NBA roundup: Kevin Durant, Suns top Jazz in 2OT thriller

 

[November 20, 2023]  Kevin Durant scored 39 points and took over during a decisive stretch of the second overtime session to lift the Phoenix Suns to a thrilling 140-137 win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday night in Salt Lake City.

Devin Booker added 26 points, including a pair of free throws in the final second of the second OT, and dished out eight assists as the Suns won for the second time in Utah in three nights.

Lauri Markkanen had a monster game for the Jazz, scoring 38 points with 17 rebounds. He forced overtime with a bucket late in regulation. For a moment, it appeared that Markkanen would get a chance to force triple overtime.

Phoenix held a three-point lead in the final second -- after Booker's free throws with nine-tenths of a second left -- when Durant was called for fouling Markkanen in the act of shooting a corner 3. After a lengthy review, the officials reversed the ruling because they deemed that Durant hit the ball before smacking Markkanen's wrist.

Kings 129, Mavericks 113

Domantas Sabonis put up a double-double, De'Aaron Fox won his scoring duel over Kyrie Irving and Sacramento won its sixth straight game, outlasting host Dallas.

Sabonis had game highs of 32 points and 13 rebounds, while Fox chipped in with 30 points and seven assists as the Kings won for the third straight time on a six-game trip.

Luka Doncic had team highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds and added seven assists for the Mavericks, who lost their second game in as many days. Irving finished with 23 points as the Mavericks shot 46.6 percent overall and were outscored 51-36 on 3-pointers.

76ers 121, Nets 99

Joel Embiid poured in 32 points and came one assist shy of a triple-double as Philadelphia dispatched Brooklyn in New York.

Embiid added 12 rebounds to go along with his nine assists en route to his ninth double-double of the young season. He made 11 of 24 shots from the field and sank 9 of 10 free-throw attempts. Tyrese Maxey drained six 3-pointers and finished with 25 points and 10 assists for Philadelphia, which also got 21 points from De'Anthony Melton.

Lonnie Walker IV came off the bench to supply a team-high 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting for the Nets, who have dropped three of their past five games. Mikal Bridges chipped in 18 points.

Raptors 142, Pistons 113

Pascal Siakam scored 23 points and Toronto defeated visiting Detroit.

Jakob Poeltl added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who completed a 2-2 homestand. Gary Trent Jr. contributed 18 points, while Scottie Barnes and Dennis Schroder each scored 17. Toronto set a franchise record with 44 assists.

The Pistons lost their 11th consecutive game. Stanley Umude scored 19 points and Cade Cunningham had 18 points for Detroit.

Magic 128, Pacers 116

Orlando capped a four-game road swing with its third straight win, leading wire-to-wire after a dominant first half en route to defeating Indiana in Indianapolis.

Orlando scored the game's first 11 points and never looked back, building a lead of as many as 40. Paolo Banchero led six Magic scorers in double figures with 24 points. Franz Wagner scored 19 points and snared seven rebounds, and Jalen Suggs added 18 points.

No Pacers starter scored more than Bennedict Mathurin's 14 points. The Indiana bench breathed some life into the team in the fourth quarter, however. Jordan Nwora scored a team-high 19 points, helping key a 16-2 fourth-quarter run. Indiana cut the deficit down to 11 points late, outscoring Orlando 38-21 in the fourth quarter and 72-50 in the second half.

Nov 19, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) drives to the basket past Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Green (8) and forward Grant Williams (3) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Cavaliers 121, Nuggets 109

Darius Garland scored 26 points as one of six Cleveland players in double figures, and the Cavaliers beat visiting Denver.

Craig Porter scored 21 points, Evan Mobley had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Jarrett Allen chipped in with 15 points for the Cavaliers.

Michael Porter Jr. scored 21 points, Nikola Jokic had 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and Christian Braun contributed 13 points for Denver, which has lost two straight games for the first time since the second round of last season's playoffs.

Celtics 102, Grizzlies 100

Kristaps Porzingis had 26 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots to help visiting Boston stretch its winning streak to six games by beating depleted Memphis.

A Porzingis dunk broke a 100-100 tie with 1:01 to play. Santi Aldama had a chance to put Memphis in front, but his 3-point attempt with 4.1 seconds remaining was off the mark. Ziaire Williams tracked down the rebound, but Porzingis blocked his shot at the buzzer.

The Grizzlies received a game-high 30 points from Desmond Bane, who also had eight assists. Memphis listed eight players as out on its injury report, with former Celtic Marcus Smart (foot) among those names.

Thunder 134, Trail Blazers 91

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points on 10-of-13 shooting in just 23 minutes on the floor as Oklahoma City dismantled host Portland for its fifth consecutive victory.

Chet Holmgren scored 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting as the Thunder beat Portland for the ninth consecutive time. Isaiah Joe added 15 points on five 3-pointers for Oklahoma City, which led by as many as 47 points.

Jerami Grant scored 14 points and Jabari Walker added 13 for Portland, which lost its seventh straight game. Skylar Mays had 11 points and seven assists and Deandre Ayton added 11 points for the Trail Blazers, whose only lead was at 2-0.

Lakers 105, Rockets 104

LeBron James scored a season-high 37 points, Anthony Davis added 27 points and 10 rebounds before he fouled out and host Los Angeles used its star power to exact some revenge on Houston.

James added eight assists and six rebounds as the Lakers won for the fifth time in six games since they were crushed 128-94 at Houston on Nov. 8 in a game Davis missed because of a hip injury.

Dillon Brooks led a balanced Rockets attack with 24 points, while Alperen Sengun scored 23. Fred VanVleet had 15 points and 16 assists for Houston, which also lost to the Clippers in Los Angeles on Friday to snap a six-game winning streak.

--Field Level Media

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