Joel Embiid had 25 points, 19 rebounds, five blocked shots and four assists to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-87 on Friday.
Tyrese Maxey added 24 points and Tobias Harris contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds. Matisse Thybulle chipped in with 10 points.
The 76ers played their first game since making a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday. Philadelphia sent Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond, Seth Curry and two first-round draft picks to the Nets for James Harden and Paul Millsap. Since the players haven’t finalized their physicals, the 76ers played without all five, leaving them short-handed.
Derrick Favors scored 16 points while Luguentz Dort and Aleksej Pokusevski added 15 each for the Thunder, who dropped their fourth game in a row.
Spurs 136, Hawks 121
Dejounte Murray recorded his 11th triple-double of the season and visiting San Antonio rolled to a win over Atlanta.
Murray tied his career high with 32 points on 11-for-18 shooting, tied his career high with 15 assists and added 10 rebounds. He now has 15 career triple-doubles, surpassing David Robinson for the all-time franchise lead.
The Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 23 and Danilo Gallinari scored 16, allowing him to surpass the 11,000-point career mark.
Celtics 108, Nuggets 102
Jayson Tatum scored 24 points and Marcus Smart added 22 as Boston topped visiting Denver to extend its winning streak to seven games.
Robert Williams III had 15 points and 16 rebounds for the Celtics, who trailed 88-86 with 8:26 left. Derrick White contributed 15 points and six rebounds off the Boston bench in his first game since being acquired from the Spurs.
Nikola Jokic paced Denver with 23 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. Aaron Gordon scored 17 points as the Nuggets fell for the fourth time in six games.
Bulls 134, Timberwolves 122
DeMar DeRozan continued his torrid play with 35 points, six rebounds and six assists to lead Chicago to a victory over visiting Minnesota.
Nikola Vucevic recorded 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and Javonte Green matched his career best of 23 points for the Bulls. Coby White equaled his season best of six 3-pointers while scoring 22 points as Chicago moved within one game of the first-place Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference.
Anthony Edwards had 31 points and eight assists and Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Timberwolves. Minnesota has lost two in a row after a five-game winning streak.
Hornets 141, Pistons 119
LaMelo Ball racked up 31 points, 12 assists and four steals, Terry Rozier notched a triple-double and visiting Charlotte snapped a six-game losing streak by pounding Detroit.
Rozier had 25 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as the Hornets defeated the Pistons for the 15th consecutive time. Miles Bridges supplied 25 points and Montrezl Harrell, acquired from the Washington Wizards on Thursday, contributed 15 points and six rebounds in his Charlotte debut.
Detroit took its seventh straight loss and its 11th of the past 12 games. Saddiq Bey led the Pistons with 25 points and Hamidou Diallo supplied 16 points with seven rebounds.
Cavaliers 120, Pacers 113
Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen each scored 22 points to lead Cleveland past at Indiana in Indianapolis.
The Cavaliers rallied from a 21-point first-half deficit, their largest comeback of the season. LeVert was making his first start of the season for Cleveland, which acquired him from Indiana on Sunday.
Tyrese Haliburton had a game-high 23 points in his first game for the Pacers after a trade from the Sacramento Kings. Oshae Brissett and Chris Duarte each added 18 points for Indiana.
Jazz 114, Magic 99
Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points and reserve Hassan Whiteside contributed 15 points and 18 rebounds as Utah beat Orlando in Salt Lake City for its fifth consecutive win.
Jordan Clarkson added 18 points for the Jazz, who exploded for 70 points in the second half. Royce O’Neale chipped in with 14 points, five assists and four steals.
Wendell Carter Jr. scored 22 and grabbed nine rebounds for Orlando, which fell to 1-1 on its four-game road trip and lost for the third time in four games.
–Field Level Media
