Trae Young scored a career-high 50 points to help the host Atlanta Hawks to a 129-124 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday.
Young helped the Hawks defeat the Heat for the first time in four tries this season. Young was 8-for-15 on 3-pointers, matching his career high, and 18-for-19 from the free-throw line. It was the 10th time this season he’s scored 40-plus points.
Atlanta tied the game 124-124 on a 3-pointer from DeAndre Hunter, who was questionable for the game with a right ankle sprain. Cam Reddish then put the Hawks ahead by stealing the ball from Goran Dragic and racing for the layup, helping the Hawks break a two-game losing streak.
Miami’s Bam Adebayo had 28 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists for his 32nd double-double. Dragic scored 19 and Jimmy Butler added 17 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. The Heat have lost five of their last six.
Philadelphia 76ers 112 – Brooklyn Nets 104
Joel Embiid scored a season-high 39 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lift host Philadelphia past Brooklyn in overtime. Embiid made 18 of 19 free throws as the Sixers improved to a league-best 26-2 at home.
Tobias Harris added 22 points, 12 rebounds and six assists while newcomer Alec Burks had 19 points off the bench as the Sixers won their fourth in a row, this time without All-Star Ben Simmons. Simmons sat out with a sore back.
Caris LeVert led the Nets with 25 points, six rebounds and five assists despite shooting 9 of 29. Spencer Dinwiddie added 22 points and eight assists while DeAndre Jordan had 14 points and 15 rebounds. Joe Harris and Wilson Chandler scored 12 points each.
Sacramento Kings 129 – Memphis Grizzlies 125
Harrison Barnes scored a season-high 32 points and shot 7-for-11 from 3-point range to help lead Sacramento past visiting Memphis.
Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox contributed 26 points, going 9-for-16 from the field. It was the first time Fox has scored 20-plus points since a Feb. 3 matchup vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves. Kent Bazemore was a constant spark off the bench for the Kings, finishing with 18 points in just 23 minutes.
Memphis star Ja Morant was held scoreless until a drive in the lane at the 8:26 mark in the second quarter, but he finished the game strong with 19 points. De’Anthony Melton led the Grizzlies with 24 points off the bench, and Jaren Jackson Jr. and Tyus Jones added 16 points apiece.
Milwaukee Bucks 126 – Detroit Pistons 106
All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo piled up 33 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three steals as Milwaukee continued its dominance of host Detroit.
The Bucks, who own the league’s best record, have defeated the Pistons 11 consecutive times, including the postseason. Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton contributed 28 points and eight rebounds. Eric Bledsoe had 19 points and six assists, and Brook Lopez tossed in 18 points for the victors.
Christian Wood led the Pistons with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Bruce Brown had 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Derrick Rose and Langston Galloway scored 12 points apiece, Thon Maker added 11 points, and Tony Snell had 10.
Houston Rockets 135 – Golden State Warriors 105
Robert Covington bombed in five 3-pointers among a team total of 25 and finished with 20 points as Houston blew out host Golden State to avenge a loss at Golden State on Christmas Day.
James Harden scored a game-high 29 points, making three 3-pointers, and Russell Westbrook added 21 points for the Rockets, who equaled their season-high for treys while enjoying their second-best long-range percentage of the season, going 25-for-49 (51.0 percent).
Harden and Westbrook each recorded a game-high-tying 10 assists to complete double-doubles for Houston, which won for the sixth time in its last eight games. Andrew Wiggins paced the Warriors with 22 points, hitting 10 of his 17 shots.
Charlotte Hornets 103 – Chicago Bulls 93
Malik Monk scored 25 points on 7-for-13 shooting off the bench, and Charlotte held on for a win over host Chicago.
Miles Bridges finished with 22 points and eight rebounds, and PJ Washington had 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting. Cody Zeller contributed 16 points and eight rebounds for Charlotte, which has won three games in a row.
Thaddeus Young led the Bulls with 22 points on 10-for-18 shooting. Young also contributed 11 rebounds, four steals and one blocked shot for the Bulls, who lost for the seventh straight game.
–Field Level Media
