Norman Powell scored 20 points and Ivica Zubac added 18 points to go along with 18 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers celebrated the season debut of Kawhi Leonard with a 131-105 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday in Inglewood, Calif.
Amir Coffey scored 17 points while Leonard had 12 on 4-of-11 shooting in 19 minutes of court time after missing the first 34 games of the season due to a right knee injury. Terance Mann (finger) also returned to action after missing the past 11 games and scored 12 points in 16 minutes.
Los Angeles took control early, leading by as many as 27 points in the first half before improving to 12-2 at home since Nov. 4.
Trae Young scored 20 points and dished out 14 assists and De’Andre Hunter added 18 points as the Hawks lost for the second consecutive night in the Los Angeles area following a 119-102 setback against the Lakers on Friday.
Leonard made his first shot of the season, a 3-pointer from the left wing just over two minutes into the game.
Pistons 119, Timberwolves 105
Cade Cunningham poured in a season-high 40 points to go along with nine assists to offset Anthony Edwards’ career-high 53 points as host Detroit defeated Minnesota.
Edwards had been limited to 20 points or less in eight of his previous 14 games. His previous career high was 51 points, a mark he reached against the Washington Wizards on April 9, 2024. Cunningham’s previous season high was 35 points.
Malik Beasley supplied 23 points off the bench as Detroit won its third straight game. Tobias Harris had 16 points and 11 rebounds in the win, while Julius Randle had 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Timberwolves.
Nuggets 122, Spurs 111 (OT)
Nikola Jokic scored 46 points, including the first seven in overtime, as visiting Denver rode its superstar to a win over San Antonio in the final game of a back-to-back between the teams.
The Spurs won 113-110 on Friday in Denver in the opener of the home-and-home set. Overall, the Nuggets have won four of their past five games. San Antonio led by 11 points after three quarters on Saturday, but the Nuggets charged back to briefly take the lead in the final minute of regulation before a Devin Vassell tip-in forced overtime.
Harrison Barnes led San Antonio with 22 points while Victor Wembanyama scored 20 and grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds.
76ers 123, Nets 94
Joel Embiid totaled 28 points and 12 rebounds in three quarters as Philadelphia overcame an extremely early 11-point deficit and rolled over Brooklyn in New York.
Embiid made 8 of 16 shots from the field, hit all 10 of his free throws and played 29 minutes en route to his fourth double-double in 13 games this season. Philadelphia outscored Brooklyn 123-83 after allowing the game’s first 11 points and won for the 12th time in 19 games since dropping five straight from Nov. 12-20.
Ziaire Williams led the Nets with 19 points as Brooklyn shot 41.5 percent overall and allowed 32 points off 22 turnovers. The Nets lost for the 12th time in 16 games.
Pacers 126, Suns 108
Tyrese Haliburton scored 27 points to lead six Indiana scorers in double figures and the Pacers bookended the second half with big runs to send Phoenix to a fourth consecutive loss with a victory in Indianapolis.
Indiana opened the second half with a 19-9 burst that lasted just over four minutes and gave it a lead that it held the rest of the way. The Pacers later put the contest to bed with a 13-4 run over the game’s final 4:08.
Phoenix stayed within striking distance behind Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, but the Suns never got closer than six following the Pacers’ run to open the third quarter. Durant finished with 25 points for the game, while Booker collected 20.
Jazz 136, Heat 100
Florida native Brice Sensabaugh scored a career- and game-high 34 points off the bench as Utah snapped a five-game losing streak with a win against host Miami.
John Collins added 24 points and nine rebounds for Utah, which won for just the sixth time in 19 road contests this season. Walker Kessler added 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds as the Jazz outrebounded the Heat 57-32.
The Heat trailed by as many as 43 in the fourth quarter in their first game since suspending star forward Jimmy Butler for seven games for conduct detrimental to the team.
Bulls 139, Knicks 126
Zach LaVine and Coby White scored 33 points apiece and Nikola Vucevic recorded a double-double by racking up 22 points and 12 rebounds to lift Chicago to a win against visiting New York.
Chicago matched a season high in points behind a 20-for-37 effort from beyond the arc. White set a career high for made 3-pointers, going 9-for-11 from deep. Karl-Anthony Towns had 44 points, 16 rebounds and five assists for the Knicks.
The Bulls honored standout guard Derrick Rose during a halftime ceremony. A Chicago native, Rose spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Bulls, winning Rookie of the Year in 2009 and MVP in 2011. Rose played for five other teams and spent parts of four seasons with the Knicks.
Trail Blazers 105, Bucks 102
Anfernee Simons scored 28 points and dished out eight assists to lead visiting Portland to a win over Milwaukee after dropping its past two games.
Deni Avdija added 19 points and 14 rebounds while Deandre Ayton posted his own double-double with 10 points and 13 boards as the Blazers won on the road for just the fourth time this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 31 points and 11 rebounds. AJ Green added 21 points off the bench, and Damian Lillard scored 16.
Warriors 121, Grizzlies 113
Lindy Waters III scored eight of his 16 points late and Andrew Wiggins put up a game-high 24 points as Golden State outlasted Memphis in San Francisco.
Each team played without its superstar point guard. Memphis was minus Ja Morant for the fourth straight game due to a shoulder injury, while Golden State gave Stephen Curry the night off on the front end of a back-to-back.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had 23 points and nine rebounds and Desmond Bane added 22 points and 10 assists for the Grizzlies, who were playing their second game in two nights after losing 138-133 against the Sacramento Kings on Friday. Memphis completed a 2-3 road trip.
–Field Level Media
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