Chet Holmgren poured in 28 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 as the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder held off a late charge to beat the New York Knicks 103-100 on Wednesday.
The Thunder led by seven with just more than a minute remaining, but the Knicks had a chance to send the game to overtime in the closing seconds. OG Anunoby’s 3-point shot at the buzzer, however, bounced off the rim to give Oklahoma City the win.
Gilgeous-Alexander reached the 20-point mark early in the fourth quarter, moving him within two of Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA-record 126 consecutive games scoring 20 or more points. The Thunder have won four consecutive games and nine of their last 11.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 17 points and grabbed 17 rebounds while Jalen Brunson amassed 16 points and 15 assists for the Knicks, who had won five of their previous six games.
Hornets 118, Celtics 89
Kon Knueppel tossed in 20 points as Charlotte beat host Boston for the Hornets’ sixth consecutive win.
LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller each added 18 points for Charlotte, which received 17 points and six assists from reserve Coby White. Each victory in the Hornets’ streak came by at least 16 points as Charlotte (32-31) moved over the .500 mark for the first time since it was 2-1 in October.
The Celtics’ Derrick White led all scorers with 29 points. Jaylen Brown added 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, but he shot 7 of 19 from the field.
76ers 106, Jazz 102
Tyrese Maxey scored 25 points and Quentin Grimes made a pair of clutch free throws to lift Philadelphia past visiting Utah.
Jabari Walker contributed 22 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, which played without Joel Embiid, Kelly Oubre Jr., VJ Edgecombe and Paul George. Grimes tallied 16 points as the Sixers avoided a third straight defeat.
The Jazz, who have lost seven games in a row, were led by Keyonte George’s 30 points. Isaiah Collier scored 18 points.
Trail Blazers 122, Grizzlies 114
Jrue Holiday scored a season-high 35 points and handed out 11 assists, Jerami Grant added 30 points and nine rebounds and Robert Williams III had 20 points and 11 boards to lead Portland to a victory over host Memphis.
Donovan Clingan had nine rebounds and four blocks in 12 minutes for the Trail Blazers before being ejected in the second quarter. Portland, which was without Deni Avdija (back), had lost three of its previous four games.
Jaylen Wells led the Grizzlies with 24 points, GG Jackson scored 20 and Olivier-Maxence Prosper contributed 17 points and nine boards. Memphis, limited to eight players because of injuries, lost for the fifth time in seven games.
Hawks 131, Bucks 113
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23 points, guiding visiting Atlanta past Milwaukee for a fifth straight win.
Five other Hawks scored in double figures, including Wisconsin native Jalen Johnson, who had 20 points and a team-high nine assists. Onyeka Okongwu added 21 points and eight rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 24 points in just 26 minutes as he is on a time restriction post-injury. Kyle Kuzma, who played zero minutes in Milwaukee’s prior game due to a “coach’s decision,” scored 16 off the bench.
Clippers 130, Pacers 117
Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points, Bennedict Mathurin added 23 against his former team and Los Angeles increased its winning streak to three games with a victory over Indiana in Inglewood, Calif.
Brook Lopez scored 17 points and Derrick Jones Jr. added 12 for the Clippers, who improved to 24-10 since Dec. 20. Darius Garland produced 12 points and eight assists in his first home game with the Clippers.
Pascal Siakam scored 29 points, Jay Huff had 18 and Jarace Walker added 17 as the Pacers lost their seventh consecutive game and fell to 2-11 since Feb. 2. Siakam (wrist) returned after missing the previous three games.
