Julius Randle scored 26 points on 9-for-18 shooting and the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied for a 123-104 win over the Detroit Pistons in a game that featured a physical fracas Sunday in Minneapolis.
Anthony Edwards added 25 points and Rudy Gobert posted 19 points and a season-high 25 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Malik Beasley scored 27 to lead the Pistons, Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 20 points and Jalen Duren notched 13 points and 11 boards.
The game was marred by a skirmish in the second quarter that led to seven ejections. The sequence started when Pistons guard Ron Holland II fouled Timberwolves forward Naz Reid on a layup attempt. Reid took exception to the foul and shook his finger in Holland’s face.
A melee ensued after Donte DiVincenzo came to support Reid and Holland shoved him. DiVincenzo grabbed Holland and yanked him to the ground, and within moments a large crowd of players and coaches formed beyond the baseline as both teams continued grabbing and shoving.
Reid, DiVincenzo and assistant coach Pablo Prigioni were ejected for Minnesota. Holland, Isaiah Stewart, Marcus Sasser and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff were ejected for Detroit.
Rockets 148, Suns 109
Jalen Green recorded 33 points, Alperen Sengun added 16 points and nine rebounds, and Houston ran away with the road win over Phoenix.
Eight players scored in double figures for the Rockets, including Amen Thompson, who went for 12 points, 10 boards and nine assists. Fred VanVleet had 13 points and seven assists for Houston, which won its third straight.
Devin Booker paced the Suns with 28 points. Kevin Durant had 11 to go along with seven rebounds before he exited in the third quarter after spraining his ankle in a collision with Jabari Smith Jr.’s foot. Durant will undergo an MRI on Monday, per Phoenix coach Mike Budenholzer. Monte Morris finished with 10 points.
Cavaliers 127, Clippers 122
Donovan Mitchell had 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists to lead Cleveland to a home win over Los Angeles and secured the Cavaliers’ third 60-win regular season in franchise history.
Jarrett Allen added 25 points and 12 boards for Cleveland, which never trailed. Evan Mobley contributed 22 points, seven rebounds and three blocks for the Cavs, who have won 60 games in a season for the first time since 2010. The franchise record is 66 wins set the year before.
Norman Powell paced the Clippers with 34 points, with James Harden chipping in with 24 points, eight boards and eight assists.
Knicks 110, Trail Blazers 93
OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges scored 28 points apiece as host New York rallied from a 14-point deficit to defeat Portland and earn its fourth win in five games.
Karl-Anthony Towns added a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double and Josh Hart (14 points, nine assists, eight rebounds) almost secured a triple-double for the Knicks. Landry Shamet chipped in with 11 points off the bench and Precious Achiuwa added 10.
Deni Avdija scored 33 points for the struggling Trail Blazers, who fell 4 1/2 games behind the Sacramento Kings for 10th place in the West. Shaedon Sharpe had 23 points, Toumani Camara notched 16 and Anfernee Simons added 15 in the loss.
Hawks 145, Bucks 124
A career-high 36 points from Zaccharie Risacher set the tone as Atlanta rallied from an early first-quarter deficit and raced away with the road win over Milwaukee.
Trae Young logged 19 points and 19 assists for the Hawks, who snapped a two-game skid to grab the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. Dyson Daniels scored 22 and Georges Niang had 17.
The Bucks, who dropped their fourth straight, were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 31 points. Kevin Porter Jr. chipped in with 28, while Kyle Kuzma scored 25. Milwaukee led 44-37 after the first quarter but was then outscored 81-48 over the next two periods.
Warriors 148, Spurs 106
Brandin Podziemski poured in 27 points, hitting a career-high seven 3-pointers to lead a balanced offensive attack as visiting Golden State rolled past slumping San Antonio to move into sixth place in the Western Conference standings.
Moses Moody added 20 points for the Warriors, with Buddy Hield scoring 19, Draymond Green scoring 14 and Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler III racking up 13 points each. Golden State is 18-4 with Butler in the lineup since his trade to the Bay Area on Feb. 6.
The Spurs never seriously challenged the Warriors while giving up a season-high point total and dropping their fourth straight outing. They were led by reserve Keldon Johnson’s 19 points, while Sandro Mamukelashvili racked up 14 points and 11 rebounds, Malaki Branham added 13 points, Devin Vassell scored 12 and Julian Champagnie had 11.
Raptors 127, 76ers 109
RJ Barrett delivered 31 points to pace six double-digit scorers as Toronto notched a road victory over Philadelphia.
Toronto extended its winning streak to four games despite a quiet game from Scottie Barnes (nine points on 4-of-12 shooting). Ja’Kobe Walter picked up the slack with 17 points, while Jamison Battle chipped in with 16 points off the bench and Jamal Shead added 11 points and nine assists.
Lonnie Walker IV scored 23 points to pace Philadelphia, which lost its eighth straight game while playing without virtually all of its key players. Jalen Hood-Schifino contributed 18 points and Ricky Council IV pitched in with 17 points and 11 boards for the Sixers, who dropped all four meetings with the Raptors this season.
Pelicans 94, Hornets 94
Jose Alvarado hit a go-ahead three-point play with 31.1 seconds left and Keion Brooks Jr. added a layup to seal a win for host New Orleans over Charlotte.
Down one late after a Nick Smith Jr. 3-pointer, Alvarado made a lay-up as he was fouled, and he made the free throw to put New Orleans on top 96-94. The Hornets’ ensuing inbounds pass then sailed out of bounds, setting up a drive-and-dish from Alvarado to Brooks to ice the win.
Brooks paced the Pelicans with 17 points, Antonio Reeves had 16 and Kelly Olynyk scored 13. Miles Bridges had 20 for the Hornets, with Smith scoring 19 and Jusuf Nurkic finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
–Field Level Media
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