Jarrett Allen scored a career-best 40 points, collected a season-high 17 rebounds and added five assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 130-111 victory over the host Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night.
Sam Merrill made six 3-pointers for the fifth time this season and scored 22 points, and Jaylon Tyson was 4-for-4 from 3-point range while recording 18 points and six assists for the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell had 14 points and nine assists, and Nae’Qwan Tomlin had 12 points as Cleveland won for the sixth time in the past seven games.
Caleb Love scored 21 points off the bench and Shaedon Sharpe had 20 points for Portland, which lost its fifth game in a row. Sidy Cissoko and Jerami Grant scored 15 points apiece, Toumani Camara had 12 points and reserve Robert Williams III had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Portland played without Deni Avdija (back), who was named a Western Conference All-Star reserve earlier Sunday. Avdija has missed six of the last 10 games after playing in each of the first 40. Cleveland remained without Darius Garland (right toe sprain) and Evan Mobley (left calf strain).
Celtics 107, Bucks 79
Jaylen Brown returned after a one-game absence and had 30 points and 13 rebounds to lead Boston to a triumph over visiting Milwaukee.
Brown, who sat out Friday night’s 112-93 victory over Sacramento with a sore hamstring, made 12 of 20 field-goal attempts, including 4 of 6 shots from beyond the 3-point arc. His rebound total matched a season high.
Anfernee Simons came off the bench and scored 27 points. Derrick White added 17 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Celtics, who wrapped up a four-game homestand with a 3-1 record.
Ryan Rollins led Milwaukee with 25 points, six rebounds and seven assists. The Bucks received 16 points from Kyle Kuzma and eight points and 12 rebounds from Bobby Portis.
Heat 134, Bulls 91
Bam Adebayo and Pelle Larsson scored 20 points apiece as host Miami routed Chicago.
Miami point guard Davion Mitchell, who had been out with a shoulder injury, returned and provided 13 points and six assists. The Heat won convincingly despite still being without two starters in Tyler Herro (ribs) and Norman Powell (personal reasons).
The Bulls were led by Coby White, who had 16 points. Miami outscored Chicago in the paint 72-44, shot 50.5% from the floor and made 14 of 38 3-pointers (36.8%). Chicago shot 32.2% from the floor and 6-for-41 from deep (14.6%).
Thunder 121, Nuggets 111
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander collected 34 points and a season-high 13 assists, Cason Wallace scored a career-high 27 points and Oklahoma City beat host Denver.
Gilgeous-Alexander has now scored 20 or more points in 120 straight games and got the better of Nikola Jokic in a matchup of the last two NBA MVPs. Wallace made a career-high seven 3-pointers, Chet Holmgren finished with 14 points and three blocks, and Aaron Wiggins also scored 14 points for Oklahoma City.
Peyton Watson had 29 points and Jokic scored 16 points in his second game back from a left knee injury for the Nuggets. Jonas Valanciunas scored 13 points and Jamal Murray had 12 points and 12 assists hours after he was named as a first-time All-Star as a reserve for the All-Star Game on Feb. 15.
Spurs 112, Magic 103
Victor Wembanyama filled up the stat sheet with 25 points, eight rebounds, four steals and five blocks to lead San Antonio to a win over visiting Orlando.
The game was originally scheduled to begin at 3:12 p.m. CST but was delayed twice, first to 6 p.m. and finally to 8:12 local time, because of delays on the Spurs’ charter flight out of snowbound Charlotte, N.C., on Saturday and then a mechanical issue on Sunday morning. The Spurs did not arrive in San Antonio until 3:25 p.m. Sunday.
The Spurs were none the worse for the wear in the second part of a road-home back-to-back that opened with a loss Saturday to the host Hornets. Devin Vassell contributed 16 points for San Antonio while Dylan Harper added 15 off the bench, Keldon Johnson and De’Aaron Fox hit for 14 points each and Julian Champagnie tallied 11; Desmond Bane led Orlando with 25 points. Paolo Banchero added 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Clippers 117, Suns 93
Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points, Ivica Zubac had 14 points and a season-high 20 rebounds, and Los Angeles continued its torrid run with a victory over host Phoenix.
John Collins scored 16 points and had nine rebounds and reserve Jordan Miller scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half for the Clippers. Los Angeles guard James Harden missed the game for personal reasons.
Grayson Allen scored 23 points, Dillon Brooks had 22 points and Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin had 12 points apiece for the Suns, who had a three-game winning streak broken. The Suns were without guards Devin Booker (ankle) and Jalen Green (hamstring, hip).
Pistons 130, Nets 77
Jalen Duren, who was named an NBA All-Star for the first time prior to the game, had 21 points and 10 rebounds as host Detroit pounded Brooklyn.
Fellow All-Star Cade Cunningham supplied 18 points, 12 assists and four steals for the Pistons, who have won eight of their last 10 games. Daniss Jenkins also scored 18 points in the opener of a four-game homestand. Tobias Harris added 11 points and Marcus Sasser chipped in 10 for the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons.
Cam Thomas and Drake Powell led the Nets with 12 points apiece. Nic Claxton added 10 for Brooklyn, which shot 32.9% from the field and committed 25 turnovers.
Raptors 107, Jazz 100
RJ Barrett scored 21 points and Toronto beat visiting Utah to snap its two-game losing streak while extending the Jazz’s skid to six games.
Sandro Mamukelashvili added 20 points, Scottie Barnes tallied 14 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots, Brandon Ingram scored 19 points and Immanuel Quickley contributed 17 points for the Raptors.
Lauri Markkanen scored 27 points and added 11 rebounds for the Jazz. Jusuf Nurkic had 11 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks, Isaiah Collier scored 19 points and Cody Williams added 10 points.
Knicks 112, Lakers 100
OG Anunoby scored seven of his team-high 25 points during a decisive run to end the third quarter, and surging New York pulled away from visiting Los Angeles.
Anunoby added eight rebounds, three assists and three steals for the Knicks, who have won six straight since a 2-9 skid. Karl-Anthony Towns (11 points, 13 rebounds) and Jalen Brunson (12 points, 13 assists) each recorded double-doubles while Landry Shamet scored 23 points off the bench. Starter Josh Hart added 20 points.
Luka Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer, had 30 points and tied a season-high with 15 rebounds for the Lakers, who fell to 4-3 on their season-long eight-game Grammys road trip. LeBron James had 22 points, five rebounds and six assists while Deandre Ayton had 13 points.
Wizards 116, Kings 112
Rookie Will Riley scored a season-high 18 points as Washington defeated visiting Sacramento.
Riley, who hit 4 of 8 from 3-point range, and AJ Johnson, who added 17 points, led a sterling performance from Washington’s bench which outscored Sacramento’s 61-20.
Zach LaVine scored 35 points and DeMar DeRozan posted 32 — including 24 in the second half — for the Kings, who suffered their ninth straight defeat.
