Joel Embiid scores season-high 39 points in 76ers overtime win over Nets

Joel Embiid scored a season-high 39 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Brooklyn Nets 112-104 in overtime on Thursday night.

Brooklyn Nets 104-112 Philadelphia 76ers (OT)

Joel Embiid scored a season-high 39 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Brooklyn Nets 112-104 in overtime on Thursday night.

Embiid made 18-of-19 free throws as the Sixers improved to a league-best 26-2 at home. Tobias Harris added 22 points, 12 rebounds and six assists while newcomer Alec Burks had 19 points off the bench as the Sixers won their fourth game in a row, this time without All-Star Ben Simmons. Simmons sat out with a sore back.

Shake Milton drove to the basket and completed a difficult reverse lay-up for a 108-104 Sixers lead with 2:19 left in overtime. After an empty Nets possession, Burks hit a jumper for a 110-104 advantage with 1:32 left.

Caris LeVert led the Nets with 25 points, six rebounds and five assists despite shooting 9-of-29. Spencer Dinwiddie added 22 points and eight assists while DeAndre Jordan had 14 points and 15 rebounds. Joe Harris and Wilson Chandler scored 12 points each.

The Nets played on the heels of the team’s announcement that All-Star guard Kyrie Irving will miss the rest of the regular season because of shoulder surgery.

In a wild first half, the Sixers opened with a quick 20-4 lead. But the Nets responded in a major way and went ahead by 18, 48-30. The Nets went into the locker room with a 52-42 lead.

The Sixers chipped away and got within 66-62 when Burks scored in the paint with 4:08 remaining in the third period. Furkan Korkmaz hit a jumper with the shot clock winding down, Embiid dropped in two free throws and Korkmaz added a lay-up as the Sixers opened the fourth on a 6-0 run to go ahead 83-78.

The Nets went ahead 96-95 when Dinwiddie made three free throws after a foul with 4:14 to go. Another alley-oop dunk by Jordan, 1-of-2 free throws by Chandler and two free throws from Jordan gave them a 101-95 advantage. The Sixers later tied the game at 101 when Embiid hit two free throws with 35.9 seconds left.

Dinwiddie’s twisting shot in the lane with 30.5 seconds left put the Nets ahead 103-101. Embiid was fouled with 16.2 seconds remaining and knocked down both to tie the game at 103.

Chandler’s shot was blocked by Embiid at the buzzer to force overtime.

Milwaukee Bucks 126-106 Detroit Pistons

All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo piled up 33 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three steals as the Milwaukee Bucks continued their dominance of the host Detroit Pistons with a 126-106 victory.

The Bucks, who own the league’s best record, have defeated the Pistons 11 consecutive times, including the postseason. Milwaukee are 3-0 versus Detroit this season after sweeping the four-game season series a year ago and sweeping their Central Division rivals again in the first round of the playoffs.

Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton contributed 28 points and eight rebounds. Eric Bledsoe had 19 points and six assists, and Brook Lopez tossed in 18 points for the victors. The Bucks, who have won 15 of their past 17 games, will conclude the season series against Detroit on March 23 at Milwaukee.

Christian Wood led the Pistons with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Bruce Brown had 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Derrick Rose and Langston Galloway scored 12 points apiece, Thon Maker added 11 points, and Tony Snell had 10.

Antetokounmpo had 19 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals in the first half as Milwaukee rolled to a 70-41 half-time lead. Middleton supplied 20 points as the Bucks committed just one turnover during the half while the Pistons made 11, leading to 14 Milwaukee points.

Bledsoe made a three-pointer in the first two minutes of the second half to give Milwaukee a 30-point cushion. Antetokounmpo threw down a couple of dunks in the first three minutes of the second half as Milwaukee stretched their lead to 31 points. The Bucks were up 98-71 after three quarters.

Houston Rockets 135-105 Golden State Warriors

Robert Covington bombed in five three-pointers among a team total of 25 and finished with 20 points as the Houston Rockets outgunned the host Golden State Warriors 135-105.

James Harden scored a game-high 29 points, making three three-pointers, and Russell Westbrook added 21 points for the Rockets, who equalled their three-point-shooting season-high while enjoying their second-best long-range percentage, going 25-for-49 (51.0 per cent).

The 25 three-pointers matched the club’s total in 51 attempts in a November win over Atlanta. The 51.0 per cent fell short of the Rockets’ 56.4 percent on a 22-for-39 night in Orlando in December. The Rockets outscored the Warriors 75-21 on three-pointers, including 45-3 en route to a 72-50 half-time lead.

Covington, acquired at the trade deadline in a four-way deal that cost the Rockets their starting center, Clint Capela, finished with six more points than in any of his previous four games for the Rockets. His five three-pointers were also a personal best for Houston, after having connected on four in two of his earlier contests.

Harden and Westbrook each recorded a game-high-tying 10 assists to complete double-doubles for Houston, who won for the sixth time in their last eight games. Harden got almost half his points on 14-for-15 success at the free throw line.

Houston also dominated Golden State at the stripe, outscoring the hosts 20-10. Jeff Green, debuting for the Rockets after signing a 10-day deal on Wednesday, chipped in with 17 points off the bench, while PJ Tucker added 15 and Danuel House Jr 11 as Houston avenged a 116-104 loss at Golden State on Christmas Day.

Andrew Wiggins paced the Warriors with 22 points, hitting 10 of his 17 shots. Jordan Poole had 19 points, Damion Lee 13, Eric Paschall 12, and Marquese Chriss and Juan Toscano-Anderson 10 apiece for the Warriors, who lost their fifth straight game.

Miami Heat 124-129 Atlanta Hawks

Trae Young scored a career-high 50 points to help the host Atlanta Hawks to a 129-124 win over the Miami Heat.

Young made three of four free throws inside the final 12.2 seconds to complete a 10-0 run and help the Hawks defeat the Heat for the first time in four tries this season.

Young was 8-for-15 on three-pointers, matching his career-high, and 18-for-19 from the free-throw line. It was the 10th time this season he has scored 40-plus points.

Atlanta tied the game 124-124 on a three-pointer from DeAndre Hunter, who was questionable for the game with a right ankle sprain. Cam Reddish then put the Hawks ahead by stealing the ball from Goran Dragic and racing for the lay-up.

After a Miami’s Jimmy Butler missed a three-pointer, Atlanta’s Kevin Huerter grabbed the rebound and fed Young, who drew a foul and made both free throws to stretch the lead to four.

Atlanta got 17 points from Huerter and Hunter and 16 from Reddish and broke a two-game losing streak.

Miami’s Bam Adebayo had 28 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists for his 32nd double-double. Dragic scored 19 and Butler added 17 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. The Heat have lost five of their last six.

Memphis Grizzlies 125-129 Sacramento Kings

Harrison Barnes scored a season-high 32 points and shot 7-for-11 from three-point range to help lead the Sacramento Kings to a 129-125 victory over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies.

Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox contributed 26 points, going 9-for-16 from the field. It was the first time Fox has scored 20-plus points since a February 3 match-up against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Kent Bazemore was a constant spark off the bench for the Kings, finishing with 18 points in just 23 minutes. Buddy Hield added 20 points in his new reserve role for the Kings, and he sank four clutch free throws in the last 6.6 seconds left to seal the victory.

Memphis star Ja Morant was held scoreless until a drive in the lane at the 8:26 mark in the second quarter, but he finished the game strong with 19 points, including an ‘And 1′ bucket late in the fourth that cut the Kings’ lead to 112-109.

De’Anthony Melton led the Grizzlies with 24 points off the bench, and Jaren Jackson Jr and Tyus Jones added 16 points apiece. Brandon Clarke nearly collected a double-double off the bench with eight points and 11 rebounds.

Memphis nearly rallied from an 18-point, third-quarter deficit and outscored Sacramento 64-59 in the second half. The Grizzlies climbed within one point of Sacramento on two occasions in the fourth quarter, at 112-111 with 3:07 to go and at 125-124 with 7.5 seconds remaining.

Sacramento’s Jabari Parker, was acquired in a trade last month via the Atlanta Hawks, made his much anticipated Kings debut and finished with four points and four rebounds in 15 minutes. Parker returned from a shoulder injury, and his playing time was under a close watch.

Charlotte Hornets 103-93 Chicago Bulls

Malik Monk scored 25 points on 7-for-13 shooting off the bench as the Charlotte Hornets held on for a 103-93 win over the host Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

Miles Bridges finished with 22 points and eight rebounds, and PJ Washington had 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting. Cody Zeller contributed 16 points and eight rebounds for Charlotte, who have won three games in a row.

Thaddeus Young led the Bulls with 22 points on 10-for-18 shooting. Young also contributed 11 rebounds, four steals and one blocked shot for the Bulls, who lost for the seventh straight game. Zach LaVine had 19 points for Chicago but shot 8-of-22 overall and 1-of-7 from beyond the arc.

Charlotte re-established a double-digit lead in the first minute of the fourth quarter. Bridges made a jump shot from 10 feet and Zeller added a pair of rebounds to put the Hornets ahead 83-73 with 11:17 to go.

The Bulls pulled within 92-85 with 5:48 to go after Young made a basket. The Hornets lost the ball on the next possession, but then Bridges picked off a pass from Young, which led to a sequence that ended with two free throws from Jalen McDaniels to make it 94-85 with 4:43 left.

Monk buried a three-pointer less than a minute later to boost Charlotte’s lead to 97-85.

Bulls forward Wendell Carter Jr remained sidelined because of a high-ankle sprain. Carter, who has not played since January 6, had hoped to return on Thursday.

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(c) Sky Sports 2020: Joel Embiid scores season-high 39 points in 76ers overtime win over Nets