DE’ Aaron Fox scored 14 of his 36 points in overtime to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 133-128 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night (Sunday in Manila) and gain a split of a back-to-back set.
Domantas Sabonis recorded 22 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out and Terence Davis tallied 22 points off the bench as Sacramento won for the third time in the past four games. Kevin Huerter scored all 15 of his points in the second half, Trey Lyles added 14 points and Harrison Barnes had 13 for the Kings.
Kyrie Irving had 28 points and seven assists for Dallas and Luka Doncic added 27 points and nine rebounds in the first contest of their highly anticipated pairing. Irving was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets earlier this week and Doncic missed the previous four games– including Irving’s first two– due to a heel injury.
Josh Green scored 23 points and Christian Wood added 15 for the Mavericks, who had a three-game winning streak halted. Dallas beat the Kings 122-114 on Friday in a game it never trailed.
In other games, it was the Sixers 101, Nets 98; Nuggets 119, Hornets 105; Heat 107, Magic 103 (OT); Lakers 109, Warriors 103; Hawks 125, Spurs 106
Knicks 126, Jazz 120; Wizards 127, Pacers 113; and Cavs 97, Bulls 89.
Sixers 101, Nets 98
Joel Embiid scored 37 points and hit a pair of go-ahead free throws with 5.2 seconds remaining as Philadelphia rallied down the stretch for a victory over Brooklyn in New York.
The Sixers outscored the Nets 16-4 over the final 7:20 and beat Brooklyn for the third time in as many meetings when Spencer Dinwiddie’s potentially game-tying, 32-foot 3-point attempt was ruled on replay to be after the final buzzer.
James Harden added 29 points in a hostile return to Brooklyn, getting booed every time he touched the ball after he was granted a trade from the Nets to the Sixers last year. Mikal Bridges scored 23 points in his Nets debut after being obtained from the Phoenix Suns on Thursday for Kevin Durant. Joe Harris added 18 for the Nets, Cam Thomas contributed 14 and Cameron Johnson chipped in 12 after being acquired with Bridges.
Nuggets 119, Hornets 105
Nikola Jokic turned in a triple-double with 30 points in another big game against Charlotte as visiting Denver won.
Jokic shot 11-for-22 from the field, collected 16 rebounds, and distributed 10 assists. He also blocked two shots. The Hornets’ losing streak reached seven games despite LaMelo Ball coming within a rebound of a triple-double. He finished with 18 points and 12 assists.
Jokic, who pulled in seven offensive rebounds, scored 40 points in a mid-December home victory against the Hornets.
The Hornets, who used nine players in the game, didn’t put up much of a threat in the fourth quarter. Dennis Smith Jr. scored six points in a 74-second span to close within 102-92, but DeAndre Jordan’s second dunk in as many possessions pretty much doused Charlotte’s momentum. — Field Level Media
