NBA roundup: Joel Embiid nets 51 as 76ers roll over Wolves

 

[December 21, 2023]  Joel Embiid had 51 points and 12 rebounds to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers over the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-113 on Wednesday.

It was Embiid's 12th consecutive game with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, the longest streak since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971-72.

Embiid, who made 17 of 18 free throws, also compiled at least 40 points and 10 rebounds for the third straight game. Embiid recorded his second game of 50 or more points this season and the seventh of his career.

Tyrese Maxey added 35 points for Philadelphia.

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 27 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 points and 13 rebounds. Jaden McDaniels had 21 points.

Clippers 120, Mavericks 111

Kawhi Leonard recorded 30 points and 10 rebounds and Los Angeles stretched its winning streak to nine games by defeating host Dallas.

Norman Powell scored 21 points off the bench and played 31 minutes with Paul George (illness) out for Los Angeles. Powell shot 7 of 10 from the field, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range. James Harden had 17 points and 11 assists for the Clippers.

Luka Doncic had 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for Dallas, but his franchise record of 11 straight 30-point efforts came to an end. Doncic was just 8 of 14 from the free-throw line. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 21 points off the bench. Kyrie Irving (heel) missed his sixth straight game.

Cavaliers 124, Jazz 116

Sam Merrill drained eight 3-pointers and scored a career-high 27 points to lift host Cleveland over Utah.

Merrill, who set his previous career-high with 19 points in an overtime win against Houston on Monday, went 8-for-14 from beyond the arc and 9-for-16 from the floor. The former Utah State star helped the Cavaliers win without Donovan Mitchell (illness), Evan Mobley (knee surgery) and Darius Garland (jaw).

Former Cavaliers Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton led the Jazz with 26 and 20 points, respectively. Markkanen pulled down 10 rebounds.

Celtics 144, Kings 119

Jaylen Brown and Derrick White scored 28 apiece and Boston bounced back from an overtime loss 24 hours earlier in San Francisco to thump host Sacramento.

Kristaps Porzingis returned to the Celtics lineup and scored 24 points. He was rested on Tuesday. Boston snapped a four-game road losing streak and won for the sixth time in seven games overall.

De'Aaron Fox produced a game-high 29 points for the Kings, whose three-game winning ended.

Pacers 144, Hornets 113

Buddy Hield scored 19 of his 25 points in the third quarter, and Indiana used a sterling long-range shooting display to snap a four-game losing streak by routing Charlotte in Indianapolis.

The Pacers made 18 shots from 3-point range, including four by Hield and reserve Aaron Nesmith's 4-for-4 effort. Indiana shot 61.3 percent overall from the field, going 18-for-39 on 3-pointers, and hitting 28 of 30 free throws. Tyrese Haliburton turned in 19 points and 13 assists, and Myles Turner racked up 18 points.

The Hornets lost their sixth game in a row despite Terry Rozier's 25 points and Brandon Miller's 21 points. Rozier was 10-for-26 from the field and just 2-for-10 on 3-pointers.

Heat 115, Magic 106

Tyler Herro had 28 points to lead seven scorers in double figures as visiting Miami hit 15 3-pointers and beat Orlando.

Bam Adebayo scored 18 points and Haywood Highsmith added a season-high 15 for Miami, which led by as many as 24 and snapped Orlando's nine-game home winning streak. Josh Richardson, Duncan Robinson and Thomas Bryant each scored 12 points, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 10.

Dec 20, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) dunks the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center./Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

Cole Anthony paced Orlando with 20 points off the bench. Franz Wagner added 15 points, Jalen Suggs and Moritz Wagner scored 11 apiece and Paolo Banchero finished with 10 points on 2-of-12 shooting.

Nuggets 113, Raptors 104

Nikola Jokic had 31 points and 15 rebounds as visiting Denver defeated Toronto.

Jamal Murray added 20 points for the Nuggets, who have won five of their past six.

Scottie Barnes scored 30 points and had 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who completed a 2-2 homestand.

Bulls 124, Lakers 108

DeMar DeRozan finished with a game-high 27 points and Coby White followed with 17 to lead eight scorers in double figures and lift host Chicago over Los Angeles.

Chicago sent Los Angeles to its third straight loss and fourth defeat in five games behind 54.5 percent shooting, including a 52.9 percent effort from deep.

The Bulls led by as many as 18 points while withstanding LeBron James' triple-double bid for the Lakers. James scored 25 points to go with 10 rebounds and nine assists. Austin Reaves followed with 21 points, while Anthony Davis posted a double-double of 19 points and 14 boards.

Knicks 121, Nets 102

Julius Randle scored 19 of his 26 points in the first half as New York led most of the way in beating host Brooklyn in New York.

Randle made 9 of 20 shots and also grabbed seven rebounds. Donte DiVincenzo added 23 points and hit five of New York's 13 3-pointers as the Knicks led for the final 46-plus minutes. They won for the fourth time in six games.

The Nets lost for the fifth time in six games as Mikal Bridges struggled all night. Bridges was held to 15 points as he missed his first eight shots and missed 17 of 21 overall. Cam Thomas and Cameron Johnson scored 20 points apiece as the Nets shot a season-worst 36.6 percent despite hitting 15 treys.

Hawks 134, Rockets 127

Trae Young finished with at least 30 points and 10 assists for the fifth straight game, but the late-game production of reserves Bogdan Bogdanovic and Onyeka Okongwu carried visiting Atlanta past Houston.

Young finished with 30 points and 14 assists. Bogdanovic tallied 22 points, Okongwu paired 19 points with 11 rebounds, and Dejounte Murray added 21 points for the Hawks, who shot 51.6 percent from the floor.

VanVleet posted 32 points and 15 assists, while Smith grabbed 13 rebounds and finished 14 of 14 at the free-throw line. The Rockets had their 11-game homecourt winning streak snapped.

--Field Level Media

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