Jalen Brunson scored 31 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 22 rebounds and the New York Knicks beat the Orlando Magic 100-91 on Sunday night.
In a game added to the schedule when Tuesday’s loss to Atlanta eliminated New York from the NBA Cup, the Knicks relied on defense and rebounding (45-39) before pulling away to a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Mikal Bridges had 17 points for the Knicks and Josh Hart added 12 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Moritz Wagner led the Magic with a career-high 32 points in Orlando’s first homecourt loss of the season. Rookie Tristan da Silva added a career-high 20 points.
Timberwolves 106, Spurs 92 >> Anthony Edwards had 26 points and Minnesota rolled past San Antonio.
Minnesota forced 10 turnovers and had 13 second-chance points to build a 16-point lead in the first half. But San Antonio opened the second half on a 20-9 run to trim Minnesota’s lead to 61-57. The Timberwolves responded by outscoring the Spurs 30-22 in the final quarter. San Antonio was unable to muster another comeback.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 17 points off the bench for Minnesota, which has won two straight and five of seven.
Victor Wembanyama had 20 points and 12 rebounds for San Antonio. Jeremy Sochan added 17 points and 15 rebounds, and Harrison Barnes scored 17 points.
Celtics 112, Wizards 98 >> Jayson Tatum had 28 points and 12 rebounds as Boston cruised past Washington.
Tatum had missed two of Boston’s previous four games with a knee issue. He helped the Celtics win their seventh straight over the Wizards and third in Washington this season.
Payton Pritchard added 15 points on five 3-pointers, and Derrick White also had 15 points for Boston. Kristaps Porzingis scored 11 points in 11 minutes before he was forced out with right heel pain. .
Jordan Poole led Washington with 21 points, and Bilal Coulibaly added 19. The Wizards have lost three in a row and 16 of 17.
Pacers 119, Pelicans 104 >> Pascal Siakam scored 22 points and Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points and 10 assists to lift Indiana over struggling New Orleans.
Andrew Nembhard had 17 points, and Myles Turner finished with 14 points and four blocks as the Pacers won for the third time in four games.
Brandon Boston scored 20 points to lead five Pelicans players in double figures.
Suns 116, Trail Blazers 109 >> Devin Booker tallied 28 points, Kevin Durant had 20 and Phoenix handed Portland a sixth consecutive loss.
Anfernee Simmons scored 20 points to lead the Trail Blazers, who had to work back after trailing by a dozen points after the first quarter.
Pacers finalize trade with Heat >> The Heat traded Thomas Bryant to the Pacers in exchange for the right to swap second-round picks in 2031.
The trade terms were agreed to Friday, but NBA rules prevented the deal from becoming official until Sunday.
The Heat appear get the more favorable second-round selection in that draft.
Bryant, who joined the Pacers in time for their Sunday game against New Orleans, averaged 4.1 points in 10 games off the bench for Miami this season.
Lebron back in action for Lakers >> LeBron James was back in the Lakers lineup for Sunday’s game against the Grizzlies after a two-game break for personal reasons.
Lakers coach JJ Redick revealed before the game with Memphis that he and the four-time NBA MVP met on the day of the Portland game to discuss his plan for a break.