Dec 8, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) looks to pass the ball against Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Joel Embiid returned from a seven-game absence to provide 31 points and 12 rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers held off the host Chicago Bulls for a 108-100 win on Sunday afternoon.
Embiid carried Philadelphia to its fourth win in five games after sitting out to manage a left knee injury. Tyrese Maxey backed the big man with his first career triple-double, collecting 25 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists.
Zach LaVine racked up 30 points and the Bulls sank 19 threes, but they still couldn't avoid their second straight loss. Nikola Vucevic and Coby White each finished with 13 points, with Vucevic also snatching eight boards.
After facing a 19-point deficit just over four minutes into the second half, the Bulls came to life at the end of the third quarter. They closed the frame on an 8-0 run, with Jalen Smith canning a 3-pointer at the buzzer to get Chicago within 88-79 heading into the fourth.
The Bulls trailed by only four after LaVine connected on a trey with 5:24 left in the game to make it 96-92, but that was the closest the hosts would get.
Nuggets 141, Hawks 111
Nikola Jokic scored 48 points to guide visiting Denver to a win over Atlanta, ending the Hawks' six-game winning streak.
Jokic went 17-for-29 from the field and added 14 rebounds and eight assists. After scoring a career-high 56 points against the Washington Wizards on Saturday, Jokic set the pace by scoring 13 points in the first quarter on Sunday, and he had 25 at halftime. The Nuggets also got 26 points and seven rebounds from Michael Porter Jr.
Atlanta's top scorers were De'Andre Hunter (20 points) and Dyson Daniels (18), with Daniels also grabbing five steals.
Spurs 121, Pelicans 116
Victor Wembanyama scored 25 points, including the last seven for San Antonio over the final 36.9 seconds of the game, as the Spurs defeated visiting New Orleans.
Chris Paul had 10 assists for the Spurs to pass Jason Kidd for second on the all-time assists list. Paul's 12,099 helpers trail only John Stockton (15,806) in that category.
Trey Murphy III led New Orleans with 25 points, with CJ McCollum adding 19, Dejounte Murray racking up 18 points and 11 assists and Yves Missi amassing 18 points and 14 rebounds. The Pelicans have dropped two straight games and 11 of their past 12.
Bucks 118, Nets 113
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points and Milwaukee rallied to beat Brooklyn in New York.
Bobby Portis added 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, canning an open 3 from the left side that gave the Bucks a 109-108 lead with 2:08 left. The reserve made 9 of 10 shots overall and was 5-for-5 from behind the arc.
Dennis Schroder scored a season-high 34 points and added 11 assists, but the Nets lost for the fourth time in five games and blew a 12-point lead that they held late in the third quarter.
Hornets 113, Pacers 109
Brandon Miller scored 26 points as Charlotte snapped an eight-game skid by beating Indiana in Indianapolis.
Vasilije Micic had 18 points and nine assists, Cody Martin scored 14 points and Nick Richards finished with nine points and 14 rebounds for the Hornets.
T.J. McConnell came off the bench to post a career-best 30 points for the Pacers, while fellow reserve Jarace Walker had 15 points.
Heat 122, Cavaliers 113
Tyler Herro scored 19 of his game-high 34 points in the third quarter as host Miami beat Cleveland.
Duncan Robinson had 23 points, Jimmy Butler finished with 18 and Bam Adebayo added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Heat. Herro tallied a game-high seven assists in the win.
Darius Garland led Cleveland with 23 points. Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell -- who entered the game ranked among the top 20 in the league in scoring at 24.2 points per game -- managed just 12 on 5-for-16 shooting.
Magic 115, Suns 110
Jalen Suggs had a game-high 26 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, and helped short-handed Orlando finish with a flourish to beat visiting Phoenix.
Orlando earned the win despite not having star forwards Paolo Banchero, who has been out over a month, and Franz Wagner, who suffered a torn oblique in the Magic's loss to the 76ers on Friday.
Orlando leaned on its balanced attack to make up for the absences, as four Magic players scored in double figures to help the Magic remain the NBA's only unbeaten team at home at 10-0. Devin Booker led the Suns with 25 points.
Grizzlies 140, Wizards 112
Jaren Jackson Jr. led seven Memphis scorers in double figures with 21 points, and his four blocked shots contributed to a stifling defensive effort as the Grizzlies cruised to their ninth win in 10 games with a rout of host Washington.
Santi Aldama headlined a 76-point effort from the Memphis bench with 19 points. The second unit also got 17 points from Jay Huff and 14 from Cam Spencer.
Jonas Valanciunas led the Wizards with 20 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Bilal Coulibaly finished with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Justin Champagnie swiped a career-best five steals to go along with 14 points and eight rebounds.
Warriors 114, Timberwolves 106
Stephen Curry, Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga combined for 77 points, Gary Payton II made two big defensive plays and Golden State held Minnesota scoreless over the final 4:46 to pull out a win in San Francisco.
Curry finished with a game-high 30 points, Hield went for 27 and Kuminga added 20 for the Warriors, who avenged a 107-90 loss to the Timberwolves on Friday with just the second win in their past eight games.
After a 3-pointer from Anthony Edwards put Minnesota up 106-105 with 4:47 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves didn't score again. With the Warriors up 109-106, Payton blocked a Nickeil Alexander-Walker layup before stealing an Edwards pass to keep Minnesota at bay.
Rockets 117, Clippers 106
Jalen Green scored 31 points and Amen Thompson added 22 as Houston rebounded from consecutive defeats to upend Los Angeles in Inglewood, Calif.
Dillon Brooks added 19 points and Jabari Smith Jr. finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds as the Rockets went 1-2 on a three-game California road trip after losing to the Sacramento Kings and the Warriors.
Ivica Zubac scored 21 points to go along with 12 rebounds and Norman Powell added 17 points for the Clippers, who were without James Harden because of right groin soreness.
Kings 141, Jazz 97
Kevin Huerter scored 26 points off the bench and De'Aaron Fox added 21 points and nine assists as host Sacramento blew out Utah.
Huerter made 10 of his 14 attempts from the field and was 6-for-9 from 3-point range. He had 23 points through three quarters, including five of the Kings' last eight in the third as Sacramento opened up a 31-point lead.
Domantas Sabonis tallied 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists to help the Kings' cause. The Jazz were led by Keyonte George, who scored 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting.
Lakers 107, Trail Blazers 98
Anthony Davis recorded 30 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots to help Los Angeles cruise to a victory over visiting Portland.
D'Angelo Russell achieved season bests of 28 points and 14 assists for the Lakers, who played without LeBron James (foot). Rui Hachimura added 23 points and four steals for Los Angeles, which halted a three-game losing streak.
Shaedon Sharpe scored 19 points and Deandre Ayton had 14 points and a season-high 19 rebounds before fouling out for the Trail Blazers, who lost their fourth straight game.
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