WASHINGTON (AP) — Jalen Green scored 22 of his 29 points in the third quarter and the Houston Rockets routed the short-handed Washington Wizards 135-112 on Tuesday night.
Alperen Sengun added 26 points and 10 rebounds, Amen Thompson scored 20 points and grabbed 15 boards, and Fred VanVleet had 19 points as the Rockets improved to 6-1 on the road against Eastern Conference opponents.
Houston overcame a 20-point first quarter — the fewest points allowed by last-place Washington in a period this season.
Corey Kispert scored 23 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 18 in the Wizards’ third straight defeat.
HORNETS 115, SUNS 104
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — LaMelo Ball had 32 points and 10 rebounds, Miles Bridges added 21 points and Charlotte snapped a 10-game losing streak with a win over Phoenix.
Nick Richards added 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for Charlotte (8-27).
Devin Booker had 39 points and 10 assists and Kevin Durant added 26 points for the Suns (16-19), who’ve lost five of their last six.
The Hornets took a 13-point lead at the half after outscoring the Suns 37-17 in the second quarter behind 10 points from Ball, who was scoreless in the first quarter. Ball scored 29 points in the second half on 8-of-15 shooting, including four 3-pointers.
Charlotte dominated Phoenix on the glass, outrebound the Suns 59-42.
MAVERICKS 118, LAKERS 97
DALLAS (AP) — Quinten Grimes had 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists as Dallas snapped a five-game skid with a win over Los Angeles.
Grimes matched his career high with six 3-pointers on 6-for-11 shooting. P.J. Washington shot 9 for 14 and finished with 22 points and eight rebounds for the Mavs, who shot 52% (18 of 38) from the field.
The Mavericks ended their losing streak without their top scorers. Luka Doncic has been out with a left calf strain since Dec. 25, and Kyrie Irving has been sidelined the past two games with a bulging disk in his back.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 21 points and 12 rebounds. LeBron James added 18 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Los Angeles lost its second straight and for the third time in five games.
TIMBERWOLVES 104, PELICANS 972
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Anthony Edwards highlighted a 32-point performance with seven 3-pointers, and Minnesota beat New Orleans to take some luster off of Zion Williamson’s return from a 27-game absence.
Williamson, who’d been sidelined by a left hamstring strain, had 22 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block in 27 minutes in his seventh game this season.
Former Pelican Julius Randle scored 16 points and ex-LSU star Naz Reid had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota, which led most of the game and by as many as 13 points. Rudy Gobert had 14 rebounds and six blocks.
Edwards hit four early 3s and had 14 points less than seven minutes in. He surpassed the 30-point mark for the ninth time this season.
HAWKS 116, JAZZ 114
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Trae Young hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from beyond the halfcourt line to give Atlanta a victory over Utah.
Young took an inbounds pass, dribbled to just short of halfcourt and hit the 49-foot winner as time expired while being loosely guarded by Collin Sexton, who had seemingly forced overtime with a tying 3-pointer with four seconds remaining.
Young finished with 24 points and 20 assists. Dyson Daniels added 16 points, seven assists, and six rebounds for the Hawks, who snapped a three-game skid. Clint Capela scored 18 points and De’Andre Hunter 17.
Lauri Markkanen made a season-high eight 3-pointers and scored a season-best 35 points for Utah. Sexton added 24 points and Walker Kessler finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
CELTICS 118, NUGGETS 106
DENVER (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 29 points, Kristaps Porzingis added 25 and Boston held off depleted Denver as three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic sat out because of an illness.
Porzingis had 11 rebounds, while Jrue Holiday contributed 19 points. The Celtics attempted 35 3-pointers, which was well below their season average of 50.17. Instead, they outscored the Nuggets by a 60-46 margin in the paint.
Russell Westbrook had 26 points for Denver. Michael Porter Jr. added 15 points and 10 rebounds as the Nuggets dropped to 10-7 at home. They were 33-8 last season.
Trailing by as many as 15 points in the first half, the Nuggets rallied to make sure the game stayed tight down the stretch. There was a momentary break with 8:56 remaining when a cup of ice spilled on the court. It took several minutes to clean up. Christian Braun followed with a 3-pointer to tie it at 93.
HEAT 114, WARRIORS 98
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Bam Adebayo had 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists with two timely dunks down the stretch, and Miami Heat snapped a three-game losing streak by beating Golden State.
Stephen Curry scored 31 points, Trayce Jackson-Davis added 19, and Draymond Green contributed seven points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. The Warriors were booed by the home crowd, and many frustrated fans headed out of Chase Center early for a second straight game.
Nikola Jovic hit consecutive baseline 3s midway through the fourth on the way to 20 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 18 as Miami won in a road back-to-back after a 123-118 double-overtime defeat Monday at Sacramento.
Buddy Hield had 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists off the bench for a Warriors team that took a 30-point pounding by the Kings on Sunday.
Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) shoots the ball as Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)
