NBA roundup

NBA roundup

Friday’s games

76ers 120, Wizards 112

PHILADELPHIA

Robert Covington had 25 points and 11 rebounds and Dario Saric added 20 points and 11 boards. Bradley Beal had 40 points and John Wall scored 29 for the Southeast Division-leading Wizards. On a day the Sixers announced No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons will not play this season, their other young players stepped up to make up for the absence of star center Joel Embiid and the trades of center Nerlens Noel and forward Ersan Ilyasova.

Pacers 102, Grizzlies 92

INDIANAPOLIS

CJ Miles made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points, Paul George had nine points and nine rebounds after remaining with Indiana following the trade deadline, and the Pacers snapped a six-game losing streak. Monta Ellis finished with 16 points, Myles Turner scored 12, and Lavoy Allen, Jeff Teague and Thaddeus Young each added 10 for the Pacers.

Timberwolves 97, Mavericks 84

MINNEAPOLIS

Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 18 rebounds and Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points to help the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks. Ricky Rubio added 13 points and 14 assists a day after the Timberwolves declined an opportunity to trade him to the New York Knicks for Derrick Rose. The Wolves shot 52.6 percent to pull within 21/2 games of Denver for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

Jazz 109, Bucks 95

MILWAUKEE

Gordon Hayward scored 29 points, Derrick Favors added 19 and the Utah Jazz beat the Milwaukee Bucks, dominating the paint in their first game back from the All-Star break. Hayward finished 11 of 17 from the field, breaking free for short, open jumpers or dunks. The 6-foot-10 Favors shot 9 of 14, often going strong to the hoop. Center Rudy Gobert had 15 points and 16 rebounds for Utah, which held a 52-34 edge on points in the paint. The Jazz led by 13 at halftime, with the Bucks rarely trimming the lead to single digits.

Thunder 110, Lakers 93

OKLAHOMA CITY

Russell Westbrook scored 17 points in his 28th triple-double of the season, and his new teammates fit in seamlessly as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers. Westbrook also had 18 rebounds and 17 assists for the 65th triple-double of his career. It was the first game for new Thunder players Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott, acquired Thursday in a trade with the Chicago Bulls. Gibson scored 12 points and McDermott added eight, even though they arrived Thursday night and weren’t even available for shootaround on Friday. Alex Abrines and Andre Roberson each set a career high with 19 points, and Steven Adams added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder. D’Angelo Russell scored 29 for the Lakers.

Heat 108, Hawks 90

ATLANTA

Tyler Johnson scored 23 points and the resurgent Miami Heat helped add new lift to their playoff hopes by beating the Atlanta Hawks. Miami (26-32) has won 15 of 17 to move to within four games of .500. Miami was a season-low 19 games under .500 at 11-30 following a loss to Milwaukee on Jan. 13. Miami began the night 10th in the East, 2 1/2 games behind eighth-place Detroit. The Heat made 17 of 37 3-pointers to dominate the short-handed Hawks.

Raptors 107, Celtics 97

TORONTO

DeMar DeRozan scored a career-high 43 points and the Toronto Raptors rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat the Boston Celtics 107-97 on Friday night. DeRozan shot 15 of 28 from the floor as he surpassed his 42-point effort against the Houston Rockets on March 30, 2015, helping the Raptors overcome the absence of fellow All-Star Kyle Lowry. Lowry sat out with a right wrist injury. Serge Ibaka, acquired by trade from the Orlando Magic last week, scored 15 points in his debut, while fellow newcomer P.J. Tucker, picked up from the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, had a game-high 10 rebounds and nine points in his first game for his new team.

Bulls 128, Suns 121 OT

CHICAGO

Dwyane Wade scored 23 points, Jimmy Butler added 22 and the Chicago Bulls rallied to beat the Phoenix Suns. Devin Booker scored 27 points for Phoenix, but missed a chance to win it in regulation after Wade fouled him on a 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left. Booker hit the first two free throws to tie it, then missed the third. Wade and Butler led the Bulls as they rallied from 11 down in the fourth quarter to beat the Western Conference’s last-place team. Both players scored 14 points after the third quarter to help the Bulls win their third straight.

Associated Press