NBA: Rockets beat Magic for eighth straight victory

Jalen Green scored 26 points, Alperen Sengun had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to a season-best eight games, beating the Orlando Magic 116-108 on Wednesday night.

Fred VanVleet added 19 points for the Rockets, who maintained their second-place position in the Western Conference, ahead of - among others - the surging Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.

Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 31 points. Franz Wagner added 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and reserve Goga Bitadze had 19 points and eight rebounds.

Green and VanVleet made 3-pointers to open and close a 12-0 run late in the third quarter that left the Rockets with an 80-65 lead.

The poorest free-throw shooting team in the NBA, the Rockets made 29 of 32 (90.6%) from the foul line.

Cunningham’s last-second 3 keeps Heat reeling

Cade Cunningham banked in a 3-pointer with less than a second remaining, giving the Detroit Pistons a 116-113 win over Miami and sending the Heat to their ninth consecutive loss.

Cunningham had his ninth triple-double of the season with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for the Pistons, who trailed for most of the second half and never led by more than two until the final second.

Bam Adebayo finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Heat, who are stuck in their longest losing streak since an 11-game slide during the 2007-08 season.

Tyler Herro had 29 points for Miami, and the Heat outscored the Pistons by eight points in the 37 minutes he was on the floor.

Miami was ahead 93-88 entering the fourth quarter and led by eight in the final period but lost for the NBA-leading 12th time this season when holding a lead at any point in the fourth.

Cunningham is the fourth player with two triple-doubles against Miami in a season, joining James Harden (2016-17), Domantas Sabonis (2023-24) and Nikola Jokic (this season).

Short-handed Kings beat Cavaliers

DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points and the short-handed Sacramento Kings handed the Cleveland Cavaliers their third straight loss with a 123-119 victory.

DeRozan made back-to-back baskets down the stretch to give the Kings a 119-116 lead, and they closed it out from there for their second consecutive win following a four-game losing streak.

Malik Monk added 20 points as the Kings won without stars Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine.

Evan Mobley scored 22 of his 31 points in the final 15 minutes for Cleveland, but it wasn't enough to help the Cavs get back on the winning track. Cleveland has matched its longest skid of the season following a 16-game winning streak.

With Darius Garland resting, Mobley took over for a stretch in the second half. He scored Cleveland’s final seven points of the third quarter and the first eight of the fourth for 15 in a row to get the game back tied after the Cavs trailed by 11.

Sacramento went on a 7-0 run midway through the fourth to take a 109-107 lead. DeRozan tied it with a 3-pointer and Carter then had a steal and dunk to put the Kings ahead.

Wednesday's scores
Indiana Pacers 135, Dallas Mavericks 131
Orlando Magic 108, Houston Rockets 116
Miami Heat 113, Detroit Pistons 116
San Antonio Spurs 120, New York Knicks 105
Oklahoma City Thunder 133, Philadelphia 76ers
Minnesota Timberwolves 115, New Orleans Pelicans 119
Utah Jazz 128, Washington Wizards 112
Phoenix Suns 127, Chicago Bulls 121
Portland Trail Blazers 115, Memphis Grizzlies 99
Sacramento Kings 123, Cleveland Cavaliers 119
Los Angeles Lakers 120, Denver Nuggets 108