Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 36 points, and the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls 119-113 on Monday night to become the eighth NBA team to begin a season with 12 straight wins.
Darius Garland scored 17 points for Cleveland, and Evan Mobley had 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Cavaliers scored at least 110 points for the 11th time.
Garland rolled in a layup with 24 seconds left, and Mitchell made two free throws to help close it out.
Zach LaVine scored 26 points for Chicago, which has lost five of its last six.
SPURS 116, KINGS 96: Victor Wembanyama had 34 points and 14 rebounds, Chris Paul added 12 points and 11 rebounds, and San Antonio rolled to a home victory over Sacramento.
De’Aron Fox had 24 points and Domantas Sabonis finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Kings.
NETS 107, PELICANS 105: Cam Thomas scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer for the lead in the final minute, and visiting Brooklyn extended New Orleans’ losing streak to five games.
Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 24 points, but scored just 2 points on two free throws in the second half.
ROCKETS 107, WIZARDS 92: Alperen Sengun scored 27 points for a second straight game and added 17 rebounds, leading Houston at home over Washington.
Sengun hit 12 of 19 shots and added three blocks. Jalen Green scored 18 points.
EMBIID SET FOR RETURN: Joel Embiid is expected to play this week for the Philadelphia 76ers — barring another setback, and there is always that chance with the 7-footer — after he won Olympic gold, signed a contract extension, slogged through a knee injury, was the root of two NBA investigations, scuffled with a columnist and was hit with a technical foul for waving a towel from the bench.
The 2-7 Sixers can only hope their fortunes will start to turn around tonight when Embiid, a two-time league scoring champion, makes his highly anticipated first start of the season against the New York Knicks.
A seven-time All-Star, Embiid returns from what the team called left knee management and the end of a three-game suspension for shoving a member of the media.
BUCKS’ LILLARD OUT: Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard is in concussion protocol and won’t play tonight against the Toronto Raptors.
The seven-time All-NBA guard is averaging 26 points, 6.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds.
Milwaukee already was without three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton, who hasn’t made his 2024-25 debut after undergoing surgery on each of his ankles.