NBA roundup: Joel Embiid returns, carries 76ers past Rockets

 

[January 16, 2024]  Joel Embiid had 41 points and 10 rebounds to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers over the Houston Rockets 124-115 on Monday.

Embiid had missed seven of the past nine games, including the past three, due to knee and ankle injuries. He returned Monday to produce his 17th straight game with at least 30 points and his 16th in a row with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds. In addition, Embiid reached the 40-point mark for the seventh time this season.

Tyrese Maxey added 27 points while Patrick Beverley scored 11 and Tobias Harris chipped in with 10 for the Sixers.

Jalen Green led the Rockets with 20 points and Alperen Sengun added 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Houston made a late push with all reserves playing, but the result had already been decided.

Grizzlies 116, Warriors 107

Vince Williams Jr. and GG Jackson went for career-high point totals, Stephen Curry committed two backcourt turnovers in a key fourth-quarter sequence and Memphis defeated visiting Golden State in Draymond Green's return to the court.

Williams scored 24 points and Jackson had 23 off the bench for the Grizzlies, who scored 60 points on 3-pointers and 32 points on free throws. Memphis ended a two-game losing streak despite missing Ja Morant, Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane, among others.

Curry had game highs of 26 points and eight assists for the Warriors, who welcomed back Green from a 16-game absence, the first 12 of which were the result of an NBA suspension. Coming off the bench, Green finished with seven points, seven rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes.

Mavericks 125, Pelicans 120

Kyrie Irving scored 42 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. made nine 3-pointers and scored 41 and short-handed Dallas defeated visiting New Orleans.

Josh Green scored 13 points and Dereck Lively II had 12 rebounds for the Mavericks, who played without Luka Doncic (ankle), Dante Exum (plantar fascia) and Derrick Jones Jr. (calf) but managed to outscore New Orleans 33-21 in the fourth quarter.

Zion Williamson scored 30 points to lead the Pelicans. CJ McCollum had 23. New Orleans missed an opportunity to tie the game when Williamson made 1 of 2 free throws, leaving Dallas with a 121-120 lead with 17.7 seconds left. Brandon Ingram missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds remaining.

Magic 98, Knicks 94

Cole Anthony scored six points over the final 6:30 and hit the go-ahead basket for Orlando, which overcame a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to edge host New York.

Paolo Banchero scored five of his team-high 20 points during a game-ending 17-6 run for the Magic, who trailed by as many as 11 in the third quarter before snapping a three-game losing streak.

Miles McBride led the Knicks with a career-high 20 points in place of Jalen Brunson, who missed a second straight game with a bruised calf. OG Anunoby added 17 points for New York, which has dropped two of three since a five-game winning streak.

Pistons 129, Wizards 117

Alec Burks came off the bench to tie his career high with 34 points and Jalen Duren matched his career best with 19 rebounds as Detroit snapped a seven-game losing streak with a win against host Washington.

Detroit came into the matchup winless since snapping its previous losing skid, an NBA-record 28 straight, and without a road victory since beating Charlotte on Oct. 27. The Pistons enjoyed advantages of 25-15 in second-chance points and 60-46 in points in the paint.

Tyus Jones led the Wizards with 22 points, Kyle Kuzma finished with 21 points and a team-high eight rebounds and Jordan Poole scored 16 points.

Hawks 109, Spurs 99

Trae Young broke out of a scoring slump with a 36-point performance, including his 10,000th career point, and led Atlanta to a win over visiting San Antonio.

Jan 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) controls the ball against Houston Rockets forward Jeff Green (32) during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Young, who shot 29.3 percent from the floor over the three previous games, connected on his first six 3-point attempts and scored 29 points in the first half. He finished the game shooting 11-for-24 from the field and 6-for-11 on threes while adding 13 assists. Atlanta also got 16 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and a career-high six steals from Jalen Johnson.

San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama scored 26 points, all in the second half, and grabbed 13 rebounds. Jeremy Sochan scored 23 points to along with eight boards.

Cavaliers 109, Bulls 91

Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points and Jarrett Allen recorded his ninth straight double-double as Cleveland won its fifth straight, beating visiting Chicago.

Caris LeVert scored 16 points, Sam Merrill added 15 and Allen finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds for Cleveland, which led by as many as 21 in the third quarter.

Chicago rallied to take its first lead of the game at 81-80 early in the fourth quarter, but the Cavaliers quickly regained control and held on for their sixth straight win over the Bulls. Coby White led Chicago with 18 points.

Heat 96, Nets 95 (OT)

Jimmy Butler scored 31 points in a successful return from a sprained toe and hit the go-ahead free throws with 11.8 seconds left in overtime as Miami outlasted struggling Brooklyn in New York.

Butler made 8 of 12 field-goal attempts and hit 15 of 16 free throws. Tyler Herro scored 23 of his 29 points after halftime for the Heat, who shot 37.9 percent overall. Bam Adebayo contributed 11 points and a season-high 20 rebounds for Miami.

Mikal Bridges scored 26 points to lead the Nets, who dropped their third straight and lost for the 13th time in 16 games. Cam Thomas added 23 points.

Celtics 105, Raptors 96

Jayson Tatum had 19 points, 14 rebounds and six assists as visiting Boston defeated Toronto.

Jrue Holiday added 22 points and seven assists for the Celtics, who have defeated the Raptors in eight consecutive meetings. Derrick White also finished with 22 points.

RJ Barrett scored 24 points and pulled down nine rebounds for the Raptors, who were returning from a 2-4 road trip. Toronto hit 40 percent of its shots from the floor but was a miserable 4 of 32 (12.5 percent) from long distance.

Jazz 132, Pacers 105

Lauri Markkanen recorded 32 points and 10 rebounds and Utah extended its season-best winning streak to six games with a wire-to-wire victory over Indiana at Salt Lake City.

Collin Sexton scored a season-high 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting as Utah won for the 12th time in 14 games. Keyonte George scored 19 points, Jordan Clarkson added 17 and John Collins had 10 as the Jazz registered their ninth consecutive home victory.

Buddy Hield and Andrew Nembhard scored 14 points apiece for the Pacers, who dropped to 2-2 without star Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring).

--Field Level Media

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