Ivica Zubac scored 31 points and grabbed 29 rebounds, the most for a Clipper in a single game in more than 34 years, as host Los Angeles cruised past the Indiana Pacers 114-100 on Sunday.
Zubac led a Clippers side playing once again without All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, with his career high in rebounds highlighting an all-around stellar performance. The 29 boards were the franchise’s most since Michael Cage snared 30 in a game in April 1988. He also shot a blistering 14 of 17 from the floor, falling just one point short of matching his career high in scoring before fouling out.
Los Angeles held rookie sensation Bennedict Mathurin to nine points, just over 10 points under his season average coming into Sunday’s contest. Myles Turner was also limited to nine points, and Buddy Hield finished with 10 on just 3-of-14 shooting from the field.
Jalen Smith led the Pacers with 23 points, while Tyrese Haliburton recorded his eighth double-double in the last 10 games with 15 points and 11 assists.
Nets 111, Trail Blazers 97
Kevin Durant scored 31 points as Brooklyn opened a seven-game homestand by pulling away in the fourth quarter for a victory over Portland.
Durant made 12 of 20 shots as the Nets completed their first season sweep of Portland since the 2012-13 season. Unlike their two-point win in Portland decided on Royce O’Neale’s tip-in in the final second on Nov. 17, the Nets surged ahead after the game featured 16 lead changes and nine ties through the opening three quarters.
Jerami Grant followed up his career-high 44 points in Friday’s overtime win over the Knicks by leading Portland with 29 points. Jusuf Nurkic collected 17 points and 14 rebounds, but Anfernee Simons was held to 15 on 4-of-14 shooting after scoring 38 Friday night as Portland shot 44.3 percent.
Warriors 137, Timberwolves 114
Stephen Curry heated up quickly with 13 of his team-high 25 points in a first-quarter flurry and Golden State coasted to a victory over Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Jordan Poole went for 24 points and Klay Thompson 21. Draymond Green had 19 points and a game-high 11 assists for the Warriors, who led by 23 in the game’s ninth minute and ran up 47 points in the first period. Golden State had six scorers in double figures and won a third straight, recording a season-high point total in the process.
Anthony Edwards had a game-high 26 points for the Timberwolves, who lost a second straight after a five-game winning streak. Towns had 21 points, Jaylen Nowell 16, Russell 15 to complement a team-high six assists and Bryn Forbes 10 for Minnesota, which allowed a season-high point total.
Heat 106, Hawks 98
Bam Adebayo scored 32 points and Tyler Herro came up with his first career triple-double to help Miami extend its winning streak to three games with a victory over Atlanta.
The win ended a seven-game road losing streak for Miami, which won only its second game away from home. Adebayo was 13-for-20 from the floor, 6-for-6 at the foul line and added eight rebounds. Herro, who has been playing with a sprained left ankle, had 11 points on 3-for-13 shooting, with 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Atlanta was led by John Collins, who finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Trae Young, who had 22 points and 14 assists. But Young was only 4-for-16 from the floor and the Hawks shot just 39.8 percent from the field. De’Andre Hunter scored 18 points.
Celtics 130, Wizards 121
Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 36 points to propel Boston past visiting Washington for its eighth consecutive home win.
Six other Boston players logged between 12 and 17 points, including Malcolm Brogdon, who scored 17 off the bench.
Bradley Beal had 30 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals for Washington, which has lost three straight. Kristaps Porzingis contributed 21 points, and Monte Morris finished with 16.
Cavaliers 102, Pistons 94
Donovan Mitchell poured in 32 points to lead visiting Cleveland past depleted Detroit.
Evan Mobley had 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Darius Garland supplied 19 points and 10 assists for the Cavaliers. Marvin Bagley III topped the Pistons with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Alec Burks had 17 points, while Killian Hayes contributed 16 points and eight assists.
Bojan Bogdanovic and Jaden Ivy sat out with knee soreness, Isaiah Stewart was sidelined by a toe injury and Cade Cunningham remained in street clothes due to a shin ailment. The Cavs chipped away in the fourth and eventually took the lead on a Mitchell 3-pointer with 7:45 left. Mobley knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Cleveland a 93-90 edge and the Pistons never took a lead for the remainder of the game.
Grizzlies 127, Knicks 123
Ja Morant posted a triple-double and scored the go-ahead basket with 13.9 seconds left for visiting Memphis, which fended off a fourth-quarter comeback by New York to escape with a victory.
Dillon Brooks scored 23 points while Steven Adams (16 points, 10 rebounds) had a double-double for the Grizzlies, who have won two straight. Jaren Jackson Jr. had 21 points and John Konchar added 10 points.
RJ Barrett scored 22 points and Julius Randle (14 points, 10 rebounds) had a double-double for the Knicks, who have lost two straight and four of five. Mitchell Robinson finished with 16 points while Cam Reddish added 11 points off the bench.
76ers 133, Magic 103
Shake Milton scored a season-high 29 points and Tobias Harris added 25 to propel visiting Philadelphia to a victory over Orlando in a battle of undermanned teams.
The 76ers shot a blistering 64.9 percent from the floor (50 of 77), with Milton (10 of 13) and Harris (10 of 14) playing a significant role in that department. Danuel House Jr. had 19 points and Furkan Korkmaz added 17 to help the 76ers record their sixth win in eight outings. Philadelphia played without reigning NBA scoring champion Joel Embiid for the fourth straight game due to a left mid-foot sprain.
Rookie Paolo Banchero had 18 points and Franz Wagner added 17 for the short-handed Magic, who were outscored 31-13 in the second quarter en route to absorbing their sixth loss in seven games.
Bucks 124, Mavericks 115
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points and 11 rebounds as host Milwaukee defeated Dallas to extend its losing streak to four games.
Grayson Allen was 7 of 8 from 3-point range and finished with a season-high 25 points for Milwaukee, which never trailed and improved to 11-2 at home. Allen tied his career high with seven 3-pointers, all in the first half.
The matchup between two of the league’s top MVP candidates went to Antetokounmpo over Dallas star Luka Doncic, who had 27 points and 12 assists. The Mavericks fell short despite shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 17 of 41 (41.5 percent) from 3-point range. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 22 points, Christian Wood added 21 and Dorian Finney-Smith had 13.
—Field Level Media
