The 76ers beat the Timberwolves 115-103 as Joel Embiid returns to the lineup

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Paul George scored 23 points, Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. each had 21 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-103 on Friday night.

Joel Embiid had 19 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in his return to the lineup to help the 76ers remain sixth in the Eastern Conference with five games to play.

Julius Randle and Bones Hyland each had 21 points for the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards struggled to eight points. Edwards was back in action after sitting out Thursday night in a 113-108 loss at Detroit due to illness. He missed 12 of 15 shots overall, including all seven 3-point tries.

Embiid, who didn’t play Wednesday night in a 153-131 victory at Washington due to illness, scored 13 points in the third period when the 76ers outscored Minnesota 42-24. The 76ers trailed 70-68 with 2:50 remaining in the period before scoring 15 of the final 16 points of the quarter to enter the fourth ahead 83-71. Maxey had six points during the stretch, and Quentin Grimes finished the spurt with back-to-back fast-break layups.

George’s 3-pointer with 6 1/2 minutes to play put Philadelphia ahead by a game-high 17 points. But Minnesota got as close as within six points in the final 1 1/2 minutes before Oubre put it away with consecutive 3-pointers.

HORNETS 129, PACERS 108

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 22 points, Kon Knueppel added 20 and Charlotte beat Indiana for its eighth victory in 10 games.

Miles Bridges scored 19 points and LaMelo Ball had 18 points and nine assists to help the Hornets improve to 42-26. Charlotte was 24 of 49 from 3-point range.

Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 30 points. The Pacers (18-59) had won two in a row.

The Hornets entered the night in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings — 1 1/2 games behind Philadelphia and Toronto.

They left no doubt about this one.

Behind a flurry of early 3-pointers — including three in the first quarter from reserve Sion James — the Hornets raced to a 31-11 lead. Charlotte shot 14 of 27 from 3-point range in the first half to take a 69-50 lead.

Knueppel, who set the franchise record for 3s in a season Thursday night against Phoenix, finished 3 of 7 from beyond the arc and also showed versatility in his game with a coast-to-coast layup.

HAWKS 141, NETS 107

NEW YORK (AP) — CJ McCollum had 25 points and seven assists and surging Atlanta routed Brooklyn for its fourth straight victory and 18th in 20 games.

Fifth in the Eastern Conference at 45-33, the Hawks remained 1 1/2 games ahead of sixth-place Philadelphia and moved within 3 1/2 games of fourth-place Cleveland. Atlanta and Cleveland will play a home-and-set next week.

McCollum was 8 of 12 from the field, hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points, and Jalen Johnson had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Onyeka Okongwu scored 15 points.

Nic Claxton led Brooklyn with 16 points, and Malachi Smith had 15. The Nets lost their second straight to fall to 18-59.

Atlanta scored the first 10 points and led 35-17 with 1:28 left in the first quarter. It was 71-55 at the half, with McCollum scoring 16 points and Johnson 13. McCollum was 4 of 5 from the field in the half, hitting three 3-pointers without a miss.

KNICKS 136, BULLS 96

NEW YORK (AP) — OG Anunoby scored 31 points, Mitchell Robinson had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and New York routed Chicago in a game they led by 47 points.

Anunoby was 9 for 15 from the field, including 7 for 10 from 3-point range, and Robinson made each of his seven shots starting in place of All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, who did not play because of a right elbow impingement.

All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson had 17 points and 10 assists to help the Knicks win their second consecutive game after dropping three in a row.

For New York (50-28), the blowout victory cemented its third consecutive season with at least 50 wins — a feat the club had not accomplished since the 1991-92 to 1993-94 campaigns. The Knicks lost the 1994 NBA Finals to Houston and were able to surpass the 50-win plateau the following season.

Collin Sexton had 19 points for the Bulls. They have lost their last six games and 10 of 12.

CELTICS 133, BUCKS 101

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 26 points, Jayson Tatum added 23, and hot-shooting Boston capitalized on another fast start in a victory over short-handed Milwaukee.

Tatum was an assist shy of his second straight triple-double despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter of a game the Celtics never trailed. He had 11 rebounds and nine assists Friday after collecting 25 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists Wednesday in a 147-129 triumph over the Miami Heat.

In the Miami game, Boston scored 53 points in the opening period — its highest first-quarter point total in franchise history. The Celtics didn’t quite match that Friday, but they made eight of their first nine 3-point attempts and led 43-26 after the opening period.

That represented the most first-quarter points Milwaukee had allowed all season.

Boston remained 2 1/2 games ahead of the New York Knicks in the competition for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Celtics are four games behind the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons.

Neemias Queta had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who shot 56.2% overall and 17 of 37 from 3-point range. Derrick White scored 17, Payton Pritchard 16 and Sam Hauser 13.

Taurean Prince scored 18 points to lead Milwaukee. Pete Nance had 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.

ROCKETS 140, JAZZ 106

HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 25 points and Houston won its fifth straight game, beating Utah.

Durant shot 8 of 12 from the field and added five assists. It was the 45th time this season he’s scored 20 or more points while shooting 50% or better. That’s second among NBA players behind Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has done it 47 times.

Amen Thompson had 21 points and Alperen Sengun scored 19 for the Rockets (48-29), who clinched a playoff spot Thursday. They are a game behind Denver for fourth place in the Western Conference.

Cody Williams led the Jazz with 27 points and 11 rebounds, but they shot just 5 of 27 from behind the 3-point line.

Utah (21-57) has lost eight consecutive games and 12 of 13.

RAPTORS 128, GRIZZLIES 96

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 25 points, Brandon Ingram had 17 points and seven rebounds and Toronto built a first-half lead, extended it in the third and coasted to a victory over Memphis.

Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles, the ninth overall pick last summer, added 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting to help Toronto snap a two-game skid. Murray-Boyles had a career-high 20 points against Sacramento on Wednesday night.

Trying to avoid the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, Toronto remained seventh in the standings, through it has the same record as sixth-place Philadelphia.

GG Jackson led Memphis with 30 points, and Cedric Coward had 15. The Grizzlies lost for the eighth time in nine games. Jackson was 10 of 16 from the field.

A 13-4 run by Toronto to end the first half gave the Raptors a 59-41 lead at the break. The advantage would stretch to 31 near the five-minute mark of the third, and reach 33 in the fourth quarter.

MAGIC 138, MAVERICKS 127

DALLAS (AP) — Wendell Carter Jr. scored 28 points and Orlando beat Dallas, overcoming a 51-point showing from rookie No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and handing the Mavericks their 14th consecutive loss at home.

Desmond Bane had 27 points as the Magic remained a half-game behind eighth-place Charlotte in the Eastern Conference. Orlando is safely in the play-in tournament with an outside shot at the top six and automatic entry into the East playoffs.

Coach Jason Kidd and Maji Marshall were ejected seconds apart early in the fourth quarter for the lottery-bound Mavericks, who are on their longest home losing streak at 25-year-old American Airlines Center. Dallas lost the first 19 games of the 1993-94 season at since-demolished Reunion Arena.

Flagg was caught up in the disagreement that led to Kidd’s ejection, drawing his own technical foul before Kidd went onto the court apparently to protest the same non-call that drew Flagg’s ire.

The 19-year-old responded with 24 points in the fourth quarter to become the youngest in NBA history with a 50-point game.

KINGS 117, PELICANS 113

SACRAMENTO, Calif (AP) — Rookie Maxime Raynaud scored 28 points and Sacramento overcame a 17-point, first-half deficit to beat New Orleans.

Raynaud was 11 of 14 from the field and made 6 of 7 free throws. He also had eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

Nique Clifford added 23 points and seven assists, and Daeqwon Plowden had 17 points. The Kings have won two in a row to improve to 21-57, while New Orleans has lost seven straight to fall to 25-53.

Jeremiah Fears had 28 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Pelicans. Siddiq Bey added 20 points, and Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III each had 13.