WIZARDS 128, SUNS 107
WASHINGTON – Bradley Beal scored 34 points and the Washington Wizards snapped a three-game losing streak and earned their first home win this season by beating the Phoenix Suns 128-107 on Monday night.
The Wizards, who had five straight losses at home, were without point guard Russell Westbrook, who will miss at least a week with a quadriceps injury. Devin Booker led Phoenix with 33 points.
Chris Paul finished with 14 points and 11 assists and Mikal Bridges also scored 14 points. Beal, the NBA’s leading scorer this season, also had eight rebounds and nine assists. He missed Saturday’s game against Miami for being in the NBA’s health and safety protocol.
Beal racked up 101 points in his previous two games, tying the team record with 60 points on Wednesday in Philadelphia and adding 40 in a loss to Boston on Saturday.
Washington was never at a disadvantage, leading 32 with 4:16 to play in the second quarter.
The Wizards played their first game without center Thomas Bryant, who suffered a partial tear to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Bryant was hurt in the first two minutes of Saturday’s game and possibly absent for the rest of the season. Davis Bertans added 18 points for Washington, all via triple.
HAWKS 112, 76ERS 94
ATLANTA – Trae Young scored 26 points, including the first three baskets of Atlanta’s dominant start in the second half, and the Hawks easily beat an absence-plagued Philadelphia 76ers Monday night, 112-94.
De’Andre Hunter and Brandon Goodwin chipped in 15 points to help the Hawks put a four-game losing streak behind them. Clint Capela added 12 points and 10 rebounds and was one of six Atlanta players to score in double digits.
Young, who had just 22 points in his last two games, regained his offensive form. He opened the second half with a shot from mid-range followed by two trays. Young’s explosive start was vital in Atlanta’s 15-2 streak to open the second half that extended the margin to 80-52.
The Hawks had a 95-65 lead in the third quarter before Young and several starters rested the entire fourth quarter.
Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Isaiah Joe finished with 18 points. The Sixers used nine players, a figure that seemed like an excess for Philadelphia after the team was limited to seven elements in Saturday’s 115-103 loss at home to Denver.
Forward Mike Scott and Embiid reappeared to give the 76ers more depth.
HORNETS 109, KNICKS 88
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina.- Gordon Hayward scored 34 points and the Charlotte Hornets defeated the New York Knicks 109-88 on Monday night for their fourth consecutive victory.
Devonte Graham added 19 points and seven assists for Charlotte, and PJ Washington added 13 points as the Hornets gave the Knicks their third loss in a row.
Kevin Knox led the Knicks with 19 points and Mitchell Robinson finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. The Hornets turned the Knicks’ 17 turnovers into 24 points.
Charlotte made 10 losses but still went above .500 for the first time this season.
LaMelo Ball, who became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double on Saturday, hit three of 13 field attempts and finished with eight points, seven assists and a career-high 14 rebounds.
Hayward is going through a great moment during the Hornets’ winning streak, averaging 29.2 points when shooting 55% from the field and 92% from the penalty line.
The forward scored 28 points in the first half as he made 8 of 12 shots from the field and his 10 free throw attempts to give the Hornets a 57-50 lead at halftime.
MEMPHIS 101, CLEVELAND 91
CLEVELAND – Dillon Brooks scored 21 points and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied after blowing a 16-point lead to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-91 on Monday night.
Brandon Clarke scored 15 points and Tyus Jones had 13 points, seven assists and three steals for the Grizzlies, who won their second straight game and improved to 3-1 on the road.
Memphis led 73-57 late in the third quarter, but Cleveland responded with a 27-8 run capped by Damyean Dotson’s basket with 6:43 remaining in the fourth to advance by three.
A De’Anthony Melton 3-pointer put the Grizzlies definitely ahead at 89-86 with 4:40 remaining. A throwback by Jonas Valanciunas and two free throws by Jones with 1:15 to play extended Memphis’ lead to six.
Cavaliers center Andre Drummond scored 19 points and 14 rebounds for his 11th straight double-double at the start of the season. Dotson added 14 points and six assists, and Cedi Osman had 14 points.
Point guard Collin Sexton warmed up and was expected to start, but it was a late scratch for Cleveland with a sprained left ankle. The third-year professional, who averages 25.1 points, the team’s highest, missed his third straight game.
Cleveland returned to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse after its longest road trip of the season, which covered six games and 10 days. The Cavaliers beat the Grizzlies 94-90 four days earlier.
The Grizzlies took their biggest lead at 73-57 on an undisputed layup from Desmond Bane. The 26-11 run to open the second half was highlighted by an alley-oop from Jones to Clarke.
Kyle Anderson had four points, five rebounds and six assists in the first half as Memphis took a 47-46 lead at halftime. The Cavaliers led 27-24 after a quarter with Larry Nance Jr. scoring 10 points and four rebounds.
The Ohio Department of Health allowed 1,944 fans inside the stadium, which is 10% of capacity. Cleveland had been limited to 300 viewers due to COVID-19 restrictions.BUCKS 121, MAGIC 99
ORLANDO, Fla .– Giannis Antetokounmpo returned after a one-game absence due to a minor back discomfort and scored 22 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 121-99 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
Antetokounmpo, the current two-time NBA MVP, got off to a slow start and overcame foul problems in the second half before getting into rhythm in the fourth quarter. Milwaukee scored its second win and defeated Orlando for the fifth straight time in the regular season.
Khris Middleton finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks, while backup Bobby Portis had an outstanding performance for the second game in a row, chipping in 20 points.
Nikola Vucevic finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds to lead the depleted Magic, who have lost two of their last three games since losing point guard Markelle Fultz for the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
Aaron Gordon finished with 21 points, eight assists and five rebounds, in addition to a solid defense against Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee missed 17 of his first 24 three-point attempts, but hit six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
Seconds after Gordon landed a spectacular dunk on Antetokounmpo to bring the Magic closer to 88-86, Giannis hit a 3-pointer that silenced the 3,248 as well.
Orlando won the first game of that series before Milwaukee won the next four games.
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