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 [April 07, 2023]
Kevin Durant scored 12 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter
and the Phoenix Suns stretched their winning streak to a season-best
seven games with a 119-115 home victory over the short-handed Denver
Nuggets on Thursday night.
Chris Paul added 25 points and made a career-best seven 3-pointers
while Durant sank six treys as Phoenix wrapped up the No. 4 seed in
the Western Conference. Deandre Ayton scored 16 points, and Devin
Booker had 15 points and eight assists.
Phoenix is 8-0 when Durant has been able to play since being
acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in February.
Bruce Brown scored a career-high 31 points and Reggie Jackson added
20 points and six assists for Denver, which lost for the fourth time
in five games. Christian Braun scored 15 points, Jeff Green had 14
and DeAndre Jordan registered 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Heat 129, 76ers 101
Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro each racked up 24 points and Miami
pulled away late in the first quarter and never looked back in a
rout of host Philadelphia.
Butler made 9 of 12 field-goal attempts and finished with six
assists for the Heat, who picked up their third straight win as they
continue to push for a guaranteed playoff spot. Bam Adebayo supplied
14 points and eight rebounds, while Max Strus also had 14 points as
Miami connected on 18 of its 39 shot attempts from beyond the arc.
Herro drained five 3-pointers.
Joel Embiid paced the 76ers with 21 points, six rebounds and two
blocks, while James Harden finished with 14 points, four rebounds
and four assists.
Cavaliers 118, Magic 94
Danny Green came off the bench to score 21 points, Cedi Osman
finished with 19 points and Cleveland rolled over host Orlando in a
matchup of patchwork lineups.
Cleveland played without Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan
Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert. A much different Cavaliers
rotation than the version that outlasted Orlando in a back-and-forth
affair Tuesday took command midway through the second quarter of
Thursday's contest.
Orlando played its own makeshift lineup with Paolo Banchero, Franz
Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Markelle Fultz and Gary Harris all out.
Leading reserve scorer, Cole Anthony, also missed Thursday's game.
Jalen Suggs picked up the scoring slack with a game-high 22 points,
Bol Bol added 18 points and a game-high-tying eight rebounds.
[to top of second column] |
Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Basketball - Men -
Gold medal match - France v United States - Saitama Super Arena,
Saitama, Japan - August 7, 2021. Kevin Durant of the United States
celebrates after winning the gold medal match against France wearing
the United States flag REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Spurs 129, Trail Blazers 127
Keita Bates-Diop racked up 25 points, with 10 of them in the
decisive late-game stretch that helped propel San Antonio to a
comeback victory over Portland in the first-ever NBA game played in
the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie added 24 points each for the
Spurs, with Zach Collins totaling 21 points and 10 rebounds and Tre
Jones hitting for 18 points and dishing out 10 assists.
Kevin Knox II led the Trail Blazers with 24 while Drew Eubanks had
23, and Trendon Watford and Jeenathan Williams added 16 points
apiece. Portland was without injured starters Damian Lillard (calf)
Jerami Grant (quadriceps), Jusuf Nurkic (knee) and Anfernee Simons
(foot).
Thunder 114, Jazz 98
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 points to help visiting Oklahoma
City snap a three-game losing streak with a victory over Utah in
Salt Lake City.
The result eliminated the short-handed Jazz from postseason
contention. The Thunder would clinch a spot in the play-in with a
win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon.
Josh Giddy contributed 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists
for the Thunder. Kris Dunn finished with 22 points, eight assists
and seven boards, while Kelly Olynyk totaled 16 points, 14 rebounds
and eight assists to pace the Jazz.
--Field Level Media
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