CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Scoot Henderson had 22 points and 10 assists and the Portland Trail Blazers beat Brandon Miller and the Charlotte Hornets 89-86 on Wednesday night in a matchup of two of the league’s top three draft picks.
Henderson, the third overall pick, shot 9 of 17 from the field as the Trail Blazers snapped a 10-game losing streak. Deandre Ayton had a monster game against the Hornets with 24 points and 16 rebounds and Jabari Walker had 14 points and 22 rebounds.
With Charlotte’s two 7-foot centers out, the Blazers held a 55-36 edge on the glass.
Miller finished with 21 points to lead the Hornets, but struggled from long range finishing 1 of 8 from 3-point range. Charlotte shot 5 of 31 from beyond the arc just hours after Steve Clifford announced that he is stepping down as head coach after the season.
LAKERS 125, WIZARDS 120
WASHINGTON (AP) — Anthony Davis scored 19 of his 35 points in the first quarter and had 18 rebounds, helping the Los Angeles Lakers beat Washington Wizards for their eighth victory in nine games.
LeBron James had 25 points and nine assists, and Rui Hachimura scored 19 points for the Lakers against his former team. Davis was 10 of 17 from the field and made 15 free throws without a miss.
Jordan Poole led Washington with 29.
The Lakers are ninth in the Western Conference, meaning they’d have to win twice in the play-in tournament to make the main playoff bracket. But they’re making a push to move up. Los Angeles trailed Phoenix and Sacramento by 1 1/2 games entering Wednesday.
HAWKS 121, PISTONS 113
ATLANTA (AP) — Jalen Johnson had 28 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for his first career triple-double and Atlanta Hawks overcame a 50-point effort by Detroit’s Malachi Flynn for a win over the Pistons on Wednesday night that clinched a berth in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
De’Andre Hunter scored 26 points and Dejounte Murray finished with 24 points and 11 assists for the Hawks, who have won six of their last seven games.
Flynn, whose previous career high was 27, was 18 for 25 from the floor and 9 for 12 at the line. The 50 points was a franchise record for a reserve. He also had a season-high six rebounds, five assists and five steals in 34 minutes.
The Pistons have lost 10 of their last 11 games.
CELTICS 135, THUNDER 100
BOSTON (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis had 27 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, helping Boston Celtics power past Oklahoma City to secure the best record in the NBA and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.
Jayson Tatum finished with 24 points and Jaylen Brown added 23 points and seven rebounds for Boston, which won their 11th consecutive home game and improved to 60-16 on the season.
The Celtics trailed for only 62 seconds in the game.
Boston led by as many as 16 in the first half before an Oklahoma City cut it to six points in the third quarter. Leading by 10 after three, the Celtics opened the fourth with a 12-4 run to stretch their lead to 105-87.
NETS 115, PACERS 111
NEW YORK (AP) — Cam Thomas scored 27 points, rookie Noah Clowney had a career-high 22 and Brooklyn Nets outlasted Indiana Pacers to split a home-and-home set.
The Nets were eliminated from postseason contention when Atlanta beat Detroit at home to wrap up at least a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Brooklyn last missed the playoffs in 2017-18.
Mikal Bridges added 17 points, and Nic Claxton had 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Nets had lost their previous two games, the last a 133-111 loss in Indianapolis on Monday night.
Pascal Siakam scored 26 points and Tyrese Haliburton had for Indiana. The Pacers had won three in a row.
GRIZZLIES 111, BUCKS 101
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 35 points to lead Memphis Grizzlies to a victory over Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks lost for the fourth time in their past five games as they’ve faltered while trying to hold on to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Jackson dominated in the second half, scoring 25 of his points while lifting the Grizzlies to their fifth straight victory over Milwaukee.
Brook Lopez paced the Bucks with 25 points and 10 rebounds while Giannis Antetokounmpo added 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Bobby Portis had 19 points and Malik Beasley 10.
TIMBERWOLVES 133, RAPTORS 85
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 28 points, Naz Reid added 23 and Minnesota Timberwolves routed short-handed Toronto Raptors to move into a tie for first-place in the Western Conference.
The Timberwolves began the day tied with Oklahoma City for second in the West, one-half game behind first-place Denver. Minnesota’s win moved it into a tie with the idle Nuggets with six games remaining for both teams.
Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 15 rebounds for Minnesota, whose 48-point win marked their largest margin of victory this season.
MAGIC 117, PELICANS 108
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Paolo Banchero scored 32 points and Orlando Magic defeated New Orleans Pelicans.
Franz Wagner scored 24 points and Moritz Wagner added 18 points for the Magic, who’ve won three straight and moved a half game ahead of the idle New York Knicks for fourth in the Eastern Conference.
CJ McCollum had 36 points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans, which have lost three straight and four of five, slipping from fourth to sixth in the Western Conference, just half a game in front of seventh-place Sacramento.
SUNS 122, CAVALIERS 101
PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker scored 40 points, Kevin Durant added 32 and Phoenix Suns beat Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Suns have won six of their past eight, moving up to the No. 6 spot in a crowded Western Conference playoff race, which would allow them to avoid the play-in tournament.
Booker — coming off a 52-point night in a win against New Orleans on Monday — shot 13 of 25 from the field, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range. Durant shot 13 of 23 and added seven assists.
It’s just the second time this season that Booker and Durant have both scored at least 30 in the same game. Bol Bol added 15 points off the bench, making 3 of 4 3-pointers.
