76ers’ Embiid overcomes ankle injury, extends 30-10 streak to 13
PHILADELPHIA – Joel Embiid played through an ankle injury to push his 30-10 streak to 13 games, finishing with 31 points and 10 rebounds in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 121-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
Embiid scored all 31 points after landing awkwardly trying to block a shot with 5:25 left in the first quarter. The 3010 streak is the longest in the NBA since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it for 16 straight games in 1971-72. Embiid has scored 30 points or more in 14 straight games, the most in the NBA since James Harden had a 32-game run in 2018-19.
Embiid briefly went to the locker room after scoring just two points in the first quarter but returned in the second quarter and had 11 points at halftime. The reigning NBA MVP was noticeably hobbling and winced periodically and favored his right leg, but it didn’t slow him down in the second half. He also had nine assists and four blocks.
Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey each had 33 points, the second time in franchise history three players have scored 30-plus points in a game. The other was in 1961 when Dick Barnett, Hal Greer and Dolph Schayes did it for the Syracuse Nationals.
Pascal Siakim led Toronto with 31 points.
Warriors 129, Wizards 118
SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen Curry made a season-high eight 3-pointers and had 30 points and seven assists, outdueling Jordan Poole in the Washington guard’s return to Chase Center.
Poole, traded to the nation’s capital on draft day for Chris Paul, made the first basket of the game following a video tribute with highlights on the big screen and finished with 25 points on 7for-21 shooting but just 3 of 12 on 3s.
Jonathan Kuminga connected on his first six from the field and finished with 22 points on 9-for-11 shooting as Golden State won its eighth straight home game. Klay Thompson had 20 points with four 3s.
Kings 120, Suns 105
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Domantas Sabonis had 28 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for his fourth triple-double of the season and Sacramento beat shorthanded Phoenix.
Sacramento has won six of eight to improve to 17-10.
Kevin Durant scored 28 points for Phoenix, and Devin Booker had 24 points and seven assists. The Suns have lost four of five to fall to 14-14.
Suns guard Bradley Beal (ankle), forward Josh Okogie (hip strain) and center Jusuf Nurkic (personal reasons) were all missing from the lineup.
Nuggets 122, Nets 117
NEW YORK – Jamal Murray scored 32 points, Nikola Jokic had 29 points and 11 rebounds and Denver held off Brooklyn for its third straight victory.
Aaron Gordon added 18 points and Michael Porter Jr. had 15 to help the defending champion Nuggets improve to 20-10. Brooklyn has lost five in a row to fall to 13-15.
Cam Thomas led Brooklyn with 23 points. Cam Johnson had 17, Dorian Finney-Smith and Mikal Bridges each had 14, Royce O’Neale and Day’Ron Sharpe had 13 apiece and Nic Claxton finished with 10 points and 16 rebounds.
Rockets 122, Mavericks 96
HOUSTON – Alperen Sengun had 22 points and 15 rebounds and Houston took advantage of the absence of injured Dallas stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to rout the Mavericks.
Doncic sat out because of a strained left quad, while Irving was out for a seventh straight game with a right heel contusion. It was the first time they’ve missed the same game this season.
Houston snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 14-12. Dallas fell to 16-12 with its third straight loss.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper led Dallas with 20 points.
Heat 122, Hawks 113
MIAMI – Tyler Herro scored 30 points, Duncan Robinson had 21 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and Miami
withstood a history-making night from Trae Young to beat Atlanta.
Young finished with 30 points and 13 assists for the Hawks – his sixth consecutive game with at least 30 points and 10 assists. That ties the second-longest such streak in NBA history, one that only Oscar Robertson has topped. Robertson had such a streak twice – a sixgame stretch in January 1964, then a seven-game stretch spanning December 1964 to January 1965.
Dejounte Murray added 24 points for Atlanta.