Westbrook notches sixth straight triple-double in Wizards win, Randle outduels Zion as Knicks beat Pels; LaVert scores 27 as Pacers hold off Rockets. Coverage of the NBA continues late on Thursday night as the Boston Celtics visit the Los Angeles Lakers, live on Sky Sports Arena from 3am
Thursday 15 April 2021 08:02, UK
Joel Embiid scored 39 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the shorthanded Brooklyn Nets 123-117.
Embiid shot 13 of 29 from the field and 10 of 11 from the free-throw line as the Sixers held off a late-fourth-quarter rally by the Nets.
Tobias Harris added 26 points and Ben Simmons contributed 17 points, nine assists and three steals for the Sixers, who moved into first place in the Eastern Conference with their third consecutive win. Shake Milton had 15 points.
The depleted Nets competed without seven players, including Kevin Durant (rest), Blake Griffin (rest), LaMarcus Aldridge (illness) and James Harden (hamstring).
Kyrie Irving led the Nets with 37 points and nine assists while Landry Shamet added 17 points and Jeff Green had 15. Bruce Brown scored 14, and DeAndre Jordan finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
The Sixers now move to 38-17 and take sole top spot in the Eastern Conference, with the Nets only a single game behind.
Russell Westbrook moved within 11 triple-doubles of Oscar Robertson's all-time mark, recording a sixth straight in the Washington Wizards' 123-111 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Westbrook finished with 25 points, a game-high 15 rebounds, a game-high 11 assists and four steals, while Bradley Beal poured in a team-high 31 points for the Wizards, who completed a six-game trip with a 4-2 record.
De'Aaron Fox topped 30 points for the 16th time this season with a game-high 33 for the Kings, who lost their eighth straight.
Westbrook's triple-double was his league-leading 24th of the season and the 170th of his career. Robertson holds the all-time mark with 181. Bertans chipped in with 16 points off the bench for the Wizards, who now return home for four straight, all against teams with losing records.
Rui Hachimura added 12 points, Deni Avdija 11 and Ish Smith 10, while Alex Len complemented eight points with 10 rebounds.
Buddy Hield 19 points, Harrison Barnes 18 and Terence Davis 12, Hassan Whiteside totalled 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds, and Tyrese Halliburton contributed eight points, six assists and six steals for Sacramento.
Julius Randle scored 32 points and led a 3-point barrage as the visiting New York Knicks defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 116-106.
Randle made 5-of-8 of his 3-point attempts and the Knicks made 17-of-33 from long range as they won their fourth consecutive game. The Pelicans made 6-of-28 on 3-pointers as their three-game winning streak ended.
Alec Burks added 21 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, Reggie Bullock scored 16 and Elfrid Payton and Derrick Rose had 11 each for the Knicks, who will host the Pelicans on Sunday.
Brandon Ingram scored 28 points, Zion Williamson had 25 points and eight rebounds, Naji Marshall had 14 points, James Johnson had 13, and Steven Adams added 10 points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans.
New York, the fourth-lowest scoring team in the NBA, used a 40-point third quarter and a fast start to the fourth quarter to take control of what had been a back-and-forth game. The Knicks bench outscored their Pelicans counterparts, 43-23.
Caris LeVert scored 27 points including a stretch of seven in a row in the fourth quarter to help the Indiana Pacers hold off the host Houston Rockets for a 132-124 victory.
Malcolm Brogdon fell one assist short of his second career triple-double, finishing with 23 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Pacers to their fourth win in their past five games. Indiana secured its fourth victory in a row away from home to begin a three-game road trip.
Domantas Sabonis also had a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds as well as seven assists. Jeremy Lamb hit his first seven shots including four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points off the Pacers bench.
John Wall led Houston with 31 points and nine assists, but shot 12-for-28 from the field and went 0-for-7 from 3-point range.
Olynyk (25 points and 10 rebounds) and Christian Wood (25 points and 13 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles. Kevin Porter Jr. had 19 points and five assists while Jae'Sean Tate totaled 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Taurean Prince scored 25 points off the bench and connected on some game-clinching 3-point shots as the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 103-90.
Kevin Love and Darius Garland each supplied 17 points as the Cavaliers snapped a two-game losing streak. In road games, they've won three in a row.
Jarrett Allen chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds while in his first outing since March because he had been in the concussion protocol. Love grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
Charlotte guard Terry Rozier, who missed the game a night earlier against the Los Angeles Lakers because of knee tendinitis, scored 22 points to go with eight assists and seven rebounds.
Miles Bridges racked up 20 points and seven rebounds for the Hornets, who went 0-3 on the homestand with three losses in four days. Devonte' Graham posted 15 points and Cody Zeller had 10 points.
James Ennis III scored a team-high 22 points, Wendell Carter Jr. registered a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic held off a fourth-quarter Bulls rally to score a 115-106 win in Chicago.
The Magic led for all but the game's early minutes, and stretched the advantage to 23 points with 10:38 remaining. The Bulls stormed back, however, pulling to within six points with 3:48 to go.
Orlando weathered 17-of-37 3-point shooting from Chicago, including 5-of-8 from former Magic Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds in his 11th game since being traded to the Bulls last month.
Zach LaVine shot 6-of-12 from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 30 points for the third game of 30 or more in the last four.
Chicago is winless over that four-game stretch with Wednesday's loss, however, while Orlando snapped its own six-game skid.
