RECAPS OF SATURDAY’S OTHER NBA GAMES

Wizards 130, Charlotte 126

WASHINGTON

Trevor Ariza scored 24 points and was one of seven Washington players in double figures as the Wizards defeated the Hornets amid news five-time All-Star guard John Wall will have season-ending surgery. Thomas Bryant added 21 points and 10 rebounds and Ariza had nine assists and seven rebounds for Washington, which won for the third time in 12 games. The Wizards announced that Wall would undergo surgery to address bone spurs in his left heel and miss at least six months. The Wizards also overcame an uncharacteristic 7-of-19 shooting from leading scorer Bradley Beal, who finished with 19 points. Tomas Satoransky added 20 on a night rookie Troy Brown was the only Wizards player not to reach double figures. Kemba Walker scored 24 of his 47 points in the fourth quarter and nearly lifted Charlotte to a remarkable comeback when his 3-pointer cut the lead to a point with 1.9 seconds to play. Nicolas Batum added 17 points for the Hornets, who fell to 4-11 on the road and are facing a six-game West Coast road trip early in January. Washington went 20-21 last season without Wall, who missed many of those games while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The Wizards are nine games below .500 (14-23) this season, despite Saturday’s victory.

Jazz 129, Knicks 97

SALT LAKE CITY

Rudy Gobert had 25 points and 16 rebounds as the Jazz defeated the Knicks. Dante Exum scored 13 points and had a career-high 13 assists in his first start of the season. Exum filled in for Ricky Rubio, who sat out with lower back and left knee contusions. Donovan Mitchell added 15 points and Kyle Korver chipped in 15 off the bench for the Jazz, who won for the sixth time in seven home games. The Jazz outscored New York 70-26 in the paint, matching a franchise record for points in the paint, and finished with a 60-35 rebounding advantage. Tim Hardaway, Jr. scored 18 points and Luke Kornet added 14 in his second start for the Knicks. New York lost its seventh straight. The Knicks have one win in their last 13 games overall. Utah quickly took control of the game, hitting its first six baskets in the paint and scoring 24 points in the paint by the end of the first quarter. Gobert led the way, scoring 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the period. Gobert’s last three baskets in the quarter were part of a 17-5 run that pushed Utah to a double-digit lead. Korver punctuated the run with a 3-pointer from the corner that put the Jazz up 30-14.

Celtics 112, Grizzlies 103

MEMPHIS, TENN.

Kyrie Irving had 26 points and 13 assists, Al Horford added 18 points, including a pair of key 3-pointers in the closing 1:32, and the Celtics rallied to beat the Grizzlies. Marcus Morris scored 22 points for Boston, and Gordon Hayward had 14 off the bench. Mike Conley led Memphis with 26 points, while Dillon Brooks added 19. Jaren Jackson Jr and Marc Gasol finished with 15 points apiece. Irving scored 22 in the second half for the Celtics, who trailed by 19 early in the second half but force the Grizzlies into 1-for-16 shooting to start the fourth. A pair of layups by Irving erased the Memphis lead at the midway point of the period. The teams exchanged the lead five times in the quarter before baskets from Morris and Hayward gave Boston a slight edge. Horford’s 3-pointer with 1:32 left gave Boston a 103-99 lead and another one with 34 seconds left — his fifth of the night — ended Memphis’ hopes. Memphis played a solid first half to carry a 64-47 lead at the break. The Grizzlies shot 65 percent for the half, despite going 4 of 13 from outside the arc. Conley had 12 and Gasol and Jackson added 11 apiece for Memphis.

Bucks 129, Nets 115

MILWAUKEE

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, helping to turn away Brooklyn’s attempt to rally from a 23-point deficit early in the fourth quarter, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the undermanned Nets. Khris Middleton scored 29 points despite a quad injury, while Brook Lopez added 24 on 7-of-15 shooting from the 3-point arc. Milwaukee shot 49 percent from the field, including 21 of 51 (41 percent) from the 3-point line to extend their NBA-best record to 25-10. The Bucks have won three straight and seven of eight. But they nearly squandered their big lead after the Nets went on a 14-0 run in the fourth, and Shabazz Napier’s 7-footer with 4:51 left trimmed the deficit to seven. Middleton and Antetokounmpo, the Bucks’ two best players, took over from there to give Milwaukee its third straight win and seventh in eight games.

Rockets 108, Pelicans 104

NEW ORLEANS

James Harden scored 41 points, becoming the first NBA player since Oscar Robertson to record at least 35 points and five assists in seven consecutive games, to power the Houston Rockets to a victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Harden had 26 points in the first half and reached 40 for the third straight game. He was 7 for 16 from 3-point range, made all 14 free throws and added six assists. Anthony Davis looked sluggish a night after scoring a season-high 48 points in a victory over Dallas, taking only five shots in the first half and finishing with 22 points. Julius Randle led the Pelicans with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Houston led 77-76 after three and scored the first seven points of the fourth period, five coming from Danuel House Jr. on a reverse layup and an open 3-pointer. The Rockets extended their lead to 101-86 with 5:57 left, but the Pelicans went on a 13-2 run, with Davis scoring six, to cut the deficit to 103-99.

Associated Press