Kristaps Porzingis scored a career-high 41 points, including 29 in the first half as the Washington Wizards beat Minnesota 142-127 on Monday after Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony-Towns was helped off the court in the third quarter with a right leg injury.
Towns grabbed at his leg and went down near midcourt. He was helped off without putting weight on the leg, and the team announced that he had a right calf strain.
Porzingis made all six of his 3-pointers in the first half. Washington shot 57% from the field for the game.
Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts after being injured in the third quarter against the Washington Wizards
Kyle Kuzma scored 23 points for the Wizards and Bradley Beal added 22.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 29.
Porzingis made his first four shots, all from 3-point range, and Washington pulled ahead 21-6 early. It was a five-point game after one quarter, but the Wizards pulled away in the second. A 3-pointer by Porzingis capped a 12-0 run that made it 68-44, and his final 3 gave Washington its biggest lead at 73-46.
Minnesota closed the half with a 12-4 run and then scored the first 10 points of the third, but the Timberwolves never got much closer. Towns left the game immediately after Kuzma made a 3-pointer to make it 93-76.
It was a rough couple days for the Timberwolves defensively. They lost 137-114 to Golden State on Sunday.
Washington Wizards center Kristaps Porzingis (6) looks to pass against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson (5)
NETS 109, MAGIC 102
Kevin Durant scored a season-high 45 points, carrying the Brooklyn Nets to a 109-102 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday night that got them back to .500.
Durant shot 19 of 24 from the field and added seven rebounds and five assists, playing 39 minutes on the second night of back-to-back games.
Kyrie Irving added 20 points and Nic Claxton had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Nets (11-11), who had to play the second half without Ben Simmons after he was bothered by knee soreness.
Paolo Banchero and Bol Bol each scored 24 points and Franz Wagner chipped in 21 for the Magic, who have lost five straight games and seven of their last eight.
Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets dunks the ball against the Orlando Magic
SUNS 122, KINGS 117
Devin Booker had 44 points, eight rebounds and six steals, and the Phoenix Suns extended their winning streak to five with a 122-117 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.
Deandre Ayton added 17 points and 12 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season for Phoenix, which has won six of seven.
Booker closed out his second-highest point total of the season by knocking down a pair of free throws with 6.8 seconds left after Torrey Craig secured an offensive rebound. He scored 49 points in a loss to Utah earlier in the month.
Damion Lee scored 15 points off the bench, hitting three 3-pointers. Mikal Bridges finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He hit a three-pointer with just over a minute left to stretch the lead to 10.
Malik Monk scored 30 points for the Kings, his fourth game over 20 points this season.
Domantas Sabonis finished with 17 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. The Kings have lost three straight after a seven-game win streak.
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, right, looks to score a basket against the Sacramento Kings
76ERS 104, HAWKS 101
Joel Embiid sank the go-ahead 14-footer with 18.6 seconds left and scored 30 points in his return from a sprained left foot to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 104-101 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.
Embiid showed why he is so valuable to the Sixers when he twisted inside for a bucket with 56 seconds remaining that pulled the Sixers within 100-99. The Sixers forced a shot clock violation with 31 seconds left and that’s when their All-Star center went to work for his biggest plays of the night.
The Hawks still had a chance after Embiid’s big shot but, Embiid busted up Trae Young’s lob pass in the paint. Embiid then made three of four free throws in the closing seconds as the crowd roared ‘MVP! MVP!’
Tobias Harris scored 24 points and Shake Milton had 21 for the Sixers.
Young and De’Andre Hunter led the Hawks with 18 points apiece.
Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid dribbles with the ball during game against the Atlanta Hawks
CELTICS 140, HORNETS 105Â
Jayson Tatum scored 35 points, Marcus Smart had 22 points and a career-high 15 assists and the Boston Celtics jumped to a 27-point, first-quarter lead and beat the Charlotte Hornets 140-105 on Monday night.
It was the ninth straight win at home and the 13th in 14 games for the reigning Eastern Conference champions, who have the best record in the NBA.
Malcolm Brogdon had 21 points, six assists and five rebounds, while Derrick White had 15 points and six assists. Blake Griffin scored a season-high nine points for Boston.
Jalen McDaniels scored 24 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 22 for the Hornets, who lost for the 12th time in 15 games.
Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics shoots the ball over Mason Plumlee #24 of the Charlotte Hornets
RAPTORS 100, CAVILERS 88
Pascal Siakam had 18 points and 11 rebounds in his return from injury, O.G. Anunoby scored 20 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 100-88 on Monday night.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 14 points, Fred VanVleet had 13 and Scottie Barnes 11 as the Raptors improved to 8-2 at home.
Siakam returned after missing 10 games because of a strained right adductor. The All-Star forward was injured when he slipped and fell in the third quarter of a Nov. 4 loss at Dallas. Toronto went 5-5 in his absence.
Barnes returned after missing two games because of a sprained left knee. Last season’s NBA Rookie of the Year came off the bench for the first time in a regular-season game.
Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam (43) scores on Cleveland Cavaliers’ Cedi Osman
PELICANS 105, THUNDER 101Â
Zion Williamson scored 23 points, matched his career high with eight assists and converted a go-ahead three-point play with 44 seconds left to lift the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans to a 105-101 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
With the Pelicans playing without Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum, Williamson also had eight rebounds and three blocked shots against a collapsing defense aimed at turning him into a passer. He either scored or assisted on every point in an 11-4 New Orleans run in the third quarter that stretched the Pelicans’ lead to 75-62.
The Pelicans slowed down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the floor, but the penetrating guard still scored 31 points on 7-of-21 shooting. He did most of his damage from the foul line, going 16 of 18.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) shoots over Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (50) and guard Josh Giddey
BULLS 114, JAZZ 107
DeMar DeRozan had 26 points and six assists to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 114-107 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
Zach LaVine added 20 points, six rebounds, and five assists for the Bulls. Nikola Vucevic finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Lauri Markkanen scored 32 points for the Jazz. Kelly Olynyk added 23 points and Collin Sexton chipped in 17. Utah lost its fifth straight.
Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) shoots as Utah Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt
NUGGETS 129, ROCKETS 113
Nikola Jokic had 32 points and 12 rebounds, Jamal Murray scored a season-high 31 as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Houston Rockets 129-113 on Monday night.
The win was the Nuggets’ third in a row following a home loss last Tuesday against lowly Detroit.
Jokic and Murray combined to shoot 64.7 percent from the field. It marked the third time in the past four games Jokic scored more than 30 points. He finished two assists shy of his fourth triple-double this season.
Murray, one of the NBA’s best outside shooters, was 11 of 17 from the floor and drained four of his eight 3-pointers after knocking down just 12 of 33 field goal attempts in two games since returning from health and safety protocols last Tuesday.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) goes up for a shot against Houston Rockets forward Bruno Fernando
PACERS 116, LAKERS 115
The Indiana Pacers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers on a 25-foot buzzer beater to record a thrilling win in a 17-point comeback.
Tyrese Haliburton carried the load offensively for the Pacers with 24 points and 14 assist, while Bennedict Mathurin scored 23 off the bench.
Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and Lebron James registered 25, 24, and 21 points respectively but the trio were once again overmatched in defeat.
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Jalen Smith #25 of the Indiana Pacers high-fives teammate Tyrese Haliburton #0 during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers
