NEW YORK (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points and 16 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored eight points down the stretch and finished with 17 as the New York Knicks beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-95 on Tuesday night.
OG Anunoby scored 20 points and Precious Achiuwa had 11 points off the bench as the Knicks won their second straight game.
D’Angelo Russell finished with 23 points and 10 assists and Cam Johnson scored 16 for the Nets, who have lost four straight games and nine of their last 10.
New York had a double-digit lead in the third quarter before the Nets rallied and moved out to a one-point lead at 88-87 on a 3-pointer by Keon Johnson with 5:18 left.
The Knicks battled back and took the lead 91-90 with 2:18 left on a jumper by Brunson, who ended up making three straight shots, including a step-back jumper with 1:25 to play to put the Knicks ahead 95-92.
Russell answered with a 3-pointer to cut the Brooklyn deficit to 97-95 with 52 seconds left. Johnson then missed a 3-poin try before Brunson sealed the win with a pair of free throws.
TRAIL BLAZERS 116, HEAT 107
MIAMI (AP) — Anfernee Simons scored 24 points, Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 15 rebounds, and Portland beat Miami.
Jerami Grant finished with 18 points and Deni Avdija added 16 for the Blazers, who lost by 60 the last time they played in Miami on March 29.
Shaedon Sharpe had 12 points while Scoot Henderson and Dalano Banton finished with 11 each.
Rookie Kel’el Ware had 20 points and 16 rebounds and Duncan Robinson finished with 22 points for the Heat, playing without leading scorer Tyler Herro, who missed his first game of the season because of groin tightness. Jimmy Butler had 13.
The Blazers extended a six-point lead early in the third period with a 21-8 run. Ayton scored eight points during the surge that put Portland ahead 86-63.
Down 21 early in the fourth, the Heat narrowed the gap with a 19-4 run. Jaime Jaquez’s two free throws with 1:58 remaining got Miami within 112-105 before Grant made three of four free throws to give Portland a 115-105 lead with 35 seconds left.
RAPTORS 109, MAGIC 93
TORONTO (AP) — Scottie Barnes had 17 points and 11 rebounds, RJ Barrett scored 19 points and Toronto overcame a 21-point deficit to beat struggling Orlando.
Gradey Dick scored 17 points and Bruce Brown had 15 as Toronto snapped a four-game losing streak against Orlando.
The Raptors won for the first time this season when trailing at halftime. Toronto came in 0-23 in such games.
Dick had 10 points in the third, including two dunks, as the Raptors outscored Orlando 40-20 to turn a five-point halftime deficit into a 15-point advantage.
Paolo Banchero had 26 points and 12 rebounds for Orlando, which couldn’t hold on after taking leads of 10-0 and 32-11 in the opening period. The Magic have lost four straight.
NUGGETS 144, 76ERS 109
DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 27 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his 19th triple-double of the season, reserve Aaron Gordon was nearly perfect from the floor and Denver beat Philadelphia, extending the 76ers’ losing streak to seven games.
Jokic finished his triple-double late in the third quarter with an assist that led to a dunk from Gordon. Jokic didn’t play in the fourth quarter.
Gordon was 6 of 7 from the floor — 3 of 3 from 3-point range — and hit all four attempts at the free-throw line to finish with 19 points. The Nuggets had six players in double figures, including a 23-point performance from Julian Strawther.
Tyrese Maxey had 28 points and 10 assists for a Sixers team that remains without standout big man Joel Embiid due to swelling in his left knee.
This game was part of the NBA’s “Rivals Week” — a matchup that was expected to feature the last four NBA MVPs in Embiid (2023) and Jokic (’21, ’22, ’24). It got sidetracked by the injury to Embiid, who hasn’t played in Denver since 2019.
LAKERS 111, WIZARDS 88
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James had 21 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds one day after flying to Atlanta and back to watch a football game on his day off, and Los Angeles sent Washington to their 11th consecutive defeat with a victory.
James recorded his 121st career triple-double and his ninth of the season. The top scorer in NBA history showed no ill effects from his long trip Monday to watch his Ohio State Buckeyes’ College Football Playoff championship game victory over Notre Dame.
Anthony Davis had 29 points and 16 rebounds for Los Angeles. Dorian Finney-Smith hit four 3-pointers while scoring 16 points, and Austin Reaves added 16.
Bilal Coulibaly scored 17 points for the Wizards, who haven’t won since New Year’s Day. Jordan Poole and Corey Kispert had 15 points apiece for Washington, which dropped to 1-18 on the road midway through a six-game trip.
The Associated Press
