Spencer Dinwiddie scored 24 points as the Brooklyn Nets capitalized on Joel Embiid’s absence and led most of the way in a 109-89 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night in New York.
The Nets led for the final 41:54 in the first meeting between the teams since the first round of last spring’s postseason. Embiid averaged 24.8 points in the four games he played in that series but sat out with an upper respiratory illness and missed his sixth game of the season.
Dinwiddie helped the Nets improve to 10-5 without Kyrie Irving (right shoulder impingement) by shooting 9 of 21 from the field and adding six assists. It was Dinwiddie’s fourth straight 24-point game and 13th game scoring at least 20 since being elevated to the starting lineup to replace Irving.
Joe Harris added 16 for the Nets, who led by as many as 23 and shot 45.7 percent. Garrett Temple added 13 while DeAndre Jordan had 13 points and 11 rebounds as the Nets scored 64 points in the paint and outrebounded Philadelphia 51-38.
Orlando Magic 130 – New Orleans Pelicans 119
Eight Orlando players scored in double figures in handing host New Orleans its franchise-worst 12th consecutive loss.
Jonathan Isaac led the Magic with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Nikola Vucevic, returning from an 11-game absence due to a sprained ankle, scored 20. D.J. Augustin scored 17, while Evan Fournier had 16. Terrence Ross added 14, Mo Bamba 13 and Michael Carter-Williams and Markelle Fultz had 10 each.
The Magic, who made 17 of 34 3-pointers, ended a three-game losing streak. Jrue Holiday scored 29 points, JJ Redick added 23, Brandon Ingram had 21 and Josh Hart had 20 for the Pelicans, who haven’t won since a 124-121 victory at Phoenix on Nov. 21.
Los Angeles Lakers 101 – Atlanta Hawks 96
LeBron James scored 32 points to lead visiting Los Angeles to a win over Atlanta and extend their road win streak to 14 games.
James made 12 of 21 from the field, four of them 3-pointers, and added 13 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks to help the Lakers extend their overall winning streak to seven.
The Lakers’ road winning streak is the longest by the club since they won 18 straight away from home during their NBA record 33-game winning streak in 1972-73. Their only road loss this season was in their own building in their first regular-season contest, when the Clippers were the “home” team at Staples Center, which the teams share.
Indiana Pacers 107 – Charlotte Hornets 85
Aaron Holiday scored 23 points off the bench as Indiana rode a dominant fourth quarter to a victory over Charlotte in Indianapolis.
Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis recorded his 12th consecutive double-double after collecting 12 points and 12 rebounds to propel the Pacers to their 11th win in 14 games.
Myles Turner added 14 points and 10 boards as Indiana outscored Charlotte by a 35-19 margin in the fourth quarter to avenge a 122-120 overtime loss on Nov. 5. Cody Zeller collected 19 points and 12 rebounds and Bismack Biyombo added 11 points and a season-high 17 boards for the Hornets, who saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt.
Denver Nuggets 111 – New York Knicks 105
Nikola Jokic had game highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds, Will Barton scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and host Denver beat New York.
Jokic has recorded double-doubles in six straight games, including a triple-double against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night.
Gary Harris had 15 points and Jamal Murray and Mason Plumlee scored 14 points each to help the Nuggets beat New York for the 12th straight time in Denver. Marcus Morris Sr. led the Knicks with 22 points, Julius Randle had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Frank Ntilikina scored 13 and had four steals and four assists for New York.
Sacramento Kings 100 – Golden State Warriors 79
Bogdan Bogdanovic recorded 25 points, five rebounds and five assists off the bench to lead Sacramento to a win over Golden State in San Francisco.
Buddy Hield scored 19 points and Marvin Bagley III added 17 points as the Kings won for the fourth time in their past five games. Harrison Barnes tallied 15 points as Sacramento ended a five-game losing streak to the Warriors.
Willie Cauley-Stein had 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting and notched a season-high six steals for Golden State. Damion Lee scored 13 points and Alec Burks had 11 for the Warriors, who lost their fourth straight game to drop their NBA-worst record to 5-23.
—Field Level Media
