NBA roundup: Warriors roll in emotional return to court

 

[January 25, 2024]  Jonathan Kuminga tied a franchise record by making all 11 of his shots in a 25-point performance and the Golden State Warriors honored the memory of Dejan Milojevic with a 134-112 romp over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night in San Francisco.

The evening began with an on-court tribute to Milojevic, the former Hawks summer-league coach and three-year Warriors assistant who died on Jan. 17 after having a heart attack at a Golden State team dinner the previous night in Salt Lake City.

Stephen Curry chipped in with 25 points for Golden State, and Klay Thompson added 24 for the Warriors, who were playing their first game in nine days after two postponements. Kuminga's 11-for-11 shooting night matched that of Chris Mullin at Miami on Dec. 1, 1990.

Dejounte Murray had 23 points and Jalen Johnson 21 for the Hawks, who dropped both games on a three-day Northern California swing without Trae Young, sidelined due to a concussion.

Bucks 126, Cavaliers 116

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points to lead Milwaukee Bucks over visiting Cleveland in the Bucks' first game after dismissing head coach Adrian Griffin.

Antetokounmpo finished with his seventh triple-double of the season, racking up 18 rebounds and 10 assists. Damian Lillard added 28 points while Khris Middleton scored 24.

Cleveland, which had won eight in a row, was led by Donovan Mitchell, who scored 23 points but shot 10 of 24. Jarrett Allen added 21 and 12 rebounds.

Grizzlies 105, Heat 96

Vince Williams Jr. scored a career-high 25 points, Scotty Pippen Jr. played the best game of his career in just his second appearance of the season and Memphis handed host Miami its fourth straight loss.

Pippen, who Memphis signed to a two-way contract last week, came off the bench to score 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor, grab six rebounds and dish out six assists. All were career highs for the second-year guard, who had only played a total of 37 minutes in the NBA prior to Wednesday.

Terry Rozier, playing in his first game with Miami since being traded from Charlotte, scored nine points off the bench on just 3-of-11 shooting and committed three of the Heat's 17 total turnovers.

Suns 132, Mavericks 109

Devin Booker scored 30 of his 46 points in the second half as visiting Phoenix rallied for its seventh straight win, beating Dallas.

Bradley Beal had 20 points, Grayson Allen scored 15 and Kevin Durant had 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for Phoenix, which trailed by as many as 16 in the second quarter before outscoring the Mavericks 43-20 in the third. Booker scored 22 points in the decisive third quarter and finished shooting 17 of 23 from the field and 6 of 10 from 3-point range for the game. Booker also had seven rebounds.

Luka Doncic led Dallas with 34 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 17 points and Jaden Hardy added 11. Grant Williams scored eight points before being ejected midway through the third quarter after receiving his second technical foul.

Thunder 140, Spurs 114

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posted 32 points and 10 assists in three quarters of play as visiting Oklahoma City poured it on in the second half to post a win over San Antonio.

The Thunder, playing the second game of a home-road back-to-back, pulled away in a dominating third quarter to win their fourth straight game and forge a tie for the best record in the Western Conference. Aaron Wiggins poured in 22 points off the bench for the Thunder, with Chet Holmgren adding 17.

Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Devin Vassell added 21, Blake Wesley scored 12, Malaki Branham had 11 and Zach Collins hit for 10 points in the loss, the second straight setback for San Antonio.

Timberwolves 118, Wizards 107

Anthony Edwards scored 38 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 15 of his 27 points in the third quarter to fuel visiting Minnesota to a victory over Washington.

Edwards offset an 11-for-28 performance from the floor by making 13 of 14 attempts from the foul line. Towns went 11-for-24 from the floor -- albeit 2-for-10 from 3-point range -- in his first game since posting a franchise-record 62-point performance in a 128-125 setback against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday. Rudy Gobert collected 19 points and 16 rebounds and Jaden McDaniels added 13 points for the Timberwolves, who snapped a two-game losing streak despite playing without Mike Conley (illness).

Washington's Deni Avdija drained four 3-pointers to highlight his 24-point effort. Marvin Bagley III recorded 17 points and a season-high 15 rebounds and Kyle Kuzma had 17 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists for the Wizards, who have lost five in a row and 11 of their past 12 games.

Blazers 137, Rockets 131 (OT)

Anfernee Simons scored 33 points, Jerami Grant ended regulation with a game-tying 3-pointer and visiting Portland outlasted Houston in overtime.

Grant had 21 points and nine assists, and it was his bank shot at the buzzer that forced the extra period. The Trail Blazers methodically pulled away in overtime, with Deandre Ayton (18 points, 17 rebounds) converting a critical second-chance basket with 10.2 seconds left.

Alperen Sengun posted 30 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Rockets, while Jalen Green scored 29 points. However, Houston went cold from the perimeter late, shooting 1-for-10 on 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter and overtime combined.

Pistons 113, Hornets 106

Bojan Bogdanovic poured in 34 points and host Detroit downed Charlotte.

Alec Burks had 15 points and Jalen Duren supplied 14 with eight rebounds in Detroit's fifth win this season. Isaiah Stewart added 11 points and eight rebounds.

Brandon Miller led Charlotte with 23 points and seven rebounds, Nick Richards had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Miles Bridges contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds. LaMelo Ball added 17 points and seven assists before fouling out.

--Field Level Media

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