CLEVELAND (AP) - Shake Milton scored 27 points, Dwight Howard had 18 points and 15 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers finished a six-game road trip without injured star center Joel Embiid by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-94 on Thursday night.
The Sixers, who were beaten twice by the Cavs earlier this season, went 4-2 on their trip as they wait for Embiid to get back from a knee injury. They were also able to stay on Brooklyn’s heels for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Seth Curry made five 3-pointers and scored 19 points, and Milton’s scoring off the bench helped offset an off night for Ben Simmons, who went just 2 of 11 from the floor but had 13 rebounds. Howard made 6 of 7 shots while matching his season-high.
Philadelphia’s defense clamped down on Cleveland in the third quarter, holding the Cavs to 17 points.
SPURS 134, HAWKS 129, 2OT
SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Clint Capela had 28 points and 17 rebounds, Trae Young had 28 points and 12 assists, and Atlanta overcame two late meltdowns to beat San Antonio.
Young had 15 points in the overtime periods as Atlanta snapped a two-game skid. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 28 points while shooting 4 for 5 on 3-pointers.
San Antonio veteran DeMar DeRozan had 36 points and nine assists, and Derrick White had a career-high seven 3-pointers en route to 29 points.
Danilo Gallinari’s 3-pointer put Atlanta up 133-129 with 11.8 seconds remaining in the second overtime after Rudy Gay’s 3 pulled San Antonio within a point. Young added a free throw to seal it.
NUGGETS 101, CLIPPERS 94
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jamal Murray scored 23 points and Denver led all the way in beating Los Angeles for its fourth straight victory.
The Nuggets dominated the first three quarters on a night when Nikola Jokic didn’t reach double figures until hitting a 3-pointer with 5:20 left in the game. He finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Paul George had 17 points and eight rebounds in his return after missing two games with a sore right foot. Terance Mann added 18 points off the bench.
Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points and Will Barton had 19 points for Denver.
HEAT 116, WARRIORS 109
MIAMI (AP) - Jimmy Butler scored 22 points, Duncan Robinson scored 21 and Miami held off Golden State to win its third straight outing and move back over the .500 mark at 25-24.
Tyler Herro scored 20 points, Bam Adebayo had 19, Trevor Ariza added 10 and Andre Iguodala - the 2015 NBA Finals MVP for Golden State - had 10 in the fourth quarter to help seal the win against his former club.
Victor Oladipo started and did a little of everything in his first game with the Heat, finishing with six points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Stephen Curry finished with 36 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who got 23 from Andrew Wiggins and a 16-point, 10-rebound, eight-assist night from Draymond Green.
NETS 111, HORNETS 89
NEW YORK (AP) - Jeff Green outscored Charlotte by himself in Brooklyn’s overpowering first quarter before finishing with 21 points, and the Nets got a strong debut from LaMarcus Aldridge in a rout.
Aldridge started at center and had 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists, looking like a good fit for a Nets team that won for the 20th time in its last 23 games. They signed him last month after he reached a buyout agreement with San Antonio.
With All-Stars Kevin Durant and James Harden sitting out with hamstring injuries, the Nets led 32-11 after one quarter behind 12 points from Green. They put six players in double figures in their season-best seventh straight home win.
Landry Shamet scored 17 points in his return from a five-game absence with a sprained right ankle and Kyrie Irving had 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
MAGIC 115, PELICANS 110
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Terrence Ross hit two key jumpers late in overtime, Wendell Carter III scored 21 points and the Orlando Magic beat the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 115-110.
The Pelicans played without Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball but led 109-105 with 1:28 left in overtime after Steven Adams rebounded Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s miss and slammed it home.
Ross countered a 17-footer from the left elbow, Chuma Okeke tied it by stealing Josh Hart’s pass and dunking at the other end, and Ross followed with a 19-footer for a 111-109 lead. Ross finished with 19 points.
Alexander-Walker led Oklahoma City with 31 points, James Johnson had 17, and Hart had 14 points and 17 rebounds.
PISTONS 120, WIZARDS 91
DETROIT (AP) - Josh Jackson scored 19 of his season-high 31 points in the first half and Detroit went on to rout Washington.
The Pistons overcame Russell Westbrook’s 18th triple-double of the season. Westbrook finished with 16 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds. He also had nine turnovers, falling one short of his NBA-record sixth quadruple-double. James Harden (three) is the only other player with more than one.
Mason Plumlee added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons, who had seven players in double figures. Robin Lopez had 16 points for Washington and Alex Len added 14.
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