MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns scored a franchise-record 56 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for his league-leading 63rd double-double, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 126-114 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.
Towns was 6 of 8 from 3-point range for Minnesota, which recovered after a disappointing loss Monday to Memphis.
Andrew Wiggins added 17 points and Jeff Teague had 11 points and eight assists for the Timberwolves (43-33), who avoided a third straight loss by shooting 53.3 percent, including 13 of 30 from behind the arc.
Mike Muscala had a career-high 24 points for Atlanta, and Dewayne Dedmon had 13 points and 12 rebounds.
CELTICS 97, JAZZ 94
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jaylen Brown made a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left to lift Boston to the road win.
Brown scored 21 points and Jayson Tatum added 16 for the Celtics, who won their fifth straight despite a short-handed roster.
With Kyrie Irving out after knee surgery and Marcus Morris and Al Horford sidelined with ankle injuries, the Celtics finished a 4-0 trip.
CAVALIERS 118,
HORNETS 105
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — LeBron James matched Michael Jordan’s streak of 866 consecutive double-digit scoring games with 41 points, leading Cleveland to the road win.
James finished 14 of 26 from the field and had 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Cavaliers, who remained ahead of Philadelphia for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.
The 33-year-old James, who began his streak on Jan. 6, 2007, can break Jordan’s record Friday night at home against New Orleans.
76ERS 118, KNICKS 101
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dario Saric had 26 points and 14 rebounds, and the Sixers won their eighth straight game despite losing All-Star Joel Embiid to a facial injury.
J.J. Redick scored 21 points for Philadelphia (44-30), which stayed a half-game behind Cleveland for third in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers, who already clinched their first playoff appearance since 2012, have the franchise’s most victories since the 2002-03 club won 48 games.
Embiid was taken to a hospital for precautionary testing after a nasty collision with teammate Markelle Fultz early in the second quarter. The team said he had a facial contusion, but did not have a concussion.
Philadelphia still had enough to beat New York (27-49), which lost for the fourth time in five games. Emmanuel Mudiay and Michael Beasley had 22 points apiece for the Knicks.
GRIZZLIES 108,
TRAIL BLAZERS 103
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — MarShon Brooks scored 14 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter in his first game with Memphis, helping the Grizzlies to their second straight win.
Brooks made each of his four 3-point attempts in the final period in his first NBA appearance since April 16, 2014, with the Lakers. He signed a 10-day contract with Memphis on Tuesday.
Dillon Brooks had 18 points for the Grizzlies (21-54).
CJ McCollum led Portland (46-29) with 42 points. Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, who had 41 points in Tuesday’s win over New Orleans, was not with the team after the birth of his son.
LAKERS 103,
MAVERICKS 93
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brook Lopez scored 22 points and Julius Randle added 20 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Lakers to the victory.
Los Angeles’ Brandon Ingram had 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes in his return after missing 12 games with a groin strain.
Lonzo Ball had eight points, five rebounds and four assists before leaving late in the third quarter. Ball had his left knee wrapped in ice briefly, the same knee that kept him out for 16 games in January and February.
CLIPPERS 111, SUNS 99
PHOENIX (AP) — Tobias Harris scored 27 points, and the Clippers gained a little ground in the Western Conference playoff race.
Harris had 15 points in the third quarter, and Los Angeles pulled away early in the fourth with an 18-0 run.
The Clippers (41-34) moved to a game out of the eighth playoff spot, one game behind the Jazz after Utah’s 97-94 loss to Boston.
NETS 111, MAGIC 104
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — D’Angelo Russell and Caris LeVert each scored 16 points to lead Brooklyn to the victory.
Jarrett Allen added 15 points and DeMarre Carroll had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Nets, who stopped a three-game losing streak. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Joe Harris also scored 14 and Allen Crabbe had 13.
