Mikal Bridges scored 29 points and the Brooklyn Nets earned a 126-115 victory over the Detroit Pistons, who tied an NBA record with their 26th straight loss on Saturday night in New York.
The Pistons became the third team to lose 26 straight in a season, joining the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers. Detroit scored the game’s first six points but never regained the lead after falling behind 16-15 with just over five minutes left in the first quarter.
Bridges helped the Nets end a season-high five-game losing streak by making 9 of 17 shots. He also sank all 10 of his free-throw attempts, handed out seven of Brooklyn’s 32 assists and grabbed six rebounds. Cam Thomas added 20 points as the Nets shot 52.3 percent and scored 62 points in the paint.
Jaden Ivey led the Pistons with 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Cade Cunningham added 22 points and Isaiah Stewart contributed 20 points as Detroit shot 49.4 percent and hit 15 3-pointers.
Mavericks 144, Spurs 119
Luka Doncic racked up 39 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in just three quarters to lead Dallas past visiting San Antonio.
The Mavericks snapped a three-game losing streak. Doncic’s triple-double was his sixth of the season and 62nd of his career, which is ninth all-time in league history. Six other Dallas players scored in double figures, led by Tim Hardaway Jr.’s 23 points.
San Antonio played without rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama, who was ruled out just prior to tip-off with a right ankle sprain. Jeremy Sochan led the Spurs with 23 points and nine rebounds, while Keldon Johnson added 16 points off the bench.
Celtics 145, Clippers 108
Boston made 25 of its 53 3-point field-goal attempts and breezed to a road victory over Los Angeles.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with a game-high 30 points. He made nine of his 16 field-goal attempts, including 5 of 10 3-point shots. Tatum returned to the court after not playing in Wednesday’s 144-119 win against Sacramento because of an ankle injury.
It marked the first time the Celtics have scored at least 140 points in back-to-back games since 1966. Paul George scored a team-high 21 points for the Clippers, while Ivica Zubac had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Bucks 130, Knicks 111
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points and Bobby Portis recorded a double-double off the bench to fuel visiting Milwaukee to a comfortable win over New York.
The Bucks led nearly wire-to-wire in the first game of a back-to-back set between the Eastern Conference rivals. Portis collected 23 points and 11 rebounds while Antetokounmpo added seven rebounds and seven assists for the Bucks, who have won seven straight games.
Jalen Brunson scored 36 points and Isaiah Hartenstein recorded 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, who are 5-5 this month. The teams are slated to play again in New York on Monday afternoon.
Rockets 106, Pelicans 104
Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. had double-doubles and Houston slipped past host New Orleans.
Sengun had 37 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and 11 rebounds, Smith added 26 points and 11 rebounds and Fred VanVleet scored 10 points. Sengun’s layup with 2:10 left gave the Rockets a 101-100 lead. He added a free throw and Smith dunked for a 104-100 edge with 36.2 seconds left.
Zion Williamson scored 28 points, Brandon Ingram added 19 and Trey Murphy III chipped in with 14 for the Pelicans.
Magic 117, Pacers 110
Paolo Banchero scored 34 points, Franz Wagner finished with 24 points and Orlando ended a four-game losing streak with its defeat of Indiana in Indianapolis.
Orlando led most of the way and by as many as 15 points in the first half before Indiana rallied to pull ahead briefly in the third quarter. The Pacers outscored the Magic 33-20 in the third, but Orlando responded with a stout defensive effort in the final frame.
Tyrese Haliburton led Indiana with 29 points, and the league leader in assists (12.0 per game) finished with 14 on Saturday. Myles Turner added 24 points and Buddy Hield made 5 of 11 3-point attempts en route to 20 points.
Nuggets 102, Hornets 95
Michael Porter Jr. scored 22 points and Jamal Murray posted 20 points as Denver cranked out a couple of key second-half stretches to keep its hot streak going by defeating host Charlotte.
Nikola Jokic provided 18 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Nuggets. Denver, which held the Hornets to one point in the final 3:23, went 3-0 on a road trip in advance of a Christmas Day showdown with the Golden State Warriors.
The Hornets lost their seventh game in a row despite 22 points from Miles Bridges, 20 points from P.J. Washington and 19 points from Nick Smith Jr.
Grizzlies 125, Hawks 119
Desmond Bane scored a game-high 37 points to help lead visiting Memphis over Atlanta.
Ja Morant added 30 points and 11 assists for the Grizzlies, who won their third straight game since Morant’s reinstatement from his 25-game suspension. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the floor.
Trae Young led Atlanta with 30 points and 13 assists as the Hawks lost their second game in as many nights. It was Young’s seventh consecutive game of at least 30 points and 10 assists, tying Oscar Robertson for the longest run in NBA history.
Jazz 126, Raptors 119
Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson each scored 30 points and visiting Utah came back to defeat Toronto.
Collin Sexton added 16 points for the Jazz, who trailed by as many as 17. Walker Kessler and John Collins scored 10 points apiece for the Jazz, who are 2-1 on a five-game road trip.
Scottie Barnes had 32 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost three straight.
Cavaliers 109, Bulls 95
Max Strus scored a game-high 26 points and Jarrett Allen had 19 points and 17 rebounds to lift visiting Cleveland over Chicago.
Craig Porter Jr. contributed 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Cleveland, while Isaac Okoro (12 points) and Dean Wade (11) also scored in double figures.
All five Bulls starters scored in double figures, led by DeMar DeRozan, who scored 21 points to go along with eight assists. Nikola Vucevic had 20 points and 12 rebounds and Coby White added 17 points.
Lakers 129, Thunder 120
LeBron James had 40 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as Los Angeles snapped host Oklahoma City’s three-game winning streak.
His team having lost four consecutive games, Lakers coach Darvin Ham shuffled the starting lineup, inserting Jarred Vanderbilt in place of D’Angelo Russell. Russell finished with 15 points. Anthony Davis collected 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, while Rui Hachimura added 21 points off the bench.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 34 points. Jalen Williams had 28 points and Chet Holmgren added 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Warriors 126, Trail Blazers 106
Klay Thompson scored a game-high 28 points and Stephen Curry added 27, and Golden State rolled over Portland in San Francisco.
Brandin Podziemski had 15 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Warriors tied a season high with their fifth straight win. The Trail Blazers ended Curry’s NBA-record 268-game streak with at least one 3-pointer when the clubs met in Portland last Sunday. Curry knocked down a 3-pointer on Golden State’s first possession Saturday.
Anfernee Simons had a team-high 25 points to pace Portland, which fell for the ninth time in its past 10 games.
Timberwolves 110, Kings 98
Anthony Edwards recorded 34 points and 10 assists to help Minnesota post a victory over host Sacramento.
Rudy Gobert had 21 points and 17 rebounds and Jaden McDaniels added 20 points and four steals as Minnesota won for the 21st time in the past 25 games. De’Aaron Fox had 27 points and six assists for the Kings, who lost for the second time in three games. Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
After seeing its 22-point lead cut to five, Minnesota finished the game with a 10-3 burst to remain tied with the Celtics for the NBA’s best record at 22-6.
–Field Level Media
