Donovan Mitchell contributed 27 points, seven assists and six rebounds to guide NBA-leading Utah past the short-handed Brooklyn Nets 118-88 on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City, giving the Jazz their first three-game winning streak in a month.
A night after leading Brooklyn to a 116-112 win at Portland, James Harden didn’t play against Utah because of a sore neck. The Nets, who had won 16 of 18, were without stars Kevin Durant (hamstring) and Kyrie Irving (family matter) yet again.
Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic each scored 18 points and Georges Niang added 15 for the Jazz. Those three and Mitchell combined to hit 17 3-pointers, including five apiece by Mitchell and Niang. Utah sank 23 of 55 from deep (41.8 percent), with 10 players draining at least one.
Alize Johnson led the Nets with 23 points and 15 rebounds while Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot topped Brooklyn’s starters with 14 points.
Milwaukee Bucks 121 – Boston Celtics 119
Khris Middleton collected 27 points and 13 rebounds and Bobby Portis added a season-high-tying 21 points off the bench to fuel host Milwaukee to a victory over Boston.
Donte DiVincenzo made five 3-pointers to join Brook Lopez with 17 points for the Bucks, who nearly squandered a 25-point lead before extending their winning streak to a season-high eight games. Giannis Antetokounmpo collected 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in his return from a one-game absence due to a sprained left knee.
Boston’s Jaylen Brown scored 14 of his 24 points in the first quarter and added 10 rebounds. Kemba Walker added 23 points for the Celtics, who have lost five of their last six games overall and 10 of their last 11 on the road. Daniel Theis missed a 3-point attempt for the win at the buzzer.
Toronto Raptors 135 – Denver Nuggets 111
Pascal Siakam scored 16 of his 27 points in the first quarter and finished with eight rebounds as Toronto defeated Denver at Tampa to end a nine-game losing streak.
OG Anunoby added 23 points for the Raptors, who won for the first time since Feb. 26. Norman Powell contributed 22 points, Fred VanVleet had 19 points and Kyle Lowry had eight points, nine assists and five rebounds.
Nikola Jokic scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who lost for only the third time in the past 12 games. Jamal Murray added 20 points and had seven assists, and Michael Porter Jr. had 19 points and eight rebounds.
Orlando Magic 112 – Phoenix Suns 111
Evan Fournier scored the decisive basket with 6.4 seconds left to lift host Orlando over Phoenix for just its second win in the past 13 games.
Nikola Vucevic recorded 27 points and 14 rebounds and Fournier added 21 points. Vucevic split two free throws with 27.4 seconds remaining to give Orlando a 110-109 edge before Devin Booker made two free throws to put the Suns ahead by one.
Fournier then drove down the lane and banked in his layup. Booker missed a short shot just before time expired. Booker had 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and Chris Paul added 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Suns, who had a seven-game road winning streak snapped.
Indiana Pacers 116 – Detroit Pistons 111
Caris LeVert had 28 points, six rebounds and four assists and Indiana snapped a six-game home losing streak by downing Detroit in Indianapolis. LeVert’s step-back 3-pointer with 5.7 seconds left clinched Indiana’s victory.
Edmond Sumner had 18 points off the Pacers’ bench and Malcolm Brogdon contributed 16 points. Domantas Sabonis chipped in 14 points with 11 rebounds and four assists for Indiana.
Jerami Grant led the Pistons with 29 points and six rebounds. Saddiq Bey and Wayne Ellington tossed in 16 points apiece.
Cleveland Cavaliers 103 – Chicago Bulls 94
Darius Garland scored 22 points and distributed nine assists to lead Cleveland over host Chicago.
Jarrett Allen added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers, who won for the third time in five games. Larry Nance Jr. posted 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Isaac Okoro finished with 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 22 points on 8-for-20 shooting, and Lauri Markkanen scored 17 points.
Memphis Grizzlies 116 – Oklahoma City Thunder 107
Dillon Brooks matched his season high with 25 points as Memphis won at Oklahoma City.
Grayson Allen added 20 points in the win, hitting four 3-pointers for the Grizzlies, who have won three in a row and four of their past five to move back over .500 at 21-20.
Moses Brown scored 19 points to lead seven Thunder players who finished in double figures. He also grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds.
Charlotte Hornets 122 – Houston Rockets 97
Terry Rozier and Devonte’ Graham got hot from long range as Charlotte turned an explosive third quarter into an easy win at Houston.
Rozier scored 25 points while Graham tallied 21 as the Charlotte starting backcourt finished a combined 10 for 17 from behind the arc.
The Rockets concluded their seven-game homestand with a 1-6 record. The win came Monday to stop a 20-game losing streak. John Wall paired 20 points with seven assists while Christian Wood added 11 points and 10 boards but missed 10 of 14 field-goal attempts for Houston.
Dallas Mavericks 128 – Minnesota Timberwolves 108
Kristaps Porzingis scored 29 points on 11-of-23 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Dallas to a victory over Minnesota in Minneapolis. The win was Dallas’ 14th in 19 games.
The Timberwolves jumped out to a 16-3 lead to open the game, but Porzingis helped the Mavericks overtake Minnesota in the second quarter. Dallas pulled away during an off night offensively for leading scorer Luka Doncic with a 32-11 surge to end the third quarter after Minnesota scored the first seven points of the period.
Rookie Anthony Edwards scored 29 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead the Timberwolves, who lost their third in a row.
Sacramento Kings 110 – Atlanta Hawks 108
Tyrese Haliburton put host Sacramento on top by sinking two free throws with 36.6 seconds remaining Wednesday, and Atlanta missed two attempts to tie the game.
The game featured a point-guard duel between Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox, who finished with a game-high 37 points, and Atlanta’s Trae Young, who countered with 29 points and nine assists.
In the end, it came down to Haliburton and the Sacramento defense as the Kings won for the fourth time in five games. The Hawks dropped their second in a row immediately after an eight-game winning streak.
Los Angeles Clippers 134 – San Antonio Spurs 101
Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points and Marcus Morris added 20, all but two in the first half, as Los Angeles roared to a big win over San Antonio in the first game of a back-to-back between the teams in the Alamo City.
Los Angeles never trailed in the rout, leading by 12 after one quarter, by 14 at the half and steadily building its margin to as many as 35 points late through the fourth quarter as the benches were emptied. Paul George added 17 points for the Clippers, who won their third straight.
DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs with 19 points. Patty Mills scored 17for San Antonio, which lost its third game in a row.
–Field Level Media
