Donte DiVincenzo buried a pair of late 3-pointers, Julius Randle led the way in the absence of Anthony Edwards with 27 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves spoiled Stephen Curry’s 39-point return by defeating the Golden State Warriors 127-120 in San Francisco on Friday night.
Rudy Gobert had two dunks in a 17-0 fourth-quarter flurry and finished with a 24-point, 14-rebound double-double for the Timberwolves, who won for the sixth time in their last seven games despite playing without Edwards (foot) and backcourt mate Mike Conley (Achilles).
In action for the first time since suffering a strained left quad on Nov. 26, Curry was 14 of 28 from the field, including 6 of 15 from 3-point range, for the Warriors, who also were missing two key players in Draymond Green (personal) and Al Horford (back).
Seeking a third straight win, the Warriors led 96-91 after a layup by Moses Moody in the second minute of the fourth period. The Timberwolves then seized control by scoring 17 straight points while the hosts were missing eight straight shots and mixing in a pair of turnovers.
Cavaliers 130, Wizards 126
Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 48 points to help Cleveland rally for a win over host Washington.
Mitchell hit eight 3-pointers, while Evan Mobley added 23 points and 13 rebounds and Darius Garland chipped in 18 points for the Cavaliers, who trailed by 17 points late in the third quarter. De’Andre Hunter scored 15 and Jaylon Tyson had 13 for Cleveland, which outscored Washington 45-26 in the fourth.
CJ McCollum and Bub Carrington led Washington with 27 points apiece. Marvin Bagley III finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds in the Wizards’ fourth straight loss.
Mavericks 119, Nets 111
Anthony Davis recorded 24 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots to help host Dallas beat Brooklyn for the Mavericks’ fifth win in six games.
Cooper Flagg had 22 points and eight assists for the Mavericks, while Naji Marshall scored 17 points, Max Christie had 15 off the bench and P.J. Washington added 13 for Dallas.
Michael Porter Jr. poured in 34 points and was 6 of 10 from 3-point range for the Nets. The output gave Porter a career-best four consecutive 30-point outings and he has reached that mark nine times overall this season. Brooklyn had won three of its previous four games.
Pistons 142, Hawks 115
Isaiah Stewart amassed 17 points, five rebounds and five assists to lead a balanced attack as Eastern Conference-leading Detroit overwhelmed visiting Atlanta.
Eight Pistons recorded double figures in scoring and two others tallied nine points. Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson contributed 15 points apiece, while Jalen Duren supplied 14 points and seven rebounds. Ronald Holland and Ausar Thompson added 12 points apiece, and Caris LeVert chipped in 10 points with eight assists.
Atlanta’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker led all scorers with 22 points. Jalen Johnson recorded a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. Dyson Daniels added 18 points with 10 rebounds and five assists. The Hawks have dropped four of their last five games.
Jazz 130, Grizzlies 126
Keyonte George scored a career-high 39 points, Lauri Markkanen added 26 and Kevin Love had a season-best 20 to lead Utah past host Memphis in Ja Morant’s return to the Grizzlies.
Santi Aldama led the Grizzlies with 22 points and Morant contributed 21 points and 10 assists after missing 10 games with a calf strain. Cam Spencer added 20 points off the bench and went 6-for-6 from beyond the arc.
George dominated in the opening half. He made eight of his 13 field-goal attempts, including four of his six 3-pointers, and had 27 points at the break. George was held scoreless in the third quarter, but had 12 points in the fourth, including Utah’s final six points.
Bulls 129, Hornets 126
Josh Giddey scored 26 points, including six in the final 90 seconds, as Chicago came back to beat host Charlotte to end a seven-game losing streak.
Coby White poured in 20 points and reserves Zach Collins and Patrick Williams each scored 16 points for the Bulls, who avenged a loss in the same building from two weeks earlier. Giddey added 11 assists and seven rebounds in an all-around effort.
Kon Knueppel racked up 33 points and nine assists and Miles Bridges scored 20 of his 32 points in the first half for the Hornets, who’ve lost four of their last five games. Brandon Miller added 18 points as Charlotte remained without LaMelo Ball because of an ankle injury. Team rebounding leader Moussa Diabate was back for Charlotte, though he had only two points and three rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench.
76ers 115, Pacers 105
Joel Embiid scored a season-high 39 points as Philadelphia topped visiting Indiana. Playing in just his 10th game of the season, Embiid surpassed his previous high of 29 points while getting help from Paul George (season-high 23 points) and VJ Edgecombe (22 points).
Indiana, which was aiming to win a third straight game for the first time this season, was led by Pascal Siakam’s 20 points. Andrew Nembhard contributed 18 points and seven assists for the Pacers, while former Sixer T.J. McConnell chipped in with 15 points off the bench.
The game was tied at 102-102 with under four minutes left when George found Dominick Barlow (10 pts.) for the go-ahead layup. George had a driving layup of his own down the stretch, while Embiid knocked down a jumper shortly thereafter to help Philadelphia create some separation.
