Kevin Durant led the Brooklyn Nets (21-12) past Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks (22-10) Friday at Barclays Center with a team-high 24 points.
Durant, 34, got some help in the scoring department. All Nets starters finished the night with double-digit in scoring.
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Ben Simmons scored 12 points, had 11 rebounds and eight assists. Nic Claxton (19), Kyrie Irving (18) and Royce O’Neale (17) helped Brooklyn beat Milwaukee 118-100.
Antetokounmpo, 28, scored a game-high 26 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. Brook Lopez (23) and Jrue Holiday (18) combined for 41 points, not enough to overcome the Nets.
Bobby Portis scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can’t save Thunder vs. Pelicans
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 44 points for the Oklahoma City Thunder (14-19) against New Orleans Pelicans (20-12), but couldn’t save his team from a 125-128 defeat despite the opponent playing without Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram.
Gilgeous-Alexander, 24, missed a desperate heave from deep as the final buzzer sounded, ensuring a home loss despite his great performance.
SGA added 10 rebounds and six assists, the same stats as Josh Giddey in that department. Giddey, 20, scored 20 points, Aleksej Pokusevski added 17 and Jalen Williams got 11.
In Williamson and Ingram’s absence, Trey Murphy III stepped up with a team-high 23 points, while Jaxson Hayes got 21 off the bench.
Luka Doncic nearly scores a career-high
Luka Doncic scored 50 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds to give the Dallas Mavericks (17-16) a needed win over Houston Rockets (9-23) at Toyota Center.
Doncic, 23, finished the game one point shy of his career-high. Only two other Dallas players, Spencer Dinwiddie (11) and Davis Bertans (11) scored at least 10 points.
All five Rockets starters got double-figures in scoring, led by Jabari Smith Jr. (24) and Jalen Green (23).
It was a great game for the young Houston team, but they were controlled by one of the best talents in the league to finish 112-106 in favor of Dallas.
Lakers lose to Hornets
The Los Angeles Lakers (13-19) couldn’t pull off a come-from-behind win against the Charlotte Hornets (9-24) at Crypto.com Arena despite LeBron James scoring 30+ points for a sixth straight contest.
James, 37, scored 34 points, but being without Anthony Davis has proven to be a lot tougher than previously thought.
Austin Reaves scored 20 points off the bench, more than any starter for the Purple & Gold not named LeBron. Russell Westbrook (17) and Wenyen Gabriel (13) were also great sparks on the second unit, but the first team must improve.
Six players reached double-digit scoring for Charlotte, including all five of its starters, led by PJ Washington (24), LaMelo Ball (23) and Terry Rozier (23).
NBA scores for December 23, 2022
The NBA had 14 games on the night before Christmas Eve, and most were epic.
Spurs 113-133 Magic
Clippers 114-119 Sixers
Bucks 100-118 Nets
Bulls 118-117 Knicks
Timberwolves 109-121 Celtics
Pistons 105-130 Hawks
Raptors 118-107 Cavaliers
Mavericks 112-106 Rockers
Pelicans 128-125 Thunder
Pacers 111-108 Heat
Trail Blazers 107-120 Nuggets
Wizards 125-111 Kings
Grizzlies 125-100 Suns
Hornets 134-130 Lakers
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