Norman Powell scored 20 points and Ivica Zubac added 18 points along with 18 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers celebrated the season debut of Kawhi Leonard with a 131-105 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday in Inglewood, Calif.
Amir Coffey scored 17 points, and Leonard had 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting in 19 minutes after missing the first 34 games of the season due to a right knee injury. Terance Mann, who missed the past 11 games with a finger injury, also returned to the game and scored 12 points in 16 minutes.
Los Angeles took control early, leading by as many as 27 points in the first half and improving to 12-2 at home since Nov. 4.
Trae Young scored 20 points and added 14 assists, and De’Andre Hunter contributed 18 points as the Hawks lost their second consecutive game in the Los Angeles area, following a 119-102 defeat against the Lakers on Friday.
Leonard made his first shot of the season, a 3-pointer from the left wing just over two minutes into the game.
Pistons 119, Timberwolves 105
Cade Cunningham scored a season-high 40 points and added nine assists to help Detroit beat Minnesota, despite Anthony Edwards’ career-high 53 points.
Edwards had scored 20 points or less in eight of his previous 14 games. His previous career high was 51 points, which he reached against the Washington Wizards on April 9, 2024. Cunningham’s previous season high was 35 points.
Malik Beasley added 23 points off the bench as Detroit won its third straight game. Tobias Harris scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the win, while Julius Randle had 17 points, seven rebounds, and six assists for the Timberwolves.
Nuggets 122, Spurs 111 (OT)
Nikola Jokic scored 46 points, including the first seven in overtime, leading Denver to a win over San Antonio in the final game of a back-to-back series between the teams.
The Spurs had won 113-110 on Friday in Denver. The Nuggets have now won four of their past five games. San Antonio led by 11 points after three quarters on Saturday, but the Nuggets came back to briefly take the lead in the final minute of regulation before a tip-in by Devin Vassell forced overtime.
Harrison Barnes led San Antonio with 22 points, and Victor Wembanyama scored 20 points while grabbing a career-high 23 rebounds.
76ers 123, Nets 94
Joel Embiid scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in three quarters, helping Philadelphia overcome an early 11-point deficit to beat Brooklyn in New York.
Embiid made 8 of 16 shots from the field, hit all 10 of his free throws, and played 29 minutes to record his fourth double-double in 13 games this season. Philadelphia outscored Brooklyn 123-83 after allowing the game’s first 11 points and won for the 12th time in 19 games since a five-game losing streak in mid-November.
Ziaire Williams led the Nets with 19 points, while Brooklyn shot 41.5 percent and gave up 32 points off 22 turnovers. The Nets lost their 12th game in 16 tries.
Pacers 126, Suns 108
Tyrese Haliburton scored 27 points to lead six Indiana players in double figures, and the Pacers ended Phoenix’s four-game losing streak with a win in Indianapolis.
Indiana opened the second half with a 19-9 run lasting just over four minutes, which gave them a lead they held for the rest of the game. The Pacers later finished the game with a 13-4 run over the final 4:08.
Phoenix stayed close with help from Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, but the Suns never got closer than six points after Indiana’s early third-quarter run. Durant finished with 25 points, and Booker added 20.
Jazz 136, Heat 100
Brice Sensabaugh, a Florida native, scored a career-high 34 points off the bench as Utah ended a five-game losing streak with a win in Miami.
John Collins added 24 points and nine rebounds for Utah, which won only its sixth road game in 19 tries this season. Walker Kessler posted 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds as the Jazz outrebounded the Heat 57-32.
The Heat trailed by as many as 43 points in the fourth quarter in their first game after suspending star forward Jimmy Butler for seven games for conduct detrimental to the team.
Bulls 139, Knicks 126
Zach LaVine and Coby White scored 33 points each, and Nikola Vucevic recorded a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds to help Chicago beat New York.
Chicago scored its most points of the season, led by a 20-for-37 effort from three-point range. White set a career-high for made 3-pointers, going 9-for-11. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 44 points, 16 rebounds, and five assists.
The Bulls honored Derrick Rose during a halftime ceremony. Rose, a Chicago native, spent his first seven seasons with the Bulls, winning Rookie of the Year in 2009 and MVP in 2011, before playing for five other teams and spending parts of four seasons with the Knicks.
Trail Blazers 105, Bucks 102
Anfernee Simons scored 28 points and added eight assists to lead Portland to a win over Milwaukee after the Blazers had dropped their last two games.
Deni Avdija scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while Deandre Ayton posted his own double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, helping Portland win on the road for just the fourth time this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 31 points and 11 rebounds. AJ Green scored 21 points off the bench, and Damian Lillard had 16 points.
Warriors 121, Grizzlies 113
Lindy Waters III scored eight of his 16 points late, and Andrew Wiggins scored a game-high 24 points as Golden State defeated Memphis in San Francisco.
Both teams played without their star point guards. Memphis was missing Ja Morant for the fourth straight game due to a shoulder injury, and Golden State rested Stephen Curry on the first game of a back-to-back set.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had 23 points and nine rebounds for Memphis, and Desmond Bane added 22 points and 10 assists. The Grizzlies completed a 2-3 road trip after losing 138-133 to the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
