Cade Cunningham scores 31 points, leads Pistons past Jazz

DETROIT (AP) – Cade Cunningham scored 19 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter as the Detroit Pistons won their fourth straight, beating the Utah Jazz 114-103 on Wednesday night.

Jalen Duren added 22 points and 22 rebounds for the Pistons, which improved to 6-2, and Ausar Thompson added 18.

Detroit, which came into the game second in field-goal defense at 42.9%, held Utah to 38.4% (33-86).

Former Piston Svi Mykhailiuk scored a career-high 28 for the Jazz, who have lost four of five. Lauri Markkanen added 25 and Jusuf Nurkic had 17 rebounds.

CAVALIERS 132, 76ERS 121

CLEVELAND (AP) – Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 46 points, Jarrett Allen had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Cleveland pulled away in the second half for a victory over Philadelphia.

Evan Mobley added 23 for Cleveland, which won its second straight.

Cavaliers’ All-Star point guard Darius Garland had eight points in 26 minutes in his season debut. Garland missed the first seven games after offseason surgery on his left big toe.

Philadelphia, which never led in the game, got 27 points apiece from Tyrese Maxey and Quentin Grimes.

Mitchell followed up Sunday’s 37-point, eight 3-pointer performance against Atlanta by going 15 of 21 from the floor, 6 of 11 from long distance and making all eight of his foul shots against a 76ers squad that dropped games on back-to-back nights.

Joel Embiid did not play on Wednesday as Philadelphia is not having him play on consecutive nights early in the season due to left knee issues.

CELTICS 136, WIZARDS 107

BOSTON (AP) – Jaylen Brown scored 35 points and Boston shook off a double-digit first-quarter deficit to beat Washington and send the Wizards to their sixth straight loss.

Brown scored 16 points in the first quarter and had five rebounds and five assists before leaving the game with two minutes remaining in the third and Boston leading by 19 points. Neemias Queta had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics, who had lost two in a row at home.

Alex Sarr scored 31 with eight rebounds and three blocked shots – his seventh straight game with at least two blocks. Washington has not beaten the Celtics in nine tries since March of 2023.

KNICKS 137, TIMBERWOLVES 114

NEW YORK (AP) – OG Anunoby scored 25 points, Jalen Brunson had 23 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, and New York spoiled Anthony Edwards’ return to the Minnesota lineup with a victory.

Josh Hart added 18 points for the Knicks, who controlled the second half and improved to 5-0 at Madison Square Garden.

Edwards scored 15 points in 29 minutes after missing four games with a strained right hamstring, and the Wolves were outscored by 25 points when he was in the game.

There wasn’t much the All-Star guard could have done to keep the game competitive. The Knicks outworked the Timberwolves, turning 21 offensive rebounds into 31 second-chance points, and outscored them 83-56 after trailing by four at halftime.

Julius Randle scored 32 points and Donte DiVincenzo had 21 in the arena that was their home before they were sent to Minnesota before last season in the deal that brought Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. Towns finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

NETS 112, PACERS 103

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Michael Porter Jr. had 32 points and 11 rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets overcame the loss of leading scorer Cam Thomas to claim their first victory of the season in a road win over Indiana.

Porter made 10 of 20 shots, including four 3-pointers, as the Nets pulled away in the fourth quarter in a game of spurts that featured 12 lead changes and 10 ties. His final three-point play pushed the Nets ahead 110-103 with 22.1 seconds remaining.

Porter’s extra scoring was needed after Thomas, who entered with a 24.4-point scoring average, exited midway through the first quarter with hamstring tightness. It’s the same hamstring that limited him to 25 games last season.

The Nets, who had lost the first seven games this season, got four other double-digit efforts as Nic Claxton scored 18, Noah Clowney had 17, Tyrese Martin 16 and Terance Mann 15.

The Pacers, who are also now 1-7, were led by Pascal Siakam’s 23 points and nine assists. Ben Sheppard scored 18. Backup center Jay Huff added 16 with four 3-pointers.

ROCKETS 124, GRIZZLIES 109

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Amen Thompson had 28 points and 10 rebounds, Alperen Sengun added 20 points and 16 rebounds, and Houston defeated Memphis.

Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason scored 16 apiece as Houston won its fifth straight game. Thompson and Sengun each had seven assists.

Cam Spencer led Memphis with 19 points, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range. Ja Morant had 17 points and eight assists. but was 6 of 19 from the field and made only oneof his seven 3-point attempts. Santi Aldama scored 16 points.

PELICANS 101, MAVERICKS 99

DALLAS (AP) – Saddiq Bey had season highs with 22 points and nine rebounds to lead New Orleans past Dallas.

Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg’s running shot down the lane with 2 seconds left banged off the back of the rim with New Orleans’ Trey Murphy III grabbing the contested rebound.

Jeremiah Fears and reserve Jose Alvarado each added 13 points for the Pelicans (2-6), who swept a back-to-back after beating Charlotte at home on Tuesday.

Flagg was the Mavericks’ leading scorer for the first time with 20 points to go with nine rebounds. P.J. Washington had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Dallas (2-6), which has lost three straight.

NUGGETS 122, HEAT 112

DENVER (AP) – Nikola Jokic had 33 points, 16 assists and 15 rebounds for his fifth triple-double of the season and Denver continued their mastery of Miami with a win over the Heat.

It was Denver’s 11th straight regular-season win over the Heat.

Jokic was 12 of 18 from the floor. He finished his triple-double by grabbing an offensive rebound with 6:36 remaining in the third quarter.

Aaron Gordon added 24 points for the Nuggets, who improved to 4-0 at home this season.

The Nuggets led by 17 points in the fourth quarter before the Heat cut the deficit to eight with 43 seconds left. Jamal Murray sealed it with a pair of free throws.

Miami hasn’t won a game in the Mile High City during the regular season since Nov. 30, 2016. They did beat the Nuggets in Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals. Denver won the series in five games for its only title.

Norman Powell had 23 points for Miami, which finished a four-game trip with a 1-3 mark. Bam Adebayo didn’t play in the second half due to a left foot injury. The Heat were outrebounded by a 68-44 margin.

KINGS 121, WARRIORS 116

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Russell Westbrook posted his NBA-record 204th career triple-double and Dennis Schroder sparked a key fourth-quarter spurt that gave Sacramento a win over Golden State in a matchup of short-handed teams.

Schroder hit three 3-pointers in the 11-0 run that broke a 104-all tie in the fourth quarter, and the Kings held on to win the opener of a five-game homestand.

Westbrook had 23 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists for his first triple-double with Sacramento. DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 25 points and Schroder finished with 18.

Will Richard scored 30 points and Moses Moody added 28 for the Warriors. Jonathan Kuminga scored 24 but missed a shot in the lane with 24 seconds left with Golden State down three.

TRAIL BLAZERS 121, THUNDER 119

PORTLAND (AP) – Deni Avdija had 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, Portland erased a 22-point defict in a 121-119 victory over Oklahoma City.

Jrue Holiday added 22 points, including two clutch free throws that put Portland ahead 121-118 with six seconds left. Jerami Grant scored 20 off the bench as the Blazers handed the defending NBA champions their first loss of the season.

With the Thunder trailing by three, Isaiah Joe was fouled on a jumper with 0.5 seconds left. After a replay review showed Joe’s toe was on the 3-point line, he made his first free throw but missed the second on purpose. Oklahoma City came up empty on a last-second tip-in attempt.

Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points and Aaron Wiggins added 27. Oklahoma City was without several players who played Tuesday night, as Chet Holmgren, Lu Dort and Alex Caruso all sat out.

LAKERS 118, SPURS 116

LOS ANGELES (AP) -Luka Doncic had 35 points, 13 assists, nine rebounds and five steals, and Los Angeles rallied in the fourth quarter before surviving a frantic final second for a victory over San Antonio Spurs.

The Lakers finished the game on a 21-10 run, but the Spurs got one last chance when Marcus Smart committed an inbound violation after Kelly Olynyk’s putback layup with 1.2 seconds left.

Justin Champagnie then drew a foul from Jake LaRavia while trying to tip in the Spurs’ inbound pass, but Champagnie missed his first free throw, and nobody could tip in the second miss at the buzzer.

Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who extended their impressive start to the season with a furious rally from a nine-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter. Doncic scored eight points in the fourth, including a clutch go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:31 to play.

Victor Wembanyama had 19 points and eight rebounds before fouling out with 1:39 to play for the Spurs, who have lost two straight after a 5-0 start. Stephon Castle and Jeremy Sochan had 16 points apiece.