nba roundup | Saturday’s games

Mavericks 121, Cavaliers 116

DALLAS

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 22 points, Dirk Nowitzki closed within three points of Wilt Chamberlain on the NBA scoring list and the Dallas Mavericks ended a seven-game losing streak. Nowitzki got hot early in the fourth quarter and finished with 14 points to bring him to the cusp of Chamberlain for sixth place on the career scoring list. He has another home game on Monday before the team leaves on a three-game road trip. The Mavericks ended a seven-game losing streak and won for just the second time in 14 games. With leading scorer Luka Doncic out with a right knee contusion, Hardaway led a balanced Dallas attack with seven Mavs scoring in double figures. Maxi Kleber had 18, and Jalen Brunson and Dwight Powell 16 apiece. Collin Sexton scored 28 for the Cavaliers, the rookie’s fifth straight game above 20. Kevin Love and Cedi Osman each had 22 for Cleveland, which has lost three in a row.

Wizards 135, Grizzlies 128

WASHINGTON

Bradley Beal scored 40 points for the second straight night for Washington. Beal shot 12 of 17 from the field and made a career-high nine 3-pointers. The Wizards converted 17 of 35 from beyond the arc in a game that featured 20 lead changes. The Wizards, 11th in the Eastern Conference, moved within three games of eighth-place Miami. Jabari Parker had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Bobby Portis scored 18 points as Washington improved to 3-1 on a five-game homestand. Mike Conley had 28 points and 12 assists for Memphis. Jonas Valanciunas scored 22 points and Avery Bradley added 21.

Celtics 129, Hawks 120

BOSTON

Kyrie Irving just missed his second straight triple-double with 30 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, Jaylen Brown scored 23 points with a key 3-pointer and Boston held off Atlanta after blowing a 25-point second-half lead. Marcus Morris had 19 points and Jayson Tatum 18 for Boston, which has won six of eight. Trae Young led the Hawks with 26 points, John Collins scored 20 with 11 rebounds, Taurean Price had 17 points and Vince Carter scored 16.

Suns 138, Pelicans 136, OT

NEW ORLEANS

Josh Jackson hit a tying 3-pointer with 2 seconds left in overtime, the Pelicans were assessed a technical foul when they called a timeout they didn’t have and Devin Booker hit the free throw to give Phoenix the lead for good. Booker finished with 40 points to go with 13 assists, and Jackson, who had 19 points, scored the game’s final point on a free throw after he was fouled on an inbound pass with less than a second on the clock. Elfrid Payton had 16 points, 16 assists and 13 rebounds in his fourth straight triple-double — all coming in the midst of New Orleans’ six-game losing streak. Julius Randle had 21 points and 11 rebounds, but missed what turned out to be a pivotal free throw with 12 seconds left in overtime. Anthony Davis, who scored the game’s first points on an alley-oop dunk, had 15 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and a block in 22 minutes for New Orleans.

Associated Press