Alperen Sengun scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Kevin Durant added 20 points and the visiting Houston Rockets emerged with a 114-104 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
Sengun also had seven assists in Houston’s fifth straight win.
The Rockets built a 22-point lead in the third quarter before Cleveland pulled within 77-76 early in the fourth on a Donovan Mitchell 3-pointer. Aaron Holiday scored 14 of his 18 points in the final period to help Houston hold on.
Donovan Mitchell scored 21 points for Cleveland, but only two in the first three periods on 1-of-7 shooting. De’Andre Hunter led the hosts with 25 points, and Evan Mobley had 18 points and six rebounds.
Pacers 127, Hornets 118
Bennedict Mathurin posted 24 points and 12 rebounds as Indiana snapped an eight-game losing streak with a victory over Charlotte in Indianapolis.
The Pacers’ Pascal Siakam scored 22 points, while Jay Huff added a season-best 20 off the bench. Indiana didn’t shoot below 60% from the field or 50% from 3-point range in any of the first three quarters before fending off a gritty Charlotte rally in the fourth.
Kon Knueppel tallied 28 points, Miles Bridges added 25 and LaMelo Ball tallied 18 for the Hornets, who lost their fourth straight. Pat Connaughton and Knueppel caught fire in the fourth, inspiring a 15-0 Charlotte burst that slashed Indiana’s lead to 117-109.
Heat 110, Warriors 96
Norman Powell led a late charge to cap a 25-point night, Bam Adebayo returned from a six-game absence to contribute 20 points and host Miami took advantage of road-weary and short-handed Golden State.
Playing without Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III, Draymond Green, Al Horford and Jonathan Kuminga at the end of a six-game trip, the Warriors faded in the fourth quarter. Brandin Podziemski scored a team-high 20 points as Golden State finished 3-3 on its trek.
Adebayo started, played 29 minutes and grabbed seven rebounds. Andrew Wiggins chipped in with 17 points as the Heat won their second game in a row.
Raptors 121, 76ers 112
Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett scored 22 points each as visiting Toronto defeated Philadelphia for its fifth straight win.
The Raptors have won nine of their past 10 games overall, with the lone exception being a home loss to the 76ers on Nov. 8. Toronto avenged that setback thanks to key contributions from Ingram, Barrett, Jakob Poeltl (19 points), Immanuel Quickley (18) and Scottie Barnes (16 points, nine rebounds).
Tyrese Maxey scored 24 points to lead Philadelphia, which shot 40% from 3-point range and dominated the glass (41-31), but also committed 21 turnovers. Quentin Grimes and VJ Edgecombe added 21 points apiece for the hosts.
Thunder 113, Kings 99
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points to lead Oklahoma City to a home win over Sacramento.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 or more points for the 13th time this season and finished with eight rebounds. The Thunder have won 15 of 16 to begin the season, including seven consecutive. Chet Holmgren added 21 points and Luguentz Dort scored 14.
The Kings have lost seven straight games, including the first three on a five-game road trip. Dennis Schroeder led the Kings with 21 points off the bench. Zach LaVine equaled his season low of eight points for the second consecutive game.
Timberwolves 120, Wizards 109
Julius Randle totaled 32 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, helping Minnesota hold off Washington in Minneapolis.
Naz Reid scored 23 of his 28 points off the bench in the first half, while Anthony Edwards had 18 points for the Timberwolves, who have won eight of their past 10. Rudy Gobert had nine points and 15 boards.
Kyshawn George had 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Wizards, who dropped their 12th straight. CJ McCollum chipped in 14 points.
Nuggets 125, Pelicans 118
Peyton Watson scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, both career highs, Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds, and visiting Denver beat New Orleans.
Watson, who made a career-high five 3-pointers, recorded the first double-double of his four-year career. Jamal Murray scored 16 points, for the Nuggets, who were without Aaron Gordon (bilateral hamstring injury management).
Zion Williamson had 14 points in 29 minutes in his return to the New Orleans lineup. He missed the previous eight games with a left hamstring injury. Rookie Derik Queen finished with a season-high 30 points for the Pelicans, who have dropped seven straight.
