NBA roundup: LeBron James pours in 47 points on his 38th birthday
James made a season-high 18 field goals and was 4-for-6 on 3-point attempts. He added 10 rebounds and nine assists to fall just short of his first triple-double of the season. James had a 3-pointer and a three-point play in the fourth quarter after the Hawks cut the lead to one point.
Los Angeles also got 19 points and a season-high 17 rebounds from Thomas Bryant, 14 points and 11 assists from Russell Westbrook and 12 points and nine assists from Dennis Schroder. The Lakers were without Lonnie Walker IV (tailbone contusion).
Trae Young, who missed a game with a left calf contusion, returned and led the Hawks with 29 points while dishing out eight assists. Dejounte Murray added 20 points and nine assists, and Onyeka Okongwu had 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots.
The match was the third straight loss for Atlanta.
Wizards 119, Magic 100
Kristaps Porzingis scored 30 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked four shots, Monte Morris went for 12 points and dished 10 assists, and Washington led almost wire-to-wire in routing host Orlando.
Washington, which has won four straight games and five of six, went on a 16-2 run midway through the second quarter and never looked back. Kyle Kuzma finished with 23 points, and Rui Hachimura added 16 points and seven rebounds for the Wizards.
Franz Wagner led the Magic with 28 points and eight assists, while Paolo Banchero added 21 points. The Magic have lost three straight.
Kings 126, Jazz 125
Kevin Huerter scored 15 of his team-high 30 points in the fourth quarter, including a game-winning 3-pointer with 9.2 seconds remaining, to lead Sacramento past visiting Utah.
Lauri Markkanen topped all scorers with 36 points for the Jazz, but his attempt at the buzzer was off. It was the third straight road loss for Utah.
Domantas Sabonis went 12-for-12 from the field, scored 28 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out eight assists for the Kings, who earned a second consecutive one-point victory. De'Aaron Fox added 24 points.
Bucks 123, Timberwolves 114
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 43 points and 20 rebounds as Milwaukee snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over visiting Minnesota.
Bobby Portis Jr had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Joe Ingles recorded season-highs with 14 points and 10 assists for the Bucks, who trailed by 11 at halftime.
Minnesota lost its fifth straight game despite the efforts of Anthony Edwards, who had 30 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Luka Garza, Jaylen Nowell and Naz Reid added 16 points apiece.
Bulls 132, Pistons 118
Zach LaVine scored 18 of his season-high 43 points in the first quarter to lift host Chicago over Detroit, which has dropped 14 of its past 18 games.
LaVine made 15 of 20 shots from the floor, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range. He also sank all eight of his attempts from the free-throw line and dished out six assists. DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points and Nikola Vucevic collected 19 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls, who have won five of six games overall and 12 straight against the Pistons.
Rookie Jaden Ivey scored 22 points, Bojan Bogdanovic had 20 and Alec Burks added 19 off the bench for the Pistons, who played without Killian Hayes and Hamidou Diallo, suspended for their roles in a scuffle involving the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Warriors 118, Trail Blazers 112
Jordan Poole exploded for 41 points and teamed with Klay Thompson and Donte DiVincenzo for three 3-pointers in a 16-2, game-ending flurry that allowed Golden State to rally past Portland in San Francisco.
Thompson finished with 31 points after hitting seven 3-pointers for Golden State, which won its fourth straight at home over the past six days. Draymond Green logged 10 points and a game-high-tying 11 rebounds, while Kevon Looney also grabbed 11 boards as the Warriors took advantage of the absence of Portland big man Jusuf Nurkic, out because of a non-COVID illness.
Damian Lillard poured in a team-high 34 points in another of his San Francisco Bay Area homecomings. Anfernee Simons returned from a scary fall to chip in with 22 points for Portland, which lost for the fourth time in its past five games.
Pelicans 127, 76ers 116
CJ McCollum scored a season-high 42 points and set a franchise record and his own career high with 11 3-pointers as host New Orleans defeated Philadelphia.
McCollum made 13 of 20 field-goal attempts, including 11-of-16 from long range, and Zion Williamson added 36 points on 13 of 19 shooting from the field and making 10 of 16 free throws. Willy Hernangomez scored 13 points as the Pelicans won their fifth straight game.
Joel Embiid scored 37 points, James Harden had 20 points and 10 assists, Tobias Harris scored 14 points and De'Anthony Melton added 11 to lead the Sixers.
Nuggets 124, Heat 119
Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season, and host Denver erased an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Miami.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 20 points on 7-for-7 shooting for the Nuggets, who won for the ninth time in 11 games. Bones Hyland had 16 points and Vlatko Cancar scored 15 for Denver. Aaron Gordon (right shoulder strain), Jamal Murray (left knee management) and Bruce Brown (right ankle sprain) returned to the lineup after missing Denver's Wednesday loss at Sacramento.
Tyler Herro finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who had a two-game winning streak end. Bam Adebayo added 22 points, Max Strus 19 and Jimmy Butler 17.
Raptors 113, Suns 104
Gary Trent Jr scored 18 of his season-high-tying 35 points in the third quarter and Toronto defeated visiting Phoenix.
Pascal Siakam added 26 points and six assists for the Raptors, who ended a five-game home losing streak by winning for the third time in their past 11 games overall. OG Anunoby contributed 16 points for the Raptors, and Scottie Barnes scored 11.
Mikal Bridges scored 21 points for the Suns, who have lost five of their past six. Chris Paul added 20 points and 12 assists, Torrey Craig had 13 points and Duane Washington Jr scored 11 points.