HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Porter Jr. scored 29 points, Christian Wood added 28 points and 13 rebounds and the Houston Rockets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 123-112 on Sunday night to end a 12-game losing streak.
Porter scored 19 of his 22 second-half points in the third quarter to help Houston overcome a 10-point halftime deficit. Wood has scored at least 20 points in three games.
“I honestly would say this is the best that we have all played altogether,” Wood said. “It’s really good to see when we are all clicking like that. It’s a really scary sight, so we just have try to harp on that, try to build on that, try to see if we can repeat that same effort, that same energy.”
Jalen Green added 24 points and eight rebounds, and Eric Gordon had 12 points in the Rockets’ first victory since beating Cleveland on Feb. 2.
“Grit, desperation a little bit, togetherness and just a collective will to win,” Houston coach Stephen Silas said. “We were tired of losing, and it showed in our performance, not just at the end of the game. … We came out in the second half and played so good. Christian Wood, this was the best game I’ve seen him play.”
Desmond Bane scored 28 points, and Ja Morant added 22 points and six assists for Memphis, coming off a home victory Saturday night over Orlando. Steven Adams had season-high 23 points and finished with 12 rebounds.
“They played great. We played terrible,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “They played great the entire the game. Wood in the first half. Porter, Green they brought it tonight. … We didn’t play well individually. We didn’t play well as a team. They kicked our butts.”
After Brandon Clarke cut Houston’s lead to 108-107 with a layup with 5 1/2 minutes remaining, the Rockets responded with a 10-1 run to open up a 10-point lead on a layup by Porter with 2:42 left.
Trailing 82-75 with four minutes left in the third, Houston scored 11 straight to take an 86-82 lead with 1:48 remaining in the quarter. But Bane scored eight and the teams were tied at 92 after three.
The Rockets shot 52% and made 13 of 35 on 3-pointers. Houston outrebounded the Grizzlies 45-40 and had a 22-13 advantage in second chance points. The Grizzlies were 5 of 26 on 3-pointers.
“We gave them too much life in the game,” Jenkins said. “We could have been up 20 if you ask me. We didn’t come out with the urgency we needed to. That 10-point (halftime) lead wasn’t even a 10-point lead if you ask me. They came back with a storm, had it tied, but it felt like we played down the entire night. We didn’t have it tonight.”
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Memphis made 19 of 27 free throws. … The Grizzlies turned 17 Houston turnovers into 24 points. … Memphis held a 72-56 advantage in points in the paint and had 17 fast break points.
Rockets: G Dennis Schroder missed his third straight game with a right ankle sprain. Silas said Schroder was day-to-day, and could possibly return on Monday, but if not, probably on Wednesday. … Houston had a season-high 40 points in the third quarter.
HE SAID IT
“Those games where there’s individual improvement for a couple guys and then the rest of the guys are mad, aren’t great. But when everybody contributes to a win and feels good leaving the locker room with whatever they did, it’s important for morale, it’s important for us moving forward and it’s important for the organization as a whole.” – Silas on the Rockets’ winning as a team.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: Host New Orleans on Tuesday night.
Rockets: At Miami on Monday night.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 29 points, Christian Wood added 28 points and 13 rebounds and the Houston Rockets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 123-112 on Sunday night to end a 12-game losing streak.
Porter scored 19 of his 22 second-half points in the third quarter to help Houston overcome a 10-point halftime deficit. Wood has scored at least 20 points in three games.
&ldquo;I honestly would say this is the best that we have all played altogether,&rdquo; Wood said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really good to see when we are all clicking like that. It&rsquo;s a really scary sight, so we just have try to harp on that, try to build on that, try to see if we can repeat that same effort, that same energy.&rdquo;
Jalen Green added 24 points and eight rebounds, and Eric Gordon had 12 points in the Rockets&rsquo; first victory since beating Cleveland on Feb. 2.
&ldquo;Grit, desperation a little bit, togetherness and just a collective will to win,&rdquo; Houston coach Stephen Silas said. &ldquo;We were tired of losing, and it showed in our performance, not just at the end of the game. &hellip; We came out in the second half and played so good. Christian Wood, this was the best game I&rsquo;ve seen him play.&rdquo;
Desmond Bane scored 28 points, and Ja Morant added 22 points and six assists for Memphis, coming off a home victory Saturday night over Orlando. Steven Adams had season-high 23 points and finished with 12 rebounds.
&ldquo;They played great. We played terrible,&rdquo; Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. &ldquo;They played great the entire the game. Wood in the first half. Porter, Green they brought it tonight. &hellip; We didn&rsquo;t play well individually. We didn&rsquo;t play well as a team. They kicked our butts.&rdquo;
After Brandon Clarke cut Houston&rsquo;s lead to 108-107 with a layup with 5 1/2 minutes remaining, the Rockets responded with a 10-1 run to open up a 10-point lead on a layup by Porter with 2:42 left.
Trailing 82-75 with four minutes left in the third, Houston scored 11 straight to take an 86-82 lead with 1:48 remaining in the quarter. But Bane scored eight and the teams were tied at 92 after three.
The Rockets shot 52% and made 13 of 35 on 3-pointers. Houston outrebounded the Grizzlies 45-40 and had a 22-13 advantage in second chance points. The Grizzlies were 5 of 26 on 3-pointers.
&ldquo;We gave them too much life in the game,&rdquo; Jenkins said. &ldquo;We could have been up 20 if you ask me. We didn&rsquo;t come out with the urgency we needed to. That 10-point (halftime) lead wasn&rsquo;t even a 10-point lead if you ask me. They came back with a storm, had it tied, but it felt like we played down the entire night. We didn&rsquo;t have it tonight.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Memphis made 19 of 27 free throws. &hellip; The Grizzlies turned 17 Houston turnovers into 24 points. &hellip; Memphis held a 72-56 advantage in points in the paint and had 17 fast break points.
Rockets: G Dennis Schroder missed his third straight game with a right ankle sprain. Silas said Schroder was day-to-day, and could possibly return on Monday, but if not, probably on Wednesday. &hellip; Houston had a season-high 40 points in the third quarter.
HE SAID IT
&ldquo;Those games where there&rsquo;s individual improvement for a couple guys and then the rest of the guys are mad, aren&rsquo;t great. But when everybody contributes to a win and feels good leaving the locker room with whatever they did, it&rsquo;s important for morale, it&rsquo;s important for us moving forward and it&rsquo;s important for the organization as a whole.&rdquo; &ndash; Silas on the Rockets&rsquo; winning as a team.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: Host New Orleans on Tuesday night.
Rockets: At Miami on Monday night.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 29 points, Christian Wood added 28 points and 13 rebounds and the Rockets beat the Grizzlies 123-112.

Rockets beat Grizzlies 123-112 to end 12-game losing streak

CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie Evan Mobley had 20 points and 17 rebounds, Lauri Markkanen scored 22 and the Cleveland Cavaliers widened their lead on Toronto in the Eastern Conference standings with a 104-96 win over the Raptors on Sunday night.
The Cavs won for just the second time in eight games. They're trying to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2018 — and with just over a month left in the regular season, every game matters.
Darius Garland had 17 points and 10 assists, Cedi Osman added 17 points and Kevin Love 15 as Cleveland improved to 3-0 against Toronto.
Pascal Siakam scored 24 points and Chris Boucher 21 for the Raptors, who opened a six-game road trip without All-Star guard Fred VanVleet (knee soreness) or forward OG Anunoby (fractured finger).
Down 18 in the fourth, the Raptors closed within 100-95, but Garland made two free throws and Osman's steal with 56 seconds left helped seal it for the Cavs.
Injuries to VanVleet and backup Malachi Flynn led to Toronto coach Nick Nurse starting rookie Scottie Barnes at point guard. He finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in 42 minutes.
As has been the case all season, the loss came with some concern for the Cavs. All-Star center Jarrett Allen left in the second quarter with a bruised quadriceps and did not return. He had six points and two rebounds in 10 minutes.
Cleveland came in having lost six of seven, but there were encouraging signs of the young team snapping out of its recent funk in a 125-119 loss at Philadelphia on Friday. A matchup against the team directly behind them in the standings figured to be a bigger test.
“To do what we want to do, this is a moment and challenge for us,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said pregame.
Cleveland led by 13 at halftime and then overcame a brutal third quarter — 16 points, 1 of 10 on 3-pointers — by opening an 82-64 lead early in the fourth. Love then hit a 3-pointer and reserve Dean Wade delivered a thunderous dunk over Toronto's Khem Birch.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Finished 6 of 24 on 3-pointers. ... VanVleet has missed the past five games, but Nurse believes he'll be back “shortly.” Toronto is off the next two days and Nurse is optimistic the “extra couple days will get him ready to go.” ... Anunoby, averaging career highs in points (17.5), rebounds (5.5), has missed seven straight games.
Cavaliers: Markkanen added a season-high 12 rebounds. ... G Rajon Rondo (sprained toe) sat out his fifth game in a row while G Caris LeVert (sprained foot) missed his sixth straight. “Both of them are taking steps in the right direction,” Bickerstaff said.
COACH K TRIBUTE
Nurse attended Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday night as a guest of Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, whose son, AJ, is a freshman forward for the Blue Devils.
Nurse said one of his biggest takeaways from the event was Coach K's deep connection to the school.
“It's incredible,” he said. "The guy was there for 42 years. When I was 30, I had nine jobs already. It seems impossible that that was his vision and that was his plan and to execute it to such a level of magnificence.
"That's what he wanted to do and to keep it all together and do it in relationship-slash-family way." 
 UP NEXT
Raptors: At San Antonio on Wednesday.
Cavaliers: Visit Indiana on Tuesday to start a three-game road swing. Cleveland is 3-0 this season against Indiana.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Rookie Evan Mobley had 20 points and 17 rebounds, Lauri Markkanen scored 22 and the Cleveland Cavaliers widened their lead on Toronto in the Eastern Conference standings with a 104-96 win over the Raptors on Sunday night.
The Cavs won for just the second time in eight games. They're trying to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2018 &mdash; and with just over a month left in the regular season, every game matters.
Darius Garland had 17 points and 10 assists, Cedi Osman added 17 points and Kevin Love 15 as Cleveland improved to 3-0 against Toronto.
Pascal Siakam scored 24 points and Chris Boucher 21 for the Raptors, who opened a six-game road trip without All-Star guard Fred VanVleet (knee soreness) or forward OG Anunoby (fractured finger).
Down 18 in the fourth, the Raptors closed within 100-95, but Garland made two free throws and Osman's steal with 56 seconds left helped seal it for the Cavs.
Injuries to VanVleet and backup Malachi Flynn led to Toronto coach Nick Nurse starting rookie Scottie Barnes at point guard. He finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in 42 minutes.
As has been the case all season, the loss came with some concern for the Cavs. All-Star center Jarrett Allen left in the second quarter with a bruised quadriceps and did not return. He had six points and two rebounds in 10 minutes.
Cleveland came in having lost six of seven, but there were encouraging signs of the young team snapping out of its recent funk in a 125-119 loss at Philadelphia on Friday. A matchup against the team directly behind them in the standings figured to be a bigger test.
&ldquo;To do what we want to do, this is a moment and challenge for us,&rdquo; coach J.B. Bickerstaff said pregame.
Cleveland led by 13 at halftime and then overcame a brutal third quarter &mdash; 16 points, 1 of 10 on 3-pointers &mdash; by opening an 82-64 lead early in the fourth. Love then hit a 3-pointer and reserve Dean Wade delivered a thunderous dunk over Toronto's Khem Birch.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Finished 6 of 24 on 3-pointers. ... VanVleet has missed the past five games, but Nurse believes he'll be back &ldquo;shortly.&rdquo; Toronto is off the next two days and Nurse is optimistic the &ldquo;extra couple days will get him ready to go.&rdquo; ... Anunoby, averaging career highs in points (17.5), rebounds (5.5), has missed seven straight games.
Cavaliers: Markkanen added a season-high 12 rebounds. ... G Rajon Rondo (sprained toe) sat out his fifth game in a row while G Caris LeVert (sprained foot) missed his sixth straight. &ldquo;Both of them are taking steps in the right direction,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said.
COACH K TRIBUTE
Nurse attended Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday night as a guest of Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, whose son, AJ, is a freshman forward for the Blue Devils.
Nurse said one of his biggest takeaways from the event was Coach K's deep connection to the school.
&ldquo;It's incredible,&rdquo; he said. "The guy was there for 42 years. When I was 30, I had nine jobs already. It seems impossible that that was his vision and that was his plan and to execute it to such a level of magnificence.
"That's what he wanted to do and to keep it all together and do it in relationship-slash-family way."
UP NEXT
Raptors: At San Antonio on Wednesday.
Cavaliers: Visit Indiana on Tuesday to start a three-game road swing. Cleveland is 3-0 this season against Indiana.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Rookie Evan Mobley had 20 points and 17 rebounds, Lauri Markkanen scored 22 and the Cleveland Cavaliers widened their lead on Toronto in the Eastern Conference standings with a 104-96 win over the Raptors on Sunday night.
The Cavs won for just the second time in eight games. They're trying to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2018 &mdash; and with just over a month left in the regular season, every game matters.
Darius Garland had 17 points and 10 assists, Cedi Osman added 17 points and Kevin Love 15 as Cleveland improved to 3-0 against Toronto.
Pascal Siakam scored 24 points and Chris Boucher 21 for the Raptors, who opened a six-game road trip without All-Star guard Fred VanVleet (knee soreness) or forward OG Anunoby (fractured finger).
Down 18 in the fourth, the Raptors closed within 100-95, but Garland made two free throws and Osman's steal with 56 seconds left helped seal it for the Cavs.
Injuries to VanVleet and backup Malachi Flynn led to Toronto coach Nick Nurse starting rookie Scottie Barnes at point guard. He finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in 42 minutes.
As has been the case all season, the loss came with some concern for the Cavs. All-Star center Jarrett Allen left in the second quarter with a bruised quadriceps and did not return. He had six points and two rebounds in 10 minutes.
Cleveland came in having lost six of seven, but there were encouraging signs of the young team snapping out of its recent funk in a 125-119 loss at Philadelphia on Friday. A matchup against the team directly behind them in the standings figured to be a bigger test.
&ldquo;To do what we want to do, this is a moment and challenge for us,&rdquo; coach J.B. Bickerstaff said pregame.
Cleveland led by 13 at halftime and then overcame a brutal third quarter &mdash; 16 points, 1 of 10 on 3-pointers &mdash; by opening an 82-64 lead early in the fourth. Love then hit a 3-pointer and reserve Dean Wade delivered a thunderous dunk over Toronto's Khem Birch.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Finished 6 of 24 on 3-pointers. ... VanVleet has missed the past five games, but Nurse believes he'll be back &ldquo;shortly.&rdquo; Toronto is off the next two days and Nurse is optimistic the &ldquo;extra couple days will get him ready to go.&rdquo; ... Anunoby, averaging career highs in points (17.5), rebounds (5.5), has missed seven straight games.
Cavaliers: Markkanen added a season-high 12 rebounds. ... G Rajon Rondo (sprained toe) sat out his fifth game in a row while G Caris LeVert (sprained foot) missed his sixth straight. &ldquo;Both of them are taking steps in the right direction,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said.
COACH K TRIBUTE
Nurse attended Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday night as a guest of Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, whose son, AJ, is a freshman forward for the Blue Devils.
Nurse said one of his biggest takeaways from the event was Coach K's deep connection to the school.
&ldquo;It's incredible,&rdquo; he said. "The guy was there for 42 years. When I was 30, I had nine jobs already. It seems impossible that that was his vision and that was his plan and to execute it to such a level of magnificence.
"That's what he wanted to do and to keep it all together and do it in relationship-slash-family way."
UP NEXT
Raptors: At San Antonio on Wednesday.
Cavaliers: Visit Indiana on Tuesday to start a three-game road swing. Cleveland is 3-0 this season against Indiana.

Rookie Evan Mobley had 20 points and 17 rebounds, Lauri Markkanen scored 22 and the Cavaliers won 104-96.

Mobley, Markkanen power Cavaliers past Raptors 104-96

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis scored 25 points in his first game for Washington, and the Wizards beat the Indiana Pacers 133-123 on Sunday night.
Porzingis returned from a right knee bone bruise and played for the first time since the Wizards acquired him from Dallas in a trade last month. It was his first game overall since Jan. 29. He started and made a significant impact despite playing less than half the game.
Kyle Kuzma scored 23 points for the Wizards, who took control of the game with a 39-point third quarter. Washington pulled within two games of Brooklyn, Charlotte and Atlanta, who would occupy the last three spots in the Eastern Conference play-in round if the season ended now.
Washington went right to the 7-foot-3 Porzingis on its first offensive possession, throwing a lob his way. He couldn't quite slam it down, but he did manage to tip the ball in. Later in the first half, Porzingis provided another highlight when he blocked Oshae Brissett near the basket, although Brissett scored over Porzingis immediately afterward.
When Indiana had the ball down three late in the fourth, Kuzma blocked a shot, and Porzingis threw down a one-handed alley-oop dunk at the other end, putting the Wizards up 124-119.
Malcolm Brogdon made two free throws for Indiana with 1:35 left, but Porzingis again dunked after an offensive rebound.
Brogdon scored 27 points for the Pacers, who have lost 11 of 14.
Indiana led 61-57 at halftime, but the Wizards shot 61% from the field in the third quarter and took a 96-87 lead into the fourth. After the Pacers started the final period with four straight points, Porzingis made a 3-pointer to push the lead back to eight.
BEYOND THE ARC
The Wizards went 17 of 42 from 3-point range. Five Washington players made at least two.
TIP-INS
Pacers: C Myles Turner has been out since Jan. 14 because of a stress reaction in his left foot.
Wizards: G Raul Neto left with a sprained left ankle.
UP NEXT
Pacers: Host Cleveland on Tuesday night.
Wizards: At Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
___
Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Kristaps Porzingis scored 25 points in his first game for Washington, and the Wizards beat the Indiana Pacers 133-123 on Sunday night.
Porzingis returned from a right knee bone bruise and played for the first time since the Wizards acquired him from Dallas in a trade last month. It was his first game overall since Jan. 29. He started and made a significant impact despite playing less than half the game.
Kyle Kuzma scored 23 points for the Wizards, who took control of the game with a 39-point third quarter. Washington pulled within two games of Brooklyn, Charlotte and Atlanta, who would occupy the last three spots in the Eastern Conference play-in round if the season ended now.
Washington went right to the 7-foot-3 Porzingis on its first offensive possession, throwing a lob his way. He couldn't quite slam it down, but he did manage to tip the ball in. Later in the first half, Porzingis provided another highlight when he blocked Oshae Brissett near the basket, although Brissett scored over Porzingis immediately afterward.
When Indiana had the ball down three late in the fourth, Kuzma blocked a shot, and Porzingis threw down a one-handed alley-oop dunk at the other end, putting the Wizards up 124-119.
Malcolm Brogdon made two free throws for Indiana with 1:35 left, but Porzingis again dunked after an offensive rebound.
Brogdon scored 27 points for the Pacers, who have lost 11 of 14.
Indiana led 61-57 at halftime, but the Wizards shot 61% from the field in the third quarter and took a 96-87 lead into the fourth. After the Pacers started the final period with four straight points, Porzingis made a 3-pointer to push the lead back to eight.
BEYOND THE ARC
The Wizards went 17 of 42 from 3-point range. Five Washington players made at least two.
TIP-INS
Pacers: C Myles Turner has been out since Jan. 14 because of a stress reaction in his left foot.
Wizards: G Raul Neto left with a sprained left ankle.
UP NEXT
Pacers: Host Cleveland on Tuesday night.
Wizards: At Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
___
Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Kristaps Porzingis scored 25 points in his first game for Washington, and the Wizards beat the Indiana Pacers 133-123 on Sunday night.
Porzingis returned from a right knee bone bruise and played for the first time since the Wizards acquired him from Dallas in a trade last month. It was his first game overall since Jan. 29. He started and made a significant impact despite playing less than half the game.
Kyle Kuzma scored 23 points for the Wizards, who took control of the game with a 39-point third quarter. Washington pulled within two games of Brooklyn, Charlotte and Atlanta, who would occupy the last three spots in the Eastern Conference play-in round if the season ended now.
Washington went right to the 7-foot-3 Porzingis on its first offensive possession, throwing a lob his way. He couldn't quite slam it down, but he did manage to tip the ball in. Later in the first half, Porzingis provided another highlight when he blocked Oshae Brissett near the basket, although Brissett scored over Porzingis immediately afterward.
When Indiana had the ball down three late in the fourth, Kuzma blocked a shot, and Porzingis threw down a one-handed alley-oop dunk at the other end, putting the Wizards up 124-119.
Malcolm Brogdon made two free throws for Indiana with 1:35 left, but Porzingis again dunked after an offensive rebound.
Brogdon scored 27 points for the Pacers, who have lost 11 of 14.
Indiana led 61-57 at halftime, but the Wizards shot 61% from the field in the third quarter and took a 96-87 lead into the fourth. After the Pacers started the final period with four straight points, Porzingis made a 3-pointer to push the lead back to eight.
BEYOND THE ARC
The Wizards went 17 of 42 from 3-point range. Five Washington players made at least two.
TIP-INS
Pacers: C Myles Turner has been out since Jan. 14 because of a stress reaction in his left foot.
Wizards: G Raul Neto left with a sprained left ankle.
UP NEXT
Pacers: Host Cleveland on Tuesday night.
Wizards: At Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 25 points in his first game for Washington, and the Wizards beat the Indiana Pacers 133-123 on Sunday night.

In Wizards debut, Porzingis keys 133-123 win over Pacers

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) shoots as Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) 1 of 2 Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) shoots as Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jayson Tatum scored a season-high 54 points &mdash; 34 of them in the second half &mdash; and the Boston Celtics overcame a rare appearance of both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the Nets lineup, beating Brooklyn 126-120 on Sunday.
Durant played in his second game since mid-January and scored 37 for the Nets to become the 23rd player in NBA history to reach 25,000 points. Irving joined him for just the fourth time all season, scoring 19 in his first game in three weeks and his first in Boston since he was pelted with a water bottle during the playoffs.
Jaylen Brown, who was cleared to return to Boston&rsquo;s lineup after testing his sprained ankle pregame, scored 21 for the Celtics. He beat the 24-second clock to hit a 3-pointer and give Boston a 121-115 lead in the final minute.
Durant missed a jumper the next time down &mdash; complaining that he was fouled, with no luck. Tatum was fouled the next possession and, as &ldquo;MVP!&rdquo; chants rang out in the TD Garden, he hit one of two free throws to surpass his previous season high of 51.
The Celtics have won five of their last six and 21 of their last 27 games.
EARLY ON
The Nets scored 11 straight points midway through the third and opened their biggest lead of the game, 90-81, with just over a minute left in the quarter. But Boston scored eight in a row to cut it to one point, then took the lead on the first basket of the fourth.
The Celtics opened a 108-100 lead in the middle of the fourth.
UNHAPPY RETURNS
Irving was booed by Boston fans still irked that he opted out of his contract after professing his love for the city. On his last visit &mdash; the Celtics&rsquo; first full house since the pandemic began &mdash; a fan threw a water bottle at him when he left the court following a playoff victory.
Irving stomped on the Celtics&rsquo; leprechaun logo at midcourt after that game. On Sunday, former Celtics Glen &ldquo;Big Baby&rdquo; Davis was sitting courtside wearing a T-shirt that read &ldquo;Respect the Logo.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nets: Irving had missed seven straight games and did not play in the Feb. 8 game against Boston in Brooklyn because of New York City&rsquo;s COVID-19 vaccine requirements. ... Durant missed 21 straight games before returning Thursday night.
Celtics: Nick Stauskas, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2014 draft, signed with Boston over the weekend but did not play. He played in two games for Miami this season and 26 games for the Grand Rapids Gold of the G League. ... Signed forwards Malik Fitts and Kelan Martin to their second 10-day contracts. They each have played in one game for the Celtics and did not get off the bench on Sunday.
UP NEXT
Nets: At Charlotte on Tuesday.
Celtics: At Charlotte on Wednesday.

Jayson Tatum scored a season-high 54 points &mdash; 34 of them in the second half &mdash; and the Boston Celtics overcame a rare appearance of both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the Nets lineup, beating Brooklyn 126-120 on Sunday.
Durant played in his second game since mid-January and scored 37 for the Nets to become the 23rd player in NBA history to reach 25,000 points. Irving joined him for just the fourth time all season, scoring 19 in his first game in three weeks and his first in Boston since he was pelted with a water bottle during the playoffs.
Jaylen Brown, who was cleared to return to Boston&rsquo;s lineup after testing his sprained ankle pregame, scored 21 for the Celtics. He beat the 24-second clock to hit a 3-pointer and give Boston a 121-115 lead in the final minute.
Durant missed a jumper the next time down &mdash; complaining that he was fouled, with no luck. Tatum was fouled the next possession and, as &ldquo;MVP!&rdquo; chants rang out in the TD Garden, he hit one of two free throws to surpass his previous season high of 51.
The Celtics have won five of their last six and 21 of their last 27 games.
EARLY ON
The Nets scored 11 straight points midway through the third and opened their biggest lead of the game, 90-81, with just over a minute left in the quarter. But Boston scored eight in a row to cut it to one point, then took the lead on the first basket of the fourth.
The Celtics opened a 108-100 lead in the middle of the fourth.
UNHAPPY RETURNS
Irving was booed by Boston fans still irked that he opted out of his contract after professing his love for the city. On his last visit &mdash; the Celtics&rsquo; first full house since the pandemic began &mdash; a fan threw a water bottle at him when he left the court following a playoff victory.
Irving stomped on the Celtics&rsquo; leprechaun logo at midcourt after that game. On Sunday, former Celtics Glen &ldquo;Big Baby&rdquo; Davis was sitting courtside wearing a T-shirt that read &ldquo;Respect the Logo.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Nets: Irving had missed seven straight games and did not play in the Feb. 8 game against Boston in Brooklyn because of New York City&rsquo;s COVID-19 vaccine requirements. ... Durant missed 21 straight games before returning Thursday night.
Celtics: Nick Stauskas, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2014 draft, signed with Boston over the weekend but did not play. He played in two games for Miami this season and 26 games for the Grand Rapids Gold of the G League. ... Signed forwards Malik Fitts and Kelan Martin to their second 10-day contracts. They each have played in one game for the Celtics and did not get off the bench on Sunday.
UP NEXT
Nets: At Charlotte on Tuesday.
Celtics: At Charlotte on Wednesday.

Jayson Tatum scored a season-high 54 points — 34 of them in the second half — and the Celtics overcame the Nets' duo.

Tatum’s 54 leads Celtics past Durant, Irving, Nets 126-120

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James scored a season-high 56 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 124-116 on Saturday night to snap a four-game losing streak.
James had his third-most points in a regular season game, finishing with at least 50 for the 13th time. He had a career-best 61 for Miami against Charlotte in 2014.
James was 19 of 31 from the field, shaking off a blow to his right elbow in the first half. Russell Westbrook added 20 points, and Carmelo Anthony had 14.
Stephen Curry had 30 for Golden State, and Jordan Poole added 23. The Warriors have lost four straight to drop to third overall in the NBA, a half-game behind Memphis and 8 1/2 games behind Phoenix.
Anthony completed a three-point play to give the Lakers a 114-112 lead with 3:29 to play, and Malik Monk hit a 3 to extend that lead to five after Austin Reeves stole Curry’s pass. James then threw down a thunderous alley-oop from Monk, who stole the inbound pass after a Los Angeles turnover.
Curry cut it to 119-116 with 1:06 left, but Reeves grabbed the offensive rebound and Anthony hit a corner 3, allowing the Lakers to see it out.
James reached 40 points in the third quarter before putting the Lakers up 100-97 with 7:51 remaining in the game after knocking down three straight 3-pointers. 
Golden State ran over Los Angeles with 42 points in the second quarter to take a 67-62 halftime lead. Poole and Kuminga each had eight points, Curry added seven, and the Warriors made 69.6% of their shots from the field (16 of 23) and 75% from 3-point range (6 of 8).
James, who got 26 points in the half, was the reason the Lakers were able to hang around. It was his 24th straight game with at least 25 points to extend the longest streak of James’ illustrious career. 
TIP-INS
Kuminga finished with 18 points. … Lakers G Avery Bradley returned after missing five games because of a right knee injury. He did not score in 16 minutes … Lakers G Talen Horton Tucker had two points in 18 minutes after not playing against the Clippers on Thursday because of a sprained left ankle. … Super Bowl-winning QB Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams watched the game from courtside seats with his wife, while longtime Lakers coach Phil Jackson took it in from a suite. 
UP NEXT
Warriors: At Denver on Monday night.
Lakers: At San Antonio on Monday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LeBron James scored a season-high 56 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 124-116 on Saturday night to snap a four-game losing streak.
James had his third-most points in a regular season game, finishing with at least 50 for the 13th time. He had a career-best 61 for Miami against Charlotte in 2014.
James was 19 of 31 from the field, shaking off a blow to his right elbow in the first half. Russell Westbrook added 20 points, and Carmelo Anthony had 14.
Stephen Curry had 30 for Golden State, and Jordan Poole added 23. The Warriors have lost four straight to drop to third overall in the NBA, a half-game behind Memphis and 8 1/2 games behind Phoenix.
Anthony completed a three-point play to give the Lakers a 114-112 lead with 3:29 to play, and Malik Monk hit a 3 to extend that lead to five after Austin Reeves stole Curry&rsquo;s pass. James then threw down a thunderous alley-oop from Monk, who stole the inbound pass after a Los Angeles turnover.
Curry cut it to 119-116 with 1:06 left, but Reeves grabbed the offensive rebound and Anthony hit a corner 3, allowing the Lakers to see it out.
James reached 40 points in the third quarter before putting the Lakers up 100-97 with 7:51 remaining in the game after knocking down three straight 3-pointers.
Golden State ran over Los Angeles with 42 points in the second quarter to take a 67-62 halftime lead. Poole and Kuminga each had eight points, Curry added seven, and the Warriors made 69.6% of their shots from the field (16 of 23) and 75% from 3-point range (6 of 8).
James, who got 26 points in the half, was the reason the Lakers were able to hang around. It was his 24th straight game with at least 25 points to extend the longest streak of James&rsquo; illustrious career.
TIP-INS
Kuminga finished with 18 points. &hellip; Lakers G Avery Bradley returned after missing five games because of a right knee injury. He did not score in 16 minutes &hellip; Lakers G Talen Horton Tucker had two points in 18 minutes after not playing against the Clippers on Thursday because of a sprained left ankle. &hellip; Super Bowl-winning QB Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams watched the game from courtside seats with his wife, while longtime Lakers coach Phil Jackson took it in from a suite.
UP NEXT
Warriors: At Denver on Monday night.
Lakers: At San Antonio on Monday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LeBron James scored a season-high 56 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 124-116 on Saturday night to snap a four-game losing streak.
James had his third-most points in a regular season game, finishing with at least 50 for the 13th time. He had a career-best 61 for Miami against Charlotte in 2014.
James was 19 of 31 from the field, shaking off a blow to his right elbow in the first half. Russell Westbrook added 20 points, and Carmelo Anthony had 14.
Stephen Curry had 30 for Golden State, and Jordan Poole added 23. The Warriors have lost four straight to drop to third overall in the NBA, a half-game behind Memphis and 8 1/2 games behind Phoenix.
Anthony completed a three-point play to give the Lakers a 114-112 lead with 3:29 to play, and Malik Monk hit a 3 to extend that lead to five after Austin Reeves stole Curry&rsquo;s pass. James then threw down a thunderous alley-oop from Monk, who stole the inbound pass after a Los Angeles turnover.
Curry cut it to 119-116 with 1:06 left, but Reeves grabbed the offensive rebound and Anthony hit a corner 3, allowing the Lakers to see it out.
James reached 40 points in the third quarter before putting the Lakers up 100-97 with 7:51 remaining in the game after knocking down three straight 3-pointers.
Golden State ran over Los Angeles with 42 points in the second quarter to take a 67-62 halftime lead. Poole and Kuminga each had eight points, Curry added seven, and the Warriors made 69.6% of their shots from the field (16 of 23) and 75% from 3-point range (6 of 8).
James, who got 26 points in the half, was the reason the Lakers were able to hang around. It was his 24th straight game with at least 25 points to extend the longest streak of James&rsquo; illustrious career.
TIP-INS
Kuminga finished with 18 points. &hellip; Lakers G Avery Bradley returned after missing five games because of a right knee injury. He did not score in 16 minutes &hellip; Lakers G Talen Horton Tucker had two points in 18 minutes after not playing against the Clippers on Thursday because of a sprained left ankle. &hellip; Super Bowl-winning QB Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams watched the game from courtside seats with his wife, while longtime Lakers coach Phil Jackson took it in from a suite.
UP NEXT
Warriors: At Denver on Monday night.
Lakers: At San Antonio on Monday night.

LeBron James scored a season-high 56 points and the Lakers beat the Warriors 124-116 to snap a four-game losing streak.

LeBron scores 56 points, Lakers beat Warriors to end skid

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Terry Rozier scored 31 points and the Charlotte Hornets beat San Antonio 123-117 on Saturday night, leaving Spurs coach Gregg Popovich a victory short of the tying the NBA record.
San Antonio has lost four straight since beating Washington on Feb. 25 to move Popovich within one of Don Nelson's record of 1,335 regular-season victories.
LaMelo Ball added 24 points for Charlotte, P.J. Washington and Montrezl Harrell each had 15 and Mason Plumlee had 13 rebounds. The Hornets made 19 of their last 20 free throws.
Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 33 points, but was limited to five in the second half. Dejounte Murray had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Devin Vassell added 14 points.
Ball gave Charlotte a 117-113 lead with two free throws with 55.5 seconds left. Murray’s layup drew San Antonio to 119-117 before Martin hit four foul shots on two trips to the line in the final 33.6.
With Charlotte ahead 115-111, Plumlee contended with Jakob Poeltl for a rebound. The two locked up on the ball, and Plumlee slung Poeltl to the floor in an effort to control the ball. Officials ruled it a jump ball and no foul on Plumlee.
TIP-INS:
San Antonio: Johnson was perfect in the first period, making all seven of his shots — two of them 3-pointers — and his lone free throws. He had 17 of the Spurs' 30 points.
Charlotte: Gordon Hayward missed his fourth consecutive game with a left ankle sprain.
UP NEXT:
Spurs: Host Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.
Hornets: Host Brooklyn on Tuesday night.

Terry Rozier scored 31 points and the Charlotte Hornets beat San Antonio 123-117 on Saturday night, leaving Spurs coach Gregg Popovich a victory short of the tying the NBA record.
San Antonio has lost four straight since beating Washington on Feb. 25 to move Popovich within one of Don Nelson's record of 1,335 regular-season victories.
LaMelo Ball added 24 points for Charlotte, P.J. Washington and Montrezl Harrell each had 15 and Mason Plumlee had 13 rebounds. The Hornets made 19 of their last 20 free throws.
Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 33 points, but was limited to five in the second half. Dejounte Murray had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Devin Vassell added 14 points.
Ball gave Charlotte a 117-113 lead with two free throws with 55.5 seconds left. Murray&rsquo;s layup drew San Antonio to 119-117 before Martin hit four foul shots on two trips to the line in the final 33.6.
With Charlotte ahead 115-111, Plumlee contended with Jakob Poeltl for a rebound. The two locked up on the ball, and Plumlee slung Poeltl to the floor in an effort to control the ball. Officials ruled it a jump ball and no foul on Plumlee.
TIP-INS:
San Antonio: Johnson was perfect in the first period, making all seven of his shots &mdash; two of them 3-pointers &mdash; and his lone free throws. He had 17 of the Spurs' 30 points.
Charlotte: Gordon Hayward missed his fourth consecutive game with a left ankle sprain.
UP NEXT:
Spurs: Host Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.
Hornets: Host Brooklyn on Tuesday night.

Terry Rozier scored 31 points and the Charlotte Hornets beat San Antonio 123-117 on Saturday night, leaving Spurs coach Gregg Popovich a victory short of the tying the NBA record.
San Antonio has lost four straight since beating Washington on Feb. 25 to move Popovich within one of Don Nelson's record of 1,335 regular-season victories.
LaMelo Ball added 24 points for Charlotte, P.J. Washington and Montrezl Harrell each had 15 and Mason Plumlee had 13 rebounds. The Hornets made 19 of their last 20 free throws.
Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 33 points, but was limited to five in the second half. Dejounte Murray had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Devin Vassell added 14 points.
Ball gave Charlotte a 117-113 lead with two free throws with 55.5 seconds left. Murray&rsquo;s layup drew San Antonio to 119-117 before Martin hit four foul shots on two trips to the line in the final 33.6.
With Charlotte ahead 115-111, Plumlee contended with Jakob Poeltl for a rebound. The two locked up on the ball, and Plumlee slung Poeltl to the floor in an effort to control the ball. Officials ruled it a jump ball and no foul on Plumlee.
TIP-INS
San Antonio: Johnson was perfect in the first period, making all seven of his shots &mdash; two of them 3-pointers &mdash; and his lone free throws. He had 17 of the Spurs' 30 points.
Charlotte: Gordon Hayward missed his fourth consecutive game with a left ankle sprain.
UP NEXT
Spurs: Host Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.
Hornets: Host Brooklyn on Tuesday night.

Terry Rozier scored 31 points and the Hornets won, leaving Spurs coach Gregg Popovich a victory short of the tying the NBA record.

Hornets top Spurs, leaving Popovich win short of NBA record

DALLAS (AP) — Dorian Finney-Smith hit a 3-pointer from the right corner with 3.3 seconds left and the Dallas Mavericks, playing without All-Star guard Luka Doncic, overcame a 19-point deficit for the second time this week to beat the Sacramento Kings 114-113 on Saturday.
Doncic was listed on the injury report as having a left toe sprain, and coach Jason Kidd wouldn’t elaborate on the injury. It was the first game Doncic has missed since Jan. 7 and the 16th game overall.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored a season-high 36 points to go with seven assists in his first start for Dallas since being acquired from Washington on Feb. 10. Jalen Brunson added 23 points and assisted on the winning basket, passing from behind the basket to Finney-Smith for a 114-111 lead.
“We want Luka playing, and it took us some time to get used to him not being on the floor,” Kidd said. “I thought the guys got their legs and got their rhythm without Luka out there. It helps us – makes us a better team – but hopefully Luka’s back Monday.”
The Kings had a chance to tie it in the closing seconds, but Harrison Barnes’ 30-footer went off the rim and Justin Holiday converted the miss for a layup for the final points.
Dallas trailed by 19 at Golden State last Sunday before rallying for a 107-101 victory. The Mavericks have won five straight and pulled within one game of fourth-place Utah in the Western Conference.
De’Aaron Fox matched a career high with 44 points on 18-for-31 shooting, and Domantas Sabonis added 15 points and 10 rebounds – but only four points and three rebounds in the second half while often guarded by Finney-Smith – for the Kings.
“I think we’ve done an OK job so far,” Fox said about establishing chemistry with Sabonis, who was acquired Feb. 8 from Indiana. “I think we have a good ways to go, and we just want to bring our team wins.”
Kings interim coach Alvin Gentry was upset about some of Fox’s other numbers.
“As much as De’Aaron Fox drives the ball to the basket and as much as he is in the paint, I’m a little bit miffed as to how he shoots six free throws,” Gentry said.
Fox hit the second of two free throws to tie it at 111 with 12 seconds to play, and Dallas called a timeout. Finney-Smith asked Kidd if he could set up in the right corner. Brunson took the inbound pass and, guarded by Davion Mitchell, drove to the basket before whipping the ball to Finney-Smith.
Dinwiddie averaged 14.5 points in 27.3 minutes in his first six Mavericks games coming off the bench. He was 8 for 12 from the floor in the second half and overall has scored at least 20 in three of his last four games.
THE PARTY GOES ON
The Mavericks hosted Slovenia Night in honor of Doncic’s homeland and scheduled the game for a 4 p.m. local start in conjunction with European television. The first 3,000 fans received Slovenia scarfs, and a group of fans traveled from there to attend the game.
Doncic watched the game from the end of the bench and met afterward with the visiting Slovenians. He came to the scorer’s table once in the first half to chat with the officials during a timeout after the Dallas bench was particularly upset with multiple calls.
NOT-SO-SWEET SIXTEEN
With the loss, the Kings will finish with a losing record for the 16th consecutive season. Of their 37 seasons in Sacramento, they’ve had winning finishes only in the eight seasons under Rick Adelman (1998-99 through 2005-06).
TIP-INS:
Kings: Richaun Holmes returned after missing five games because of back soreness. Holmes had six points and six rebounds in 16 minutes. … Guard Jeremy Lamb sat with left hip soreness.
Mavericks: Finney-Smith had 17 points, hitting 5 of 11 from 3-point range. … Dallas came in second in the NBA allowing only 10.8 3-pointers per game and held Sacramento to nine, three in the second half. … Power forward Maxi Kleber missed his second straight game with an ankle injury.
UP NEXT
Kings: Host New York on Monday night.
Mavericks: Host the Jazz on Monday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Dorian Finney-Smith hit a 3-pointer from the right corner with 3.3 seconds left and the Dallas Mavericks, playing without All-Star guard Luka Doncic, overcame a 19-point deficit for the second time this week to beat the Sacramento Kings 114-113 on Saturday.
Doncic was listed on the injury report as having a left toe sprain, and coach Jason Kidd wouldn&rsquo;t elaborate on the injury. It was the first game Doncic has missed since Jan. 7 and the 16th game overall.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored a season-high 36 points to go with seven assists in his first start for Dallas since being acquired from Washington on Feb. 10. Jalen Brunson added 23 points and assisted on the winning basket, passing from behind the basket to Finney-Smith for a 114-111 lead.
&ldquo;We want Luka playing, and it took us some time to get used to him not being on the floor,&rdquo; Kidd said. &ldquo;I thought the guys got their legs and got their rhythm without Luka out there. It helps us &ndash; makes us a better team &ndash; but hopefully Luka&rsquo;s back Monday.&rdquo;
The Kings had a chance to tie it in the closing seconds, but Harrison Barnes&rsquo; 30-footer went off the rim and Justin Holiday converted the miss for a layup for the final points.
Dallas trailed by 19 at Golden State last Sunday before rallying for a 107-101 victory. The Mavericks have won five straight and pulled within one game of fourth-place Utah in the Western Conference.
De&rsquo;Aaron Fox matched a career high with 44 points on 18-for-31 shooting, and Domantas Sabonis added 15 points and 10 rebounds &ndash; but only four points and three rebounds in the second half while often guarded by Finney-Smith &ndash; for the Kings.
&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;ve done an OK job so far,&rdquo; Fox said about establishing chemistry with Sabonis, who was acquired Feb. 8 from Indiana. &ldquo;I think we have a good ways to go, and we just want to bring our team wins.&rdquo;
Kings interim coach Alvin Gentry was upset about some of Fox&rsquo;s other numbers.
&ldquo;As much as De&rsquo;Aaron Fox drives the ball to the basket and as much as he is in the paint, I&rsquo;m a little bit miffed as to how he shoots six free throws,&rdquo; Gentry said.
Fox hit the second of two free throws to tie it at 111 with 12 seconds to play, and Dallas called a timeout. Finney-Smith asked Kidd if he could set up in the right corner. Brunson took the inbound pass and, guarded by Davion Mitchell, drove to the basket before whipping the ball to Finney-Smith.
Dinwiddie averaged 14.5 points in 27.3 minutes in his first six Mavericks games coming off the bench. He was 8 for 12 from the floor in the second half and overall has scored at least 20 in three of his last four games.
THE PARTY GOES ON
The Mavericks hosted Slovenia Night in honor of Doncic&rsquo;s homeland and scheduled the game for a 4 p.m. local start in conjunction with European television. The first 3,000 fans received Slovenia scarfs, and a group of fans traveled from there to attend the game.
Doncic watched the game from the end of the bench and met afterward with the visiting Slovenians. He came to the scorer&rsquo;s table once in the first half to chat with the officials during a timeout after the Dallas bench was particularly upset with multiple calls.
NOT-SO-SWEET SIXTEEN
With the loss, the Kings will finish with a losing record for the 16th consecutive season. Of their 37 seasons in Sacramento, they&rsquo;ve had winning finishes only in the eight seasons under Rick Adelman (1998-99 through 2005-06).
TIP-INS:
Kings: Richaun Holmes returned after missing five games because of back soreness. Holmes had six points and six rebounds in 16 minutes. &hellip; Guard Jeremy Lamb sat with left hip soreness.
Mavericks: Finney-Smith had 17 points, hitting 5 of 11 from 3-point range. &hellip; Dallas came in second in the NBA allowing only 10.8 3-pointers per game and held Sacramento to nine, three in the second half. &hellip; Power forward Maxi Kleber missed his second straight game with an ankle injury.
UP NEXT
Kings: Host New York on Monday night.
Mavericks: Host the Jazz on Monday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Dorian Finney-Smith hit a 3-pointer from the right corner with 3.3 seconds left and the Dallas Mavericks, playing without All-Star guard Luka Doncic, overcame a 19-point deficit for the second time this week to beat the Sacramento Kings 114-113 on Saturday.
Doncic was listed on the injury report as having a left toe sprain, and coach Jason Kidd wouldn&rsquo;t elaborate on the injury. It was the first game Doncic has missed since Jan. 7 and the 16th game overall.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored a season-high 36 points to go with seven assists in his first start for Dallas since being acquired from Washington on Feb. 10. Jalen Brunson added 23 points and assisted on the winning basket, passing from behind the basket to Finney-Smith for a 114-111 lead.
&ldquo;We want Luka playing, and it took us some time to get used to him not being on the floor,&rdquo; Kidd said. &ldquo;I thought the guys got their legs and got their rhythm without Luka out there. It helps us &ndash; makes us a better team &ndash; but hopefully Luka&rsquo;s back Monday.&rdquo;
The Kings had a chance to tie it in the closing seconds, but Harrison Barnes&rsquo; 30-footer went off the rim and Justin Holiday converted the miss for a layup for the final points.
Dallas trailed by 19 at Golden State last Sunday before rallying for a 107-101 victory. The Mavericks have won five straight and pulled within one game of fourth-place Utah in the Western Conference.
De&rsquo;Aaron Fox matched a career high with 44 points on 18-for-31 shooting, and Domantas Sabonis added 15 points and 10 rebounds &ndash; but only four points and three rebounds in the second half while often guarded by Finney-Smith &ndash; for the Kings.
&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;ve done an OK job so far,&rdquo; Fox said about establishing chemistry with Sabonis, who was acquired Feb. 8 from Indiana. &ldquo;I think we have a good ways to go, and we just want to bring our team wins.&rdquo;
Kings interim coach Alvin Gentry was upset about some of Fox&rsquo;s other numbers.
&ldquo;As much as De&rsquo;Aaron Fox drives the ball to the basket and as much as he is in the paint, I&rsquo;m a little bit miffed as to how he shoots six free throws,&rdquo; Gentry said.
Fox hit the second of two free throws to tie it at 111 with 12 seconds to play, and Dallas called a timeout. Finney-Smith asked Kidd if he could set up in the right corner. Brunson took the inbound pass and, guarded by Davion Mitchell, drove to the basket before whipping the ball to Finney-Smith.
Dinwiddie averaged 14.5 points in 27.3 minutes in his first six Mavericks games coming off the bench. He was 8 for 12 from the floor in the second half and overall has scored at least 20 in three of his last four games.
THE PARTY GOES ON
The Mavericks hosted Slovenia Night in honor of Doncic&rsquo;s homeland and scheduled the game for a 4 p.m. local start in conjunction with European television. The first 3,000 fans received Slovenia scarfs, and a group of fans traveled from there to attend the game.
Doncic watched the game from the end of the bench and met afterward with the visiting Slovenians. He came to the scorer&rsquo;s table once in the first half to chat with the officials during a timeout after the Dallas bench was particularly upset with multiple calls.
NOT-SO-SWEET SIXTEEN
With the loss, the Kings will finish with a losing record for the 16th consecutive season. Of their 37 seasons in Sacramento, they&rsquo;ve had winning finishes only in the eight seasons under Rick Adelman (1998-99 through 2005-06).
TIP-INS:
Kings: Richaun Holmes returned after missing five games because of back soreness. Holmes had six points and six rebounds in 16 minutes. &hellip; Guard Jeremy Lamb sat with left hip soreness.
Mavericks: Finney-Smith had 17 points, hitting 5 of 11 from 3-point range. &hellip; Dallas came in second in the NBA allowing only 10.8 3-pointers per game and held Sacramento to nine, three in the second half. &hellip; Power forward Maxi Kleber missed his second straight game with an ankle injury.
UP NEXT
Kings: Host New York on Monday night.
Mavericks: Host the Jazz on Monday night.

Dorian Finney-Smith hit a 3-pointer from the right corner with 3.3 seconds left and the Dallas Mavericks, playing without All-Star guard Luka Doncic, overcame a 19-point deficit for the second time this week to beat the Sacramento Kings 114-113 on Saturday.
Doncic was listed on the injury report as having a left toe sprain, and coach Jason Kidd wouldn&rsquo;t elaborate on the injury. It was the first game Doncic has missed since Jan. 7 and the 16th game overall.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored a season-high 36 points to go with seven assists in his first start for Dallas since being acquired from Washington on Feb. 10. Jalen Brunson added 23 points and assisted on the winning basket, passing from behind the basket to Finney-Smith for a 114-111 lead.
&ldquo;We want Luka playing, and it took us some time to get used to him not being on the floor,&rdquo; Kidd said. &ldquo;I thought the guys got their legs and got their rhythm without Luka out there. It helps us &ndash; makes us a better team &ndash; but hopefully Luka&rsquo;s back Monday.&rdquo;
The Kings had a chance to tie it in the closing seconds, but Harrison Barnes&rsquo; 30-footer went off the rim and Justin Holiday converted the miss for a layup for the final points.
Dallas trailed by 19 at Golden State last Sunday before rallying for a 107-101 victory. The Mavericks have won five straight and pulled within one game of fourth-place Utah in the Western Conference.
De&rsquo;Aaron Fox matched a career high with 44 points on 18-for-31 shooting, and Domantas Sabonis added 15 points and 10 rebounds &ndash; but only four points and three rebounds in the second half while often guarded by Finney-Smith &ndash; for the Kings.
&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;ve done an OK job so far,&rdquo; Fox said about establishing chemistry with Sabonis, who was acquired Feb. 8 from Indiana. &ldquo;I think we have a good ways to go, and we just want to bring our team wins.&rdquo;
Kings interim coach Alvin Gentry was upset about some of Fox&rsquo;s other numbers.
&ldquo;As much as De&rsquo;Aaron Fox drives the ball to the basket and as much as he is in the paint, I&rsquo;m a little bit miffed as to how he shoots six free throws,&rdquo; Gentry said.
Fox hit the second of two free throws to tie it at 111 with 12 seconds to play, and Dallas called a timeout. Finney-Smith asked Kidd if he could set up in the right corner. Brunson took the inbound pass and, guarded by Davion Mitchell, drove to the basket before whipping the ball to Finney-Smith.
Dinwiddie averaged 14.5 points in 27.3 minutes in his first six Mavericks games coming off the bench. He was 8 for 12 from the floor in the second half and overall has scored at least 20 in three of his last four games.
THE PARTY GOES ON
The Mavericks hosted Slovenia Night in honor of Doncic&rsquo;s homeland and scheduled the game for a 4 p.m. local start in conjunction with European television. The first 3,000 fans received Slovenia scarfs, and a group of fans traveled from there to attend the game.
Doncic watched the game from the end of the bench and met afterward with the visiting Slovenians. He came to the scorer&rsquo;s table once in the first half to chat with the officials during a timeout after the Dallas bench was particularly upset with multiple calls.
NOT-SO-SWEET SIXTEEN
With the loss, the Kings will finish with a losing record for the 16th consecutive season. Of their 37 seasons in Sacramento, they&rsquo;ve had winning finishes only in the eight seasons under Rick Adelman (1998-99 through 2005-06).
TIP-INS:
Kings: Richaun Holmes returned after missing five games because of back soreness. Holmes had six points and six rebounds in 16 minutes. &hellip; Guard Jeremy Lamb sat with left hip soreness.
Mavericks: Finney-Smith had 17 points, hitting 5 of 11 from 3-point range. &hellip; Dallas came in second in the NBA allowing only 10.8 3-pointers per game and held Sacramento to nine, three in the second half. &hellip; Power forward Maxi Kleber missed his second straight game with an ankle injury.
UP NEXT
Kings: Host New York on Monday night.
Mavericks: Host the Jazz on Monday night.

Dorian Finney-Smith hit a three from the right corner with 3.3 seconds left and the Mavericks, without Luka Doncic, rallied to win.

Mavericks overcome 19-point deficit to beat Kings 114-113

DENVER (AP) — DeMarcus Cousins, starting in place of ailing Nikola Jokic, scored a season-high 31 points and the Denver Nuggets bounced back from a loss to beat the struggling Houston Rockets 116-101 on Friday night.
Jokic, the reigning MVP, was held out because of a non-COVID-19 illness.
Cousins, a midseason acquisition by the Nuggets following his release by Milwaukee, found out he was starting for Jokic during the pre-game shootaround.
“I was trying to take the best shots, trying to make the right play every possession,” Cousins said. “I play the game the right way. It was very satisfying and it’s even better when you have a coach that believes in you, an organization that believes in you and teammates that have your back. That’s all I’ve been searching for on this journey. I’ve found that right now and like I said earlier, I’m going to leave everything on the floor.”
JaMychal Green and Jeff Green each added 14 points apiece as Denver shook off a loss to Oklahoma City on Wednesday night for its seventh win in eight games.
Will Barton had 11 points, hitting two 3-pointers to pass JR Smith as the Nuggets’ career leader with 769.
Christian Wood had 22 points for Houston, and Jalen Green added 18. The Rockets have lost 12 straight.
Barton hit two 3-pointers a minute apart late in the third quarter to break the mark. The Nuggets called a timeout during their ensuing possession and Barton’s milestone was flashed on the scoreboard, bringing the crowd to its feet with a roaring ovation that Barton acknowledged with an appreciative wave of his arms.
“It was a surreal moment,” Barton said. “It’s something you dream of as a kid, to one day make history at the biggest stage."
Cousins added a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws around a jumper by Garrison Mathews in the final 1:16 of the third period and Denver took a 17-point lead into the final quarter. “They had the lead the whole game,” said the Rockets’ Eric Gordon. "This is a game where you’ve got to come in here and take it from them. You’ve got to disrupt their rhythm somehow. Of course we’re in the game but it’s a different kind of energy and effort to really try to win the game and we just didn’t have that tonight.”
Cousins’ dunk, one of several that he had in the game, put the Nuggets up 103-89 with 4:43 left and Denver maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Cousins was taken out of the game with just under two minutes remaining and got a hug from coach Michael Malone and an ovation from the crowd.
TIP-INS
Rockets: G Dennis Schroder missed a second consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. … Former Nuggets star Kenyon Martin was on hand in the stands to watch his son, Kenyon Martin Jr., play for the Rockets. … Houston has only seven wins in 34 road games.
Nuggets: G Austin Rivers also was ruled out of the game because of a non-COVID-19 illness. … F Zeke Nnaji remains sidelined due to bilateral knee soreness. … Cousins’ previous season high was 22 points against Dallas on Dec. 23 while with Milwaukee. … Denver swept its season series with the Rockets 3-0.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host Memphis on Sunday night.
Nuggets: Host New Orleans on Sunday night.

DENVER (AP) &mdash; DeMarcus Cousins, starting in place of ailing Nikola Jokic, scored a season-high 31 points and the Denver Nuggets bounced back from a loss to beat the struggling Houston Rockets 116-101 on Friday night.
Jokic, the reigning MVP, was held out because of a non-COVID-19 illness.
Cousins, a midseason acquisition by the Nuggets following his release by Milwaukee, found out he was starting for Jokic during the pre-game shootaround.
&ldquo;I was trying to take the best shots, trying to make the right play every possession,&rdquo; Cousins said. &ldquo;I play the game the right way. It was very satisfying and it&rsquo;s even better when you have a coach that believes in you, an organization that believes in you and teammates that have your back. That&rsquo;s all I&rsquo;ve been searching for on this journey. I&rsquo;ve found that right now and like I said earlier, I&rsquo;m going to leave everything on the floor.&rdquo;
JaMychal Green and Jeff Green each added 14 points apiece as Denver shook off a loss to Oklahoma City on Wednesday night for its seventh win in eight games.
Will Barton had 11 points, hitting two 3-pointers to pass JR Smith as the Nuggets&rsquo; career leader with 769.
Christian Wood had 22 points for Houston, and Jalen Green added 18. The Rockets have lost 12 straight.
Barton hit two 3-pointers a minute apart late in the third quarter to break the mark. The Nuggets called a timeout during their ensuing possession and Barton&rsquo;s milestone was flashed on the scoreboard, bringing the crowd to its feet with a roaring ovation that Barton acknowledged with an appreciative wave of his arms.
&ldquo;It was a surreal moment,&rdquo; Barton said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s something you dream of as a kid, to one day make history at the biggest stage."
Cousins added a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws around a jumper by Garrison Mathews in the final 1:16 of the third period and Denver took a 17-point lead into the final quarter. &ldquo;They had the lead the whole game,&rdquo; said the Rockets&rsquo; Eric Gordon. "This is a game where you&rsquo;ve got to come in here and take it from them. You&rsquo;ve got to disrupt their rhythm somehow. Of course we&rsquo;re in the game but it&rsquo;s a different kind of energy and effort to really try to win the game and we just didn&rsquo;t have that tonight.&rdquo;
Cousins&rsquo; dunk, one of several that he had in the game, put the Nuggets up 103-89 with 4:43 left and Denver maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Cousins was taken out of the game with just under two minutes remaining and got a hug from coach Michael Malone and an ovation from the crowd.
TIP-INS
Rockets: G Dennis Schroder missed a second consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. &hellip; Former Nuggets star Kenyon Martin was on hand in the stands to watch his son, Kenyon Martin Jr., play for the Rockets. &hellip; Houston has only seven wins in 34 road games.
Nuggets: G Austin Rivers also was ruled out of the game because of a non-COVID-19 illness. &hellip; F Zeke Nnaji remains sidelined due to bilateral knee soreness. &hellip; Cousins&rsquo; previous season high was 22 points against Dallas on Dec. 23 while with Milwaukee. &hellip; Denver swept its season series with the Rockets 3-0.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host Memphis on Sunday night.
Nuggets: Host New Orleans on Sunday night.

DeMarcus Cousins, starting in place of ailing Nikola Jokic, scored a season-high 31 points and the Denver Nuggets bounced back from a loss to beat the struggling Houston Rockets 116-101 on Friday night.
Jokic, the reigning MVP, was held out because of a non-COVID-19 illness.
Cousins, a midseason acquisition by the Nuggets following his release by Milwaukee, found out he was starting for Jokic during the pre-game shootaround.
&ldquo;I was trying to take the best shots, trying to make the right play every possession,&rdquo; Cousins said. &ldquo;I play the game the right way. It was very satisfying and it&rsquo;s even better when you have a coach that believes in you, an organization that believes in you and teammates that have your back. That&rsquo;s all I&rsquo;ve been searching for on this journey. I&rsquo;ve found that right now and like I said earlier, I&rsquo;m going to leave everything on the floor.&rdquo;
JaMychal Green and Jeff Green each added 14 points apiece as Denver shook off a loss to Oklahoma City on Wednesday night for its seventh win in eight games.
Will Barton had 11 points, hitting two 3-pointers to pass JR Smith as the Nuggets&rsquo; career leader with 769.
Christian Wood had 22 points for Houston, and Jalen Green added 18. The Rockets have lost 12 straight.
Barton hit two 3-pointers a minute apart late in the third quarter to break the mark. The Nuggets called a timeout during their ensuing possession and Barton&rsquo;s milestone was flashed on the scoreboard, bringing the crowd to its feet with a roaring ovation that Barton acknowledged with an appreciative wave of his arms.
&ldquo;It was a surreal moment,&rdquo; Barton said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s something you dream of as a kid, to one day make history at the biggest stage."
Cousins added a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws around a jumper by Garrison Mathews in the final 1:16 of the third period and Denver took a 17-point lead into the final quarter. &ldquo;They had the lead the whole game,&rdquo; said the Rockets&rsquo; Eric Gordon. "This is a game where you&rsquo;ve got to come in here and take it from them. You&rsquo;ve got to disrupt their rhythm somehow. Of course we&rsquo;re in the game but it&rsquo;s a different kind of energy and effort to really try to win the game and we just didn&rsquo;t have that tonight.&rdquo;
Cousins&rsquo; dunk, one of several that he had in the game, put the Nuggets up 103-89 with 4:43 left and Denver maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Cousins was taken out of the game with just under two minutes remaining and got a hug from coach Michael Malone and an ovation from the crowd.
TIP-INS
Rockets: G Dennis Schroder missed a second consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. &hellip; Former Nuggets star Kenyon Martin was on hand in the stands to watch his son, Kenyon Martin Jr., play for the Rockets. &hellip; Houston has only seven wins in 34 road games.
Nuggets: G Austin Rivers also was ruled out of the game because of a non-COVID-19 illness. &hellip; F Zeke Nnaji remains sidelined due to bilateral knee soreness. &hellip; Cousins&rsquo; previous season high was 22 points against Dallas on Dec. 23 while with Milwaukee. &hellip; Denver swept its season series with the Rockets 3-0.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host Memphis on Sunday night.
Nuggets: Host New Orleans on Sunday night.

DeMarcus Cousins, starting in place of ailing Nikola Jokic, scored a season-high 31 points.

Cousins leads in Jokic's absence, Nuggets beat Rockets

PHOENIX (AP) — Cam Johnson banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to finish with a career-high 38 points and give the Phoenix Suns a wild 115-114 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.
Johnson's ninth 3-pointer in 12 tries came from 31 feet at the top of the key. The NBA-leading Suns, playing without All-Star guards Chris Paul and Devin Booker, improved to 51-12.
The Knicks looked as if they were headed for an impressive road win before Julius Randle's ill-timed ejection in the third quarter in an exchange with Johnson.
New York blew a 14-point lead following Randle’s ejection, but Mitchell Robinson’s layup with 15 seconds left gave the Knicks a 113-112 lead. Alec Burks added a free throw to give the Knicks a 114-112 advantage — but missed his second attempt — giving the Suns an opportunity in the final seconds.
That's when Johnson capped his huge night with his biggest shot, sinking the long 3-pointer after Cam Payne's pass. Johnson's shot was long, but smacked off the glass and through the hoop. 
Johnson hit six 3-pointers and scored 21 points in the fourth quarter.
The Knicks — up 86-76 when Randle was tossed — have lost seven straight.
Randle scored 25 points, and Robinson added 17 points and 15 rebounds. 
Randle and Johnson were called for technicals after bumping chests and exchanging words. A referee separated the two, but then Randle barreled through the ref to shove Johnson again, which earned the ejection.
 Paul has been out with a broken thumb since Feb. 16 and could miss the rest of the regular season. Booker missed his second straight game because he's in the league's COVID-19 health and safety protocol.
Payne finished with 17 points and 16 assists. Mikal Bridges had 20 points.
TIP-INS
Knicks: All five starters scored in double figures. ... Slam dunk winner Obi Toppin was a late scratch with a strained left hamstring. 
Suns: Johnson took a hard shoulder to the chest in the first quarter and briefly went back to the locker room. He came back for the second quarter and scored nine points before halftime. ... Hosted a 20th consecutive sellout crowd of 17,071 at the Footprint Center.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Suns: At Milwaukee on Sunday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Cam Johnson banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to finish with a career-high 38 points and give the Phoenix Suns a wild 115-114 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.
Johnson's ninth 3-pointer in 12 tries came from 31 feet at the top of the key. The NBA-leading Suns, playing without All-Star guards Chris Paul and Devin Booker, improved to 51-12.
The Knicks looked as if they were headed for an impressive road win before Julius Randle's ill-timed ejection in the third quarter in an exchange with Johnson.
New York blew a 14-point lead following Randle&rsquo;s ejection, but Mitchell Robinson&rsquo;s layup with 15 seconds left gave the Knicks a 113-112 lead. Alec Burks added a free throw to give the Knicks a 114-112 advantage &mdash; but missed his second attempt &mdash; giving the Suns an opportunity in the final seconds.
That's when Johnson capped his huge night with his biggest shot, sinking the long 3-pointer after Cam Payne's pass. Johnson's shot was long, but smacked off the glass and through the hoop.
Johnson hit six 3-pointers and scored 21 points in the fourth quarter.
The Knicks &mdash; up 86-76 when Randle was tossed &mdash; have lost seven straight.
Randle scored 25 points, and Robinson added 17 points and 15 rebounds.
Randle and Johnson were called for technicals after bumping chests and exchanging words. A referee separated the two, but then Randle barreled through the ref to shove Johnson again, which earned the ejection.
Paul has been out with a broken thumb since Feb. 16 and could miss the rest of the regular season. Booker missed his second straight game because he's in the league's COVID-19 health and safety protocol.
Payne finished with 17 points and 16 assists. Mikal Bridges had 20 points.
TIP-INS
Knicks: All five starters scored in double figures. ... Slam dunk winner Obi Toppin was a late scratch with a strained left hamstring.
Suns: Johnson took a hard shoulder to the chest in the first quarter and briefly went back to the locker room. He came back for the second quarter and scored nine points before halftime. ... Hosted a 20th consecutive sellout crowd of 17,071 at the Footprint Center.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Suns: At Milwaukee on Sunday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Cam Johnson banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to finish with a career-high 38 points and give the Phoenix Suns a wild 115-114 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.
Johnson's ninth 3-pointer in 12 tries came from 31 feet at the top of the key. The NBA-leading Suns, playing without All-Star guards Chris Paul and Devin Booker, improved to 51-12.
The Knicks looked as if they were headed for an impressive road win before Julius Randle's ill-timed ejection in the third quarter in an exchange with Johnson.
New York blew a 14-point lead following Randle&rsquo;s ejection, but Mitchell Robinson&rsquo;s layup with 15 seconds left gave the Knicks a 113-112 lead. Alec Burks added a free throw to give the Knicks a 114-112 advantage &mdash; but missed his second attempt &mdash; giving the Suns an opportunity in the final seconds.
That's when Johnson capped his huge night with his biggest shot, sinking the long 3-pointer after Cam Payne's pass. Johnson's shot was long, but smacked off the glass and through the hoop.
Johnson hit six 3-pointers and scored 21 points in the fourth quarter.
The Knicks &mdash; up 86-76 when Randle was tossed &mdash; have lost seven straight.
Randle scored 25 points, and Robinson added 17 points and 15 rebounds.
Randle and Johnson were called for technicals after bumping chests and exchanging words. A referee separated the two, but then Randle barreled through the ref to shove Johnson again, which earned the ejection.
Paul has been out with a broken thumb since Feb. 16 and could miss the rest of the regular season. Booker missed his second straight game because he's in the league's COVID-19 health and safety protocol.
Payne finished with 17 points and 16 assists. Mikal Bridges had 20 points.
TIP-INS
Knicks: All five starters scored in double figures. ... Slam dunk winner Obi Toppin was a late scratch with a strained left hamstring.
Suns: Johnson took a hard shoulder to the chest in the first quarter and briefly went back to the locker room. He came back for the second quarter and scored nine points before halftime. ... Hosted a 20th consecutive sellout crowd of 17,071 at the Footprint Center.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Suns: At Milwaukee on Sunday.

Cam Johnson banked in a three at the buzzer to finish with a career-high 38 points and give the Suns a wild 115-114 victory.

Cam Johnson banks in three, NBA-leading Suns stun Knicks 115-114

CHICAGO (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 16 rebounds, Jrue Holiday came on strong down the stretch to finish with 26 points and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 118-112 on Friday night.
Holiday scored 10 points over the final five minutes as the defending champion Bucks tied the Bulls for the Central Division lead with their third straight victory.
Antetokounmpo made 12 of 22 shots and had five assists, helping make up for a 10-for-19 showing at the foul line.
Khris Middleton scored 22 points as the Bucks beat Chicago for the 14th time in 15 games.
Zach LaVine led Chicago with 30 points. DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, though he was 11 for 30 from the field.
Nikola Vucevic added 19 points and nine rebounds, but the Bulls lost their fourth straight game.
Chicago led 102-100 after Javonte Green nailed a 3 with six minutes remaining. Milwaukee then scored six straight, with Middleton's turnaround jumper making it a four-point game with just over four minutes left, and maintained the lead the rest of the way.
LaVine cut it to 112-109 when he drove for a layup with 47 seconds remaining. Antetokounmpo made two free throws before LaVine buried a 3 to pull Chicago within 114-112 with 24.4 seconds left.
A reverse layup by Jevon Carter bumped Milwaukee's lead to four. The Bucks then won a challenge after Middleton got called for a foul as LaVine attempted a 3 and controlled the jump ball.
Holiday then made two free throws with 12.5 seconds left. 
Bucks guard Grayson Allen got booed during introductions and throughout the game for a hard foul that resulted in a broken wrist for Alex Caruso when the teams met Jan. 21 in Milwaukee. Caruso has not played since that game, leaving Chicago without one of its best defenders.
The crowd was delighted when Derrick Jones Jr. knocked Allen to the floor as he drove the baseline early in the fourth quarter. Jones got called for a flagrant foul. Allen made both free throws to give Milwaukee a short-lived 95-93 lead.
TIP-INS
Bucks: C Brook Lopez is ready to participate in contact drills and five-on-five scrimmages after being sidelined since the season opener because of a back injury that required surgery. “It's another good, positive step for him on his return to play,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. ... Budenholzer said the Bucks hope to get G George Hill (sore neck) back in the next week. He has been sidelined since Jan. 28. ... G Pat Connaughton “still has a ways to go" in his recovery from surgery on his right finger, Budenholzer said. Connaughton was hurt fouling Chris Paul on a drive to the basket in a 131-107 loss at Phoenix on Feb. 10. Connaughton was expected to miss four weeks.
Bulls: The Bulls are a combined 0-8 against East-leading Miami, second-place Philadelphia and Milwaukee. ... Chicago didn’t attempt a free throw until DeRozan completed a four-point play in the closing minute of the first half. The Bulls made 8 of 11. ... LaVine, who missed time recently because of soreness in his surgically repaired left knee, was not listed on the injury report. “He feels fine,” coach Billy Donovan said. “I think if there were any problems, he would talk.” 
UP NEXT
Bucks: Host Phoenix on Sunday.
Bulls: At Philadelphia on Monday night.
___ 
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 16 rebounds, Jrue Holiday came on strong down the stretch to finish with 26 points and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 118-112 on Friday night.
Holiday scored 10 points over the final five minutes as the defending champion Bucks tied the Bulls for the Central Division lead with their third straight victory.
Antetokounmpo made 12 of 22 shots and had five assists, helping make up for a 10-for-19 showing at the foul line.
Khris Middleton scored 22 points as the Bucks beat Chicago for the 14th time in 15 games.
Zach LaVine led Chicago with 30 points. DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, though he was 11 for 30 from the field.
Nikola Vucevic added 19 points and nine rebounds, but the Bulls lost their fourth straight game.
Chicago led 102-100 after Javonte Green nailed a 3 with six minutes remaining. Milwaukee then scored six straight, with Middleton's turnaround jumper making it a four-point game with just over four minutes left, and maintained the lead the rest of the way.
LaVine cut it to 112-109 when he drove for a layup with 47 seconds remaining. Antetokounmpo made two free throws before LaVine buried a 3 to pull Chicago within 114-112 with 24.4 seconds left.
A reverse layup by Jevon Carter bumped Milwaukee's lead to four. The Bucks then won a challenge after Middleton got called for a foul as LaVine attempted a 3 and controlled the jump ball.
Holiday then made two free throws with 12.5 seconds left.
Bucks guard Grayson Allen got booed during introductions and throughout the game for a hard foul that resulted in a broken wrist for Alex Caruso when the teams met Jan. 21 in Milwaukee. Caruso has not played since that game, leaving Chicago without one of its best defenders.
The crowd was delighted when Derrick Jones Jr. knocked Allen to the floor as he drove the baseline early in the fourth quarter. Jones got called for a flagrant foul. Allen made both free throws to give Milwaukee a short-lived 95-93 lead.
TIP-INS
Bucks: C Brook Lopez is ready to participate in contact drills and five-on-five scrimmages after being sidelined since the season opener because of a back injury that required surgery. &ldquo;It's another good, positive step for him on his return to play,&rdquo; coach Mike Budenholzer said. ... Budenholzer said the Bucks hope to get G George Hill (sore neck) back in the next week. He has been sidelined since Jan. 28. ... G Pat Connaughton &ldquo;still has a ways to go" in his recovery from surgery on his right finger, Budenholzer said. Connaughton was hurt fouling Chris Paul on a drive to the basket in a 131-107 loss at Phoenix on Feb. 10. Connaughton was expected to miss four weeks.
Bulls: The Bulls are a combined 0-8 against East-leading Miami, second-place Philadelphia and Milwaukee. ... Chicago didn&rsquo;t attempt a free throw until DeRozan completed a four-point play in the closing minute of the first half. The Bulls made 8 of 11. ... LaVine, who missed time recently because of soreness in his surgically repaired left knee, was not listed on the injury report. &ldquo;He feels fine,&rdquo; coach Billy Donovan said. &ldquo;I think if there were any problems, he would talk.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Bucks: Host Phoenix on Sunday.
Bulls: At Philadelphia on Monday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 16 rebounds, Jrue Holiday came on strong down the stretch to finish with 26 points and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 118-112 on Friday night.
Holiday scored 10 points over the final five minutes as the defending champion Bucks tied the Bulls for the Central Division lead with their third straight victory.
Antetokounmpo made 12 of 22 shots and had five assists, helping make up for a 10-for-19 showing at the foul line.
Khris Middleton scored 22 points as the Bucks beat Chicago for the 14th time in 15 games.
Zach LaVine led Chicago with 30 points. DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, though he was 11 for 30 from the field.
Nikola Vucevic added 19 points and nine rebounds, but the Bulls lost their fourth straight game.
Chicago led 102-100 after Javonte Green nailed a 3 with six minutes remaining. Milwaukee then scored six straight, with Middleton's turnaround jumper making it a four-point game with just over four minutes left, and maintained the lead the rest of the way.
LaVine cut it to 112-109 when he drove for a layup with 47 seconds remaining. Antetokounmpo made two free throws before LaVine buried a 3 to pull Chicago within 114-112 with 24.4 seconds left.
A reverse layup by Jevon Carter bumped Milwaukee's lead to four. The Bucks then won a challenge after Middleton got called for a foul as LaVine attempted a 3 and controlled the jump ball.
Holiday then made two free throws with 12.5 seconds left.
Bucks guard Grayson Allen got booed during introductions and throughout the game for a hard foul that resulted in a broken wrist for Alex Caruso when the teams met Jan. 21 in Milwaukee. Caruso has not played since that game, leaving Chicago without one of its best defenders.
The crowd was delighted when Derrick Jones Jr. knocked Allen to the floor as he drove the baseline early in the fourth quarter. Jones got called for a flagrant foul. Allen made both free throws to give Milwaukee a short-lived 95-93 lead.
TIP-INS
Bucks: C Brook Lopez is ready to participate in contact drills and five-on-five scrimmages after being sidelined since the season opener because of a back injury that required surgery. &ldquo;It's another good, positive step for him on his return to play,&rdquo; coach Mike Budenholzer said. ... Budenholzer said the Bucks hope to get G George Hill (sore neck) back in the next week. He has been sidelined since Jan. 28. ... G Pat Connaughton &ldquo;still has a ways to go" in his recovery from surgery on his right finger, Budenholzer said. Connaughton was hurt fouling Chris Paul on a drive to the basket in a 131-107 loss at Phoenix on Feb. 10. Connaughton was expected to miss four weeks.
Bulls: The Bulls are a combined 0-8 against East-leading Miami, second-place Philadelphia and Milwaukee. ... Chicago didn&rsquo;t attempt a free throw until DeRozan completed a four-point play in the closing minute of the first half. The Bulls made 8 of 11. ... LaVine, who missed time recently because of soreness in his surgically repaired left knee, was not listed on the injury report. &ldquo;He feels fine,&rdquo; coach Billy Donovan said. &ldquo;I think if there were any problems, he would talk.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Bucks: Host Phoenix on Sunday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 16 rebounds, while Jrue Holiday came on strong down the stretch to finish with 26 points.

Antetokounmpo scores 34 points, Bucks beat Bulls 118-112

NEW YORK (AP) — Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff was fined $20,000 by the NBA on Friday for his behavior while being ejected from a game this week.
Bickerstaff received two technical fouls and was tossed — for the first time as Cleveland's coach — by referee Natalie Sago in the third quarter of Monday night's 199-98 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
The league fined Bickerstaff for using inappropriate language toward the officiating crew and not leaving the court “in a timely manner.”
Bickerstaff was angered by several calls and erupted with 8:36 left in the third quarter after Cavs forward Cedi Osman was whistled for a blocking foul. 
Following the game, Bickerstaff said he apologized to his team, staff and children.
“Nobody should see that,” he said. "That’s on me needing to improve and be better. It’s a combination of frustrations, obviously, but I need to stay in the fight. I need to be better.”
The Cavaliers have lost five of six heading into Friday night's game at Philadelphia.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff was fined $20,000 by the NBA on Friday for his behavior while being ejected from a game this week.
Bickerstaff received two technical fouls and was tossed &mdash; for the first time as Cleveland's coach &mdash; by referee Natalie Sago in the third quarter of Monday night's 199-98 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
The league fined Bickerstaff for using inappropriate language toward the officiating crew and not leaving the court &ldquo;in a timely manner.&rdquo;
Bickerstaff was angered by several calls and erupted with 8:36 left in the third quarter after Cavs forward Cedi Osman was whistled for a blocking foul.
Following the game, Bickerstaff said he apologized to his team, staff and children.
&ldquo;Nobody should see that,&rdquo; he said. "That&rsquo;s on me needing to improve and be better. It&rsquo;s a combination of frustrations, obviously, but I need to stay in the fight. I need to be better.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers have lost five of six heading into Friday night's game at Philadelphia.

The league fined Bickerstaff for using inappropriate language toward the officiating crew and not leaving the court “in a timely manner.”

Cavs coach Bickerstaff fined $20,000 by NBA after ejection

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 41 points and the Dallas Mavericks beat Golden State for the second time in five days, holding off the Warriors 122-113 on Thursday night after a huge fourth-quarter rally for the victory in California. 
Stephen Curry and the Warriors never led but got even for the first time since early in the first quarter during a stretch when Moses Moody scored 13 consecutive Golden State points.
Spencer Dinwiddie put the Mavericks back in front for good with a short jumper for a 106-104 lead midway through the fourth quarter, and the Mavericks held on to hand the Warriors a season-worst third consecutive loss and drop them 7 1/2 games behind NBA-leading Phoenix.
Doncic had 10 rebounds and nine assists, Dorian Finney-Smith scored 18 points and Dinwiddie added 17 as the Mavericks took the season series 3-1 with the consecutive victories. Dallas got the first win by rallying from a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit with a 26-1 run in a 107-101 win Sunday in San Francisco.
Curry was held scoreless in the fourth quarter and finished with 21 points as the Mavericks hounded him at the 3-point line, while Moody hit consecutive 3s to get Golden State even at 104. Jordan Poole scored 23 points.
Golden State's Klay Thompson finished with 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting, including quite a few shots that were way off, in his return after missing two games with an illness.
Dinwiddie scored seven crucial points in the fourth quarter of his home debut after the trade that brought him and Davis Bertans from Washington for Kristaps Porzingis.
Thompson scored eight points in a frenetic third quarter, when the Warriors cut a 14-point halftime deficit in half several times only to see Dallas get it back to double figures. Golden State ended up down eight going to the fourth after Doncic missed a step-back 3 at the buzzer. Doncic had 11 in the quarter.
A rough first half for Thompson was punctuated when he hit the side of the backboard on a corner 3 before Doncic beat him with a cross-over, step-back 3-pointer at the other end. Doncic had 24 points at the break.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Draymond Green was on the bench, missing his 26th consecutive game because of a back injury. The last time he played was the first meeting in Dallas on Jan. 5. ... Andre Iguodala, also out with a back injury, missed his 17th consecutive game. Coach Steve Kerr said it was doubtful Iguodala would play in the remaining two games on the four-game road trip, but his return is getting close. 
Mavericks: F/C Maxi Kleber (right ankle), F Marquise Chriss (right knee) and G Trey Burke (left shoulder) were out. ... The Mavericks have won nine of the past 11 meetings in the series, including three in a row in Dallas. 
UP NEXT
Warriors: At Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.
Mavericks: Host Sacramento on Saturday.
___
More AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/hub/nba</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic scored 41 points and the Dallas Mavericks beat Golden State for the second time in five days, holding off the Warriors 122-113 on Thursday night after a huge fourth-quarter rally for the victory in California.
Stephen Curry and the Warriors never led but got even for the first time since early in the first quarter during a stretch when Moses Moody scored 13 consecutive Golden State points.
Spencer Dinwiddie put the Mavericks back in front for good with a short jumper for a 106-104 lead midway through the fourth quarter, and the Mavericks held on to hand the Warriors a season-worst third consecutive loss and drop them 7 1/2 games behind NBA-leading Phoenix.
Doncic had 10 rebounds and nine assists, Dorian Finney-Smith scored 18 points and Dinwiddie added 17 as the Mavericks took the season series 3-1 with the consecutive victories. Dallas got the first win by rallying from a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit with a 26-1 run in a 107-101 win Sunday in San Francisco.
Curry was held scoreless in the fourth quarter and finished with 21 points as the Mavericks hounded him at the 3-point line, while Moody hit consecutive 3s to get Golden State even at 104. Jordan Poole scored 23 points.
Golden State's Klay Thompson finished with 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting, including quite a few shots that were way off, in his return after missing two games with an illness.
Dinwiddie scored seven crucial points in the fourth quarter of his home debut after the trade that brought him and Davis Bertans from Washington for Kristaps Porzingis.
Thompson scored eight points in a frenetic third quarter, when the Warriors cut a 14-point halftime deficit in half several times only to see Dallas get it back to double figures. Golden State ended up down eight going to the fourth after Doncic missed a step-back 3 at the buzzer. Doncic had 11 in the quarter.
A rough first half for Thompson was punctuated when he hit the side of the backboard on a corner 3 before Doncic beat him with a cross-over, step-back 3-pointer at the other end. Doncic had 24 points at the break.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Draymond Green was on the bench, missing his 26th consecutive game because of a back injury. The last time he played was the first meeting in Dallas on Jan. 5. ... Andre Iguodala, also out with a back injury, missed his 17th consecutive game. Coach Steve Kerr said it was doubtful Iguodala would play in the remaining two games on the four-game road trip, but his return is getting close.
Mavericks: F/C Maxi Kleber (right ankle), F Marquise Chriss (right knee) and G Trey Burke (left shoulder) were out. ... The Mavericks have won nine of the past 11 meetings in the series, including three in a row in Dallas.
UP NEXT
Warriors: At Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.
Mavericks: Host Sacramento on Saturday.

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic scored 41 points and the Dallas Mavericks beat Golden State for the second time in five days, holding off the Warriors 122-113 on Thursday night after a huge fourth-quarter rally for the victory in California.
Stephen Curry and the Warriors never led but got even for the first time since early in the first quarter during a stretch when Moses Moody scored 13 consecutive Golden State points.
Spencer Dinwiddie put the Mavericks back in front for good with a short jumper for a 106-104 lead midway through the fourth quarter, and the Mavericks held on to hand the Warriors a season-worst third consecutive loss and drop them 7 1/2 games behind NBA-leading Phoenix.
Doncic had 10 rebounds and nine assists, Dorian Finney-Smith scored 18 points and Dinwiddie added 17 as the Mavericks took the season series 3-1 with the consecutive victories. Dallas got the first win by rallying from a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit with a 26-1 run in a 107-101 win Sunday in San Francisco.
Curry was held scoreless in the fourth quarter and finished with 21 points as the Mavericks hounded him at the 3-point line, while Moody hit consecutive 3s to get Golden State even at 104. Jordan Poole scored 23 points.
Golden State's Klay Thompson finished with 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting, including quite a few shots that were way off, in his return after missing two games with an illness.
Dinwiddie scored seven crucial points in the fourth quarter of his home debut after the trade that brought him and Davis Bertans from Washington for Kristaps Porzingis.
Thompson scored eight points in a frenetic third quarter, when the Warriors cut a 14-point halftime deficit in half several times only to see Dallas get it back to double figures. Golden State ended up down eight going to the fourth after Doncic missed a step-back 3 at the buzzer. Doncic had 11 in the quarter.
A rough first half for Thompson was punctuated when he hit the side of the backboard on a corner 3 before Doncic beat him with a cross-over, step-back 3-pointer at the other end. Doncic had 24 points at the break.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Draymond Green was on the bench, missing his 26th consecutive game because of a back injury. The last time he played was the first meeting in Dallas on Jan. 5. ... Andre Iguodala, also out with a back injury, missed his 17th consecutive game. Coach Steve Kerr said it was doubtful Iguodala would play in the remaining two games on the four-game road trip, but his return is getting close.
Mavericks: F/C Maxi Kleber (right ankle), F Marquise Chriss (right knee) and G Trey Burke (left shoulder) were out. ... The Mavericks have won nine of the past 11 meetings in the series, including three in a row in Dallas.
UP NEXT
Warriors: At Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.
Mavericks: Host Sacramento on Saturday.

Luka Doncic scored 41 points and the Dallas Mavericks beat Golden State for the second time in five days, holding off the Warriors 122-113 on Thursday night after a huge fourth-quarter rally for the victory in California.
Stephen Curry and the Warriors never led but got even for the first time since early in the first quarter during a stretch when Moses Moody scored 13 consecutive Golden State points.
Spencer Dinwiddie put the Mavericks back in front for good with a short jumper for a 106-104 lead midway through the fourth quarter, and the Mavericks held on to hand the Warriors a season-worst third consecutive loss and drop them 7 1/2 games behind NBA-leading Phoenix.
Doncic had 10 rebounds and nine assists, Dorian Finney-Smith scored 18 points and Dinwiddie added 17 as the Mavericks took the season series 3-1 with the consecutive victories. Dallas got the first win by rallying from a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit with a 26-1 run in a 107-101 win Sunday in San Francisco.
Curry was held scoreless in the fourth quarter and finished with 21 points as the Mavericks hounded him at the 3-point line, while Moody hit consecutive 3s to get Golden State even at 104. Jordan Poole scored 23 points.
Golden State's Klay Thompson finished with 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting, including quite a few shots that were way off, in his return after missing two games with an illness.
Dinwiddie scored seven crucial points in the fourth quarter of his home debut after the trade that brought him and Davis Bertans from Washington for Kristaps Porzingis.
Thompson scored eight points in a frenetic third quarter, when the Warriors cut a 14-point halftime deficit in half several times only to see Dallas get it back to double figures. Golden State ended up down eight going to the fourth after Doncic missed a step-back 3 at the buzzer. Doncic had 11 in the quarter.
A rough first half for Thompson was punctuated when he hit the side of the backboard on a corner 3 before Doncic beat him with a cross-over, step-back 3-pointer at the other end. Doncic had 24 points at the break.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Draymond Green was on the bench, missing his 26th consecutive game because of a back injury. The last time he played was the first meeting in Dallas on Jan. 5. ... Andre Iguodala, also out with a back injury, missed his 17th consecutive game. Coach Steve Kerr said it was doubtful Iguodala would play in the remaining two games on the four-game road trip, but his return is getting close.
Mavericks: F/C Maxi Kleber (right ankle), F Marquise Chriss (right knee) and G Trey Burke (left shoulder) were out. ... The Mavericks have won nine of the past 11 meetings in the series, including three in a row in Dallas.
UP NEXT
Warriors: At Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.
Mavericks: Host Sacramento on Saturday.

Luka Doncic scored 41 points and the Mavericks beat Golden State for the second time in five days.