Buzelis finished with 16 points, Kevin Huerter scored 15 and White scored 14 for the Bulls.

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WIZARDS 109, BUCKS 99

WASHINGTON (AP) – Kyshawn George scored 23 points, Alex Sarr added 16 points and 17 rebounds, and Washington beat Milwaukee short-handed.

Amid swirling trade rumors, two-time Milwaukee MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo missed a second straight game with a calf strain.

Khris Middleton and Bub Carrington each added 13 points for Washington, which held a 61-43 rebounding advantage for its second straight win.

Myles Turner scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Milwaukee, which lost its fourth straight and seventh of its last eight games.

Bobby Portis Jr. and Kyle Porter added 19 points for the Bucks, who started the day in 12th place in the Eastern Conference and four games out of the playoff spot.

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76ERS 113, KINGS 111

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Tyrese Maxey scored 40 points, including the game-winning layup with 1.3 seconds left, Joel Embiid had 37 points and Philadelphia rallied against Sacramento.

Paul George added 15 points for Philadelphia, which came back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Dennis Schroder scored 27 points and DeMar DeRozan added 25 for the Kings, who have lost seven in a row.

After DeRozan missed a 14-footer that would have put the Kings ahead, Embiid grabbed the rebound with 5.2 seconds left and Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse called a timeout. In the 76ers’ second attempt to put the ball in their own zone, Kelly Oubre Jr. he passed to Embiid at the top of the arc, and Maxey ran from half court. He took a pass from Embiid and changed direction, left and was fouled by Precious Achiuwa.

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Sacramento outscored the 76ers 38-28 in the third quarter to take a 92-88 advantage into the fourth. Zach LaVine’s three-point play with 7:44 left put Sacramento up 103-92. But Philadelphia scored 13 of the next 15 points, tying the game at 105 with Maxey’s free throws to set the stage for the finish.

Sacramento fell to 3-21 on the road and 0-4 on its six-game road trip.

ROCKETS 104, HAWKS 86

ATLANTA (AP) – Kevin Durant scored 31 points and Houston beat Atlanta short-handed, ending its four-game winning streak.

The Rockets won the second half after leading only 43-42 at halftime. Jabari Smith had 14 points and Reed Sheppard added 13. Sheppard’s three-pointer gave the Rockets their first 20-point lead, 90-70.

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The Hawks had two key players out with injuries. Center Onyeka Okongwu broke his teeth when he was elbowed in the mouth during Atlanta’s 117-106 win in Boston on Wednesday night. Forward Jalen Johnson was ruled out with a left calf strain.

The Hawks said Okongwu had successful dental surgery Thursday and will miss Saturday’s game at Indiana.

The Hawks were already without Kristaps Porzingis (left Achilles tendinitis) and Zachary Risacher (left knee, bone contusion). Two-way rookie Asa Newell was brought back to the G League College Park before the game. Center Christian Koloko, who signed with Atlanta on Jan. 17, started his fifth game with the Hawks.

CJ McCollum led Atlanta with 23 points. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 and Corey Kispert added 17.

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SUN 114, PIstonS 96

PHOENIX (AP) – Dillon Brooks scored a game-high 40 points, Grayson Allen added 24 and Phoenix defeated Eastern Conference-leading Detroit.

The Suns had a great run in the fourth, winning for the fifth time in seven games. They are 10 games over .500 for the first time this season at 29-19.

Brooks cut into the lane for a 105-89 lead with 5:43 left, scoring the last of his 40 points. He finished 13 of 22 from the field and had eight rebounds on a night when the team gave the first 5,000 fans into the stadium a shirt that read “Dillon The Villain” – a nod to his fiery personality.

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The Pistons lost for just the third time in 12 games. Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 26 points, while Jalen Duran had 23 points and 13 rebounds.

Brooks had 38 points in three quarters, which was already a career high. The 6-foot-7 forward’s best performance was a 37-point performance for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2021.

NUGGETS 107, NETS 103

DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray scored nine of his 27 points in the final 2:26, ​​as the Nuggets spoiled Michael Porter Jr.’s comeback. in Denver by defeating Brooklyn.

Porter had a season-high 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Brooklyn, which has lost seven straight.

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Tim Hardaway Jr. tied a season high with seven 3-pointers on his way to 25 points and Peyton Watson scored 19 for Denver, which snapped a three-game losing streak at home.

Porter was drafted 14th overall by the Nuggets in 2018 and played six seasons in Denver, helping the franchise win its first NBA title in 2023. He was traded to Brooklyn earlier in the season and leads the Nets in scoring.

The Nuggets honored Porter with a video tribute at halftime and acknowledged the fans, who gave him a standing ovation.

Both teams had many players who were always injured. Denver was without four players and Nets forward Ziaire Williams was sidelined with a strained left calf in Tuesday’s loss at Phoenix.

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HORNETS 123, MAVERICKS 121

DALLAS (AP) – Kon Knueppel made two free throws with 4.1 seconds left for a game-high 34 points and Charlotte beat Dallas, robbing Duke teammate Cooper Flagg of a game-high 49 points.

Flagg, who turned 19 in December, broke the NBA record for points in a youth game. Cliff Robinson set the previous record of 45 as a 19-year-old in New Jersey in a game against Detroit on March 9, 1980.

Flagg set career highs with 20 field goals on 29 shots, and had 10 rebounds.

Knueppel caught a foul pass by Flagg near midcourt with seven seconds left and the score tied. He drove to the basket and was badly hit by Flag when the ball went between the rim and the backboard. Flagg’s shot at the buzzer to send it into overtime hit the back of the rim.

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Knueppel made 8 3-pointers to set a rookie record for the Hornets, who have gone on a five-game winning streak for their longest streak since a five-game stretch in February 2023.

Brandon Miller scored 23 points, his ninth straight game with at least 20 points, for Charlotte. LaMelo added 22, hitting six 3-pointers.

TIMBERWOLVES 123, THUNDER 111

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Anthony Edwards scored 26 points and Minnesota matched a season high with 22 3-pointers in a win over Oklahoma City.

Jaden McDaniels scored 21 points including 5 of 5 from 3-point range for the Timberwolves. Naz Reid added 18 points off the bench for Minnesota and connected four times behind the arc.

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Minnesota’s 22 3-pointers are tied for the second most by the Thunder this season. The Wolves shot 46.8% (22 of 47) from deep.

Minnesota has won three straight after snapping its five-game losing streak. Oklahoma City has lost three of its last four games.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 30 points for Oklahoma City. Chet Holmgren added 15 points, and center Isaiah Hartenstein scored 11 in his return after missing 16 games with a calf injury.

Without getting the best rebounder Hartenstein back, the Thunder went out 46-36.

Minnesota was without veteran guard Mike Conley. Bones Hyland saw more playing time with Conley on the outside, scoring nine points in 23 minutes.

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