CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Reserve Coby White had 27 points and led the Charlotte Hornets’ 3-point barrage in a 130-111 rout of the Orlando Magic on Thursday night.
White shot 5 of 8 from beyond the arc and was one of four players with three or more 3-pointers, joining Brandon Miller (5 of 10), Kon Knueppel (4 of 9) and LaMelo Ball (3 of 8) as the Hornets finished 21 of 46 overall to win their fourth game in their last five.
Miller had 25 points and eight assists, Knueppel scored 23 points and Ball added 20 for Charlotte, which improved to 36-34. It’s the first time the Hornets have been two games over .500 since late in the 2021-22 season when the franchise had its last winning record at 43-39.
Desmond Bane had 24 points and Paolo Banchero 20 to lead Orlando.
PISTONS 117, WIZARDS 95
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jalen Duren had 24 points and 11 rebounds and Detroit never trailed in a victory over Washington, the Pistons’ first game since All-Star guard Cade Cunningham was ruled out for at least two weeks with a collapsed left lung.
Duren got his 37th double-double in just 25 minutes, two nights after scoring a career-high 36 points for Eastern Conference-leading Detroit in their 130-117 win over Washington.
Paul Reed added 17 points, while Duncan Robinson, Caris LeVert and Kevin Huerter each had 14 for the Pistons.
Detroit outrebounded Washington 55-33 and led 66-26 in points in the paint.
Tristan Vukcevic scored 21 for the Wizards, who lost their season worst-tying 14th consecutive game. With the NBA’s second-worst record at 16-53, Washington is two games from matching a franchise-record slide of 16 losses, most recently in March 2024.
LAKERS 134, HEAT 126
MIAMI (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 60 points, LeBron James had a triple-double on a night where he tied the NBA record for games played, and Los Angeles pushed their season-best winning streak to eight games with a win over Miami.
It tied the second-most points Doncic ever scored in a game, behind a 73-point night against Atlanta in 2024 and matching a 60-point night against New York in 2022. Doncic also broke the record for a Heat opponent, topping the 58-point effort from James Harden for Houston on Feb. 28, 2019.
Doncic — the NBA’s scoring leader — has now scored at least 30 points in eight consecutive games, and reached 50 for the second time in his last five games. James finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, and Austin Reaves scored 18 for the Lakers.
Bam Adebayo had 28 points for Miami, which has dropped two straight. Tyler Herro scored 21 points and Norman Powell had 20 for the Heat, which led by as many as 15 in the early going.
CAVALIERS 115, BULLS 110
CHICAGO (AP) — James Harden scored 36, Evan Mobley added 26 points and 14 rebounds and Cleveland hung on to beat Chicago even though Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell missed the game because of a bruised left eye.
Harden nailed seven 3-pointers. Jaylon Tyson chipped in with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and the Cavaliers hung on after a 29-point lead in the third quarter dwindled to one in the game’s closing minutes.
Chicago’s Tre Jones cut it to 103-102 when he made two free throws with 3:33 remaining. Sam Merrill answered with a 3 for Cleveland.
The Cavaliers were up 110-107 when Jones missed a potential tying 3 and Leonard Miller missed a layup with about a minute left. Harden hit a pull-up jumper to make it a five-point game with 33 seconds left and Cleveland hung on for the win.
PELICANS 105, CLIPPERS 99
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Trey Murphy III scored 27 points and New Orleans extended their home winning streak to seven games with a victory over Los Angeles.
Saddiq Bey had 20 points and Zion Williamson added 15 for the Pelicans, who swept the two-game set against the Clippers after 124-109 win, also at home, on Wednesday night.
Dejounte Murray was held out to rest as part of his comeback from a ruptured Achilles tendon. He had 17 points and a season-high 11 assists Wednesday night in his ninth game since making his season debut last month.
Derrick Jones Jr. scored 22 points, John Collins had 18 and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 16 for the Clippers, who lost their fourth in a row.
SPURS 101, SUNS 100
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama hit a 17-foot, pull-up jumper with a second left and San Antonio wrapped up a playoff spot to end a six-season drought, beating Phoenix.
Wembanyama had 34 points and 12 rebounds. His winning jumper capped a furious final-minute rally to secure the top-six finish in the Western Conference.
De’Aaron Fox added 23 points and Julian Champagnie had 14 in the Spurs’ fourth straight victory.
Collin Gillespie scored 24 points and Devin Booker had 22 for the Suns. They remain seventh in the West.
Fox’s finger-roll layup cut Phoenix’s lead to 100-99 with 26.6 seconds remaining.
Suns coach Jordan Ott was forced to call a timeout when Fox and Dylan Harper trapped Booker between the sideline and halfcourt with 11.7 seconds remaining. San Antonio immediately fouled on the ensuing inbounds, and Rasheer Fleming missed both free throws.
Wembanyama then dribbled the clock down to its final seconds before pulling up to hit the winner on Oso Ighodaro.
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