(The Sports Xchange) – Highlights from National Basketball Association games on Wednesday:
Pacers 124, Cavaliers 107
Thaddeus Young scored 26 points to lead all five Indiana Pacers starters in double figures in a 124-107 blowout of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
The Cavs, the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions, are in a free fall. They have lost four straight and five of six games, including the last three by 58 points.
Darren Collison added 25 points for the Pacers, who also received 23 from Victor Oladipo, 17 from Bojan Bogdanovic and 15 from Domantas Sabonis.
LeBron James led the Cavs with 33 points and 11 assists, though he committed a game-high eight turnovers. Derrick Rose added 19 points, and Jeff Green scored 15 off the Cleveland bench.
Hornets 126, Bucks 121
Rookie Malik Monk scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter as Charlotte beat Milwaukee.
Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 26 points.
Khris Middleton scored a career-high 43 points, but Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo was held to 14 points. The “Greek Freak” entered the game leading the NBA in scoring at 33.8 points per game.
76ers 119, Hawks 109
Robert Covington scored 22 points and Ben Simmons fell one assist short of a triple-double as Philadelphia beat Atlanta and reached .500 for the first time in nearly four years.
Joel Embiid finished with 21 points and Simmons had 19, along with 13 rebounds and nine assists. The 76ers (4-4) won their third straight and reached .500 for the first time since Nov. 11, 2013.
Suns 122, Wizards 116
TJ Warren had a career-high 40 points with 10 rebounds as the resurgent Phoenix overcame a 22-point deficit and beat Washington.
Devin Booker scored 22 for the Suns, but none in the final 19 minutes. Phoenix didn’t lack for offense thanks to Warren, who sank 16 of 22 shots from the field.
Celtics 113, Kings 86
Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown scored 22 points apiece and Boston routed Sacramento.
Terry Rozier and rookie Jayson Tatum each added 12 points for Boston, which won its sixth straight and extended Sacramento’s losing streak to six.
Heat 97, Bulls 91
Hassan Whiteside returned from a five-game absence, providing 13 points and 14 rebounds as Miami defeated Chicago.
Goran Dragic (20 points) and reserve Tyler Johnson (19 points) were Miami’s scoring leaders.
Rockets 119, Knicks 97
James Harden had 31 points and nine assists as Houston routed New York.
Harden led five players in double figures as Houston rebounded from losses to Philadelphia by shooting 47.7 percent and hitting 19 3-pointers. Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon added 21 and 17 points, respectively.
Timberwolves 104, Pelicans 98
Jimmy Butler pump-faked E’Twaun Moore off his feet and canned a 20-foot jumper and free throw with 34.2 seconds left to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 104-98 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night at the Smoothie King Center.
Butler also made a foul shot with 19.7 seconds remaining to finish with a team-high 23 points. The Timberwolves (5-3) also got 18 points from Andrew Wiggins and placed four others in double figures.
Magic 101, Grizzlies 99
Evan Fournier had 22 points and eight rebounds as the Orlando hung on to defeat Memphis.
Aaron Gordon (19 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals) knocked down a wide-open corner 3-pointer with 51 seconds left to give the Magic a 100-99 lead before they survived a few late mistakes.
Nuggets 129, Raptors 111
Jamal Murray scored 24 points, Paul Millsap had 20 and Denver used an explosive third quarter to rout the Toronto Raptors.
Emmanuel Mudiay had 16 points and six assists and Gary Harris scored 15 points for the Nuggets, who led by as many as 36 points. Nikola Jokic finished two points shy of his first triple-double of the season. He had eight points to go with 16 rebounds and 10 assists.
Jazz 112, Trail Blazers 103
(overtime)
Ricky Rubio scored 30 points and Donovan Mitchell poured in 28 points off the bench to lead Utah to an overtime victory over Portland.
Rudy Gobert chipped in 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz, while Thabo Sefolosha added 15 points and nine boards. Utah improved to 5-0 at home this season.
Clippers 119, Mavericks 98
Blake Griffin’s 20 points led five Los Angeles players in double figures, and the Clippers routed Dallas.
Griffin added seven assists and six rebounds. Austin Rivers scored 19 points for the Clippers. Lou Williams came off the bench to chip in 17 points.
