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 [March 12, 2024]
The Phoenix big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and
Bradley Beal combined to score 88 points, led by Durant's 37, and
the visiting Suns beat the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 117-111
on Monday.
Phoenix, opening a four-game road trip, overcame a sluggish start in
which it fell behind by as many as 19 points in the second quarter.
Beal scored 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor, part of
the Suns' 54.8 percent overall performance. In his return from a
four-game absence caused by a right ankle sprain, Booker scored 27
points.
Behind Durant, who grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists
to go with his game-high scoring total, the Suns chipped away at the
deficit before taking a lead they never relinquished shortly before
the midpoint of the third quarter.
The Phoenix advantage never grew to more than nine points, however,
as Darius Garland and Caris LeVert each contributed to keep
Cleveland within striking distance. Garland scored 30 points and
accounted for almost half of the Cavaliers' 15 made 3-pointers,
going 7-for-10 from deep.
Pistons 114, Hornets 97
Cade Cunningham had 22 points and eight assists and host Detroit
completed a season-series sweep of Charlotte.
Jalen Duren supplied 20 points and 10 rebounds and Simone Fontecchio
supplied 17 points and eight rebounds for the Pistons. Detroit has
won 11 games this season, with three coming at the Hornets' expense.
Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 24 points and Grant Williams
contributed 22. Brandon Miller had 19 points and seven assists.
Nuggets 125, Raptors 119
Nikola Jokic had 35 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists, Jamal Murray
added 26 points and 12 assists, and host Denver rallied from a
22-point deficit to beat short-handed Toronto.
Jokic has 21 triple-doubles this season and 126 in his career. Aaron
Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. scored 19 points each for Denver,
which has won nine of 10.
RJ Barrett finished with 26 points, Kelly Olynyk added 24 points and
Gradey Dick scored 17 points for Toronto, which has lost six of its
past seven.
Mavericks 127, Bulls 92
Luka Doncic had 27 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds for his
seventh straight triple-double and Dereck Lively II scored 22 points
to lift Dallas to a rout of host Chicago.
Daniel Gafford (20 points), Kyrie Irving (14) and Jaden Hardy (11)
also finished in double figures as the Mavericks won their third
straight on the heels of a season-high-tying, three-game losing
streak.
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Mar 11, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons center Jalen
Duren (0) drives to the hoop to dunk the ball against the Charlotte
Hornets in the third quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory
Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
Rookie Onuralp Bitim sparked the Bulls with a
career-best 17 points. DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic followed
with 13 points each.
Celtics 121, Trail Blazers 99
Jaylen Brown recorded 27 points, six rebounds and five assists and
Boston became the first NBA team to reach the 50-win mark this
season with a victory over host Portland.
Jayson Tatum added 26 points and eight assists and Sam Hauser scored
a season-best 22 points off the bench for the Celtics, who logged
their 13th victory in 15 games.
Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Trail Blazers,
who lost for the 10th time in their past 11 home games.
Warriors 112, Spurs 102
Jonathan Kuminga scored 22 points and Klay Thompson added 21 in his
return to the starting lineup as visiting Golden State defeated San
Antonio to gain a split of a home-and-home series between the teams.
The Warriors were without Stephen Curry because of an ankle injury
but didn't need him. Chris Paul contributed 19 points, nine rebounds
and eight assists for Golden State, which snapped a two-game skid.
Victor Wembanyama returned to action for the Spurs after missing two
games with a right ankle injury and led all scorers with 27 points
while adding 14 rebounds.
--Field Level Media
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