Mikal Bridges has career-high 45 points, Nets beat Heat

NEW YORK (AP) — Mikal Bridges scored a career-high 45 factors, together with 15 in a row for Brooklyn to interrupt open a sport that had been shut for 3 1/2 quarters, and the Nets beat the Miami Heat 116-105 on Wednesday night time within the closing sport for each groups earlier than the All-Star break.

In his third sport since coming from Phoenix within the commerce for Kevin Durant, Bridges had an electrifying scoring stretch that would even match Durant. The Nets led solely 90-89 earlier than he went to work with an array of drives, 3-pointers and jumpers over the subsequent three minutes.

That pushed the result in 9 and when one other Nets participant lastly scored, it was a 3-pointer by fellow newcomer Cam Johnson that pushed it to 108-96.

Bridges scored 17 factors within the closing quarter to blow by his earlier profession better of 34 factors. He was 17 of 24 from the sphere, 4 of 6 on 3s and seven of seven on the line, and in addition had eight rebounds and 5 assists.

Cam Thomas added 19 factors and Johnson had 18 for the Nets, who received for the primary time because the two former Suns joined them within the lineup.

Bam Adebayo had 24 factors, 13 rebounds and 6 assists for the Heat. Max Strus scored 18 factors.

CELTICS 127, PISTONS 109

BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 38 factors, together with 24 within the third quarter, and NBA-leading Boston rolled previous Detroit.

Malcolm Brogdon had 25 factors off the bench, and Al Horford added 11 factors and 7 rebounds for Boston. (*45*) White completed with 11 factors and 6 assists.

Marcus Smart contributed 9 factors, seven rebounds, six assists and 6 steals in his first sport again after lacking 9 with a sprained proper ankle.

Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pistons with 28 factors and 5 rebounds.

HORNETS 120, SPURS 110

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — LaMelo Ball had 28 factors, 10 assists and a season-high 12 rebounds and Charlotte beat San Antonio to ship the Spurs into the NBA All-Star break with a franchise-record 14-game shedding streak.

Ball had his third triple-double of the season and franchise-leading ninth total.

P.J. Washington continued his sizzling play with 22 factors and 10 rebounds, and Mark Williams had 12 factors, 10 rebounds and 4 blocked pictures as Charlotte received its second straight sport. The Hornets had 12 blocks in all, together with 5 by backup heart Nick Richards.

Malaki Branham had 23 factors and Keldon Johnson added 21 factors for the Spurs. McDermott added 17 factors on 5 3s.

NUGGETS 118, MAVERICKS 109

DENVER (AP) — Reserve Jeff Green scored a season-high 24 factors, Nikola Jokic had his twenty first triple-double and Western Conference-leading Denver beat short-handed Dallas.

Nikola Jokic completed with 14 factors, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the Nuggets, who moved to an NBA-best 27-4 at residence this season. Michael Porter Jr. hit 5 3-pointers and completed with 22 factors.

Luka Doncic had 37 factors in main a banged-up Dallas crew that was lacking guard Kyrie Irving because of lower-back tightness. Doncic and Irving have performed alongside one another in two video games since Irving was acquired as a part of a cope with Brooklyn on Feb. 6.

76ERS 118, CAVALIERS 112

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 29 factors — together with the ten,000th of his profession — and Philadelphia beat Cleveland.

James Harden added 19 factors and 12 assists to assist ship the 76ers into the All-Star break with their fourth straight victory. De’Anthony Melton added 18 factors, and Tyrese Maxey had 16.

Donovan Mitchell had 33 factors — together with 25 within the second half — for the Cavaliers. They had received seven straight.

GRIZZLIES 117, JAZZ 111

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jaren Jackson had 26 factors, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks and Memphis beat Utah within the final sport for each groups earlier than the All-Star break.

Desmond Bane scored 24 factors and Ja Morant had 20 factors — on 8-of-26 capturing — and 9 assists. Jackson additionally had 5 steals.

Kelly Olynyk led the Jazz with 28 factors and 14 rebounds, and Jordan Clarkson had 20 factors, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

Utah scoring chief Lauri Markkanen was out with proper knee soreness. Then, 4 minutes into the sport, guard Collin Sexton went out with a left hamstring damage and didn’t return.

PACERS 117, BULLS 113

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Buddy Hield made six 3-pointers within the second half and completed with 27 factors, serving to Indiana overcome a 24-point deficit after the primary quarter to beat Chicago.

Tyrese Haliburton banked in a 9-foot shot for a 113-112 lead within the closing minute, Myles Turner sank two free throws and Hield closed it out with a pair of foul pictures with 7.1 seconds remaining because the Pacers snapped a five-game skid.

Aaron Nesmith scored 21 factors for Indiana, which had misplaced 16 of 18. Turner added 17, Haliburton 16 and Bennedict Mathurin 14.

Zach LaVine scored 35 factors, together with 12 within the opening quarter because the Bulls took a 39-15 lead.

KNICKS 122, HAWKS 101

ATLANTA (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 28 factors, Julius Randle added 25 and New York cruised into the All-Star break with its third straight victory, blowing out Atlanta.

New York settled issues proper from the beginning. The Knicks by no means trailed, constructing a 24-point lead within the first half and main by double digits for the ultimate 42 minutes of the sport.

De’Andre Hunter had 20 factors and Trae Young 19 for Atlanta.

THUNDER 133, ROCKETS 96

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 factors and Oklahoma City routed Houston.

Gilgeous-Alexander was 8 of 16 on subject targets and 13 of 15 on free throws. The first-time All-Star performed simply three quarters as a result of Oklahoma City was up 116-78 heading into the fourth.

Jabari Smith Jr. scored 15 factors for Houston. The NBA-worst Rockets have misplaced seven straight.

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