ATLANTA (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 107-96 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday.
Cunningham was 12 of 22 from the field. He scored 19 points in the third quarter as the Pistons built a 90-80 lead after three.
Jalen Duren had 16 points and 14 rebounds, Malik Beasley added 17 points off the bench, and Ausar Thompson had 11 points and nine rebounds for the Pistons, who shot 48% and were 10 of 27 on 3-pointers.
Fred VanVleet scored 20 points, and Jalen Green scored 19 points. Amen Thompson, who missed the game at Portland on Saturday with left calf soreness, added 17 points for Houston, which shot 39% and struggled from 3, connecting on 11 of 39.
SUNS 108, NETS 84
NEW YORK (AP) — Devin Booker scored 32 points in his 200th career 30-point performance, Kevin Durant added 24 against his former team and Phoenix eased to a victory over short-handed Brooklyn.
Booker shot 14 for 24 from the field to quickly get back on track after getting held to 15 points Monday in a loss to Cleveland that snapped his five-game streak with 30 or more.
Nick Richards grabbed 15 rebounds in his second start for the Suns, who went back above .500 at 22-21 while playing without Bradley Beal.
Keon Johnson scored 20 points for the Nets, who lost their fifth straight. Jalen Wilson added 15.
The Nets were missing key players such as former Sun Cam Johnson, Cam Thomas, D’Angelo Russell and Ben Simmons in their ninth straight home loss.
TIMBERWOLVES 115, MAVERICKS 114
DALLAS (AP) — Jaden McDaniels scored a career-high 27 points, including the clinching free throw with 3 seconds to play, and Anthony Edwards added 21 as Minnesota outlasted short-handed Dallas.
Two free throws by Mike Conley gave Minnesota a 114-111 lead with 11.8 seconds left. After Kyrie Irving missed a 3-pointer, McDaniels grabbed the rebound and made one of two free throws for a four-point lead. Irving hit a running 3 at the buzzer.
Irving scored 36 points and P.J. Washington Jr. added a season-high 30 points for the Mavericks, who are 4-11 since superstar Luka Doncic was sidelined with a calf strain early in their Christmas Day loss to the Wolves.
The Mavericks announced before the game that center Dereck Lively II has a stress fracture in his right ankle and will be re-evaluated in a month. Guard Klay Thompson (left ankle sprain) was one of four other Dallas regulars out because of injury or illness.
The teams are tied for seventh place in the Western Conference at 23-21.
ROCKETS 109, CAVALIERS 108
HOUSTON (AP) —Alperen Sengun made two free throws with 4.5 seconds left and Darius Garland missed two of three free throws after that to allow Houston to hold on for a victory over Cleveland.
Fred VanVleet had 26 points as Houston rallied late after squandering a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter.
A flagrant foul by Tari Eason on a 3-point attempt by Garland gave him three free throws with 2.1 seconds left. But he missed the first two before making the third to cut the lead to a point. The Cavaliers had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Donovan Mitchell’s 3-point attempt was off.
Mitchell missed a shot with less than 10 seconds to go. Sengun grabbed the rebound and was fouled by Jarrett Allen to set up the winning free throws.
GRIZZLIES 132, HORNETS 120
MEMPHIS, Tenn. ( AP) — Desmond Bane scored 24 points, Luke Kennard added 23 on a season-high seven 3-pointers and Memphis built an early lead and beat Charlotte.
Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22 points, and Ja Morant had with 16 points and 13 assists to help Memphis win its fourth straight. Bane was 10 of 15 from the field, Kennard 8 of 12 and the Grizzlies shot 50% overall.
Mark Williams led the Hornets with a career-high 38 points, connecting on 14 of 18 shots. LaMelo Ball added 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Miles Bridges scored 17 points as the Hornets three-game winning streak came to an end.
Memphis was up 13 at the end of the first quarter and outscored the Hornets 40-23 in the second. The lead reached 34 in the third, enough to easily weather a 12-0 run by Charlotte to close the period.
THUNDER 123, JAZZ 114
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 54 points and Oklahoma City defeated Utah.
Gilgeous-Alexander made 17 of 35 field goals and 17 of 18 free throws to surpass his previous career best of 45 points. He also had eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Jalen Williams added 25 points for the Thunder (36-7), who are tied with Cleveland for the league’s best record.
John Collins had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Collin Sexton had 18 points and nine assists, and Walker Kessler had 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Jazz, who lost their fourth straight.
The Associated Press
