LeBron James takes over, Cavaliers win 11th straight
CLEVELAND (AP) LeBron James scored 34 points, including seven in the final 1:22, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 116-111 on Saturday night for their 11th straight victory.
Memphis has lost 11 in a row, including three since David Fizdale was fired Monday and replaced by interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
James, the reigning NBA Player of the Month, also had 12 assists. Kevin Love added 20 points and 11 rebounds for Cleveland.
The Grizzlies trailed 91-72 late in the third quarter, but rallied all the way to a tie at 109 on Dillon Brooks' 3-pointer with 2:10 remaining. James' basket in the lane gave Cleveland the lead.
After Tyreke Evans missed a 3-pointer, James drove the lane, scored and converted the three-point play after being fouled by Brooks with 34 seconds left.
Brooks made two free throws, but James dribbled for several seconds on Cleveland's next possession and hit a jumper from the top of the key for a five-point lead with 5 seconds to go.
Evans had 31 points and 12 assists for Memphis. Marc Gasol scored 27 and passed 10,000 career points.
CELTICS 116, SUNS 111
BOSTON (AP) - Kyrie Irving had a key 3-pointer and a driving basket in the closing two minutes, helping Boston beat Phoenix.
Irving finished with 19 points, leading a balanced attack for Boston. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Morris each scored 17 points, Jayson Tatum had 15 and Al Horford added 14 points and 11 assists.
Devin Booker scored a season-high 38 points for Phoenix in his first game at TD Garden since he put up 70 against the Celtics on March 24. T.J. Warren had 19 points, and Tyson Chandler added 14 points and 18 rebounds.
Phoenix cut a 17-point deficit to 105-103 on Chandler's dunk late in the game. But Irving responded with a 3 from the right wing on the next possession, and his spinning shot off the backboard made it 112-106 with 29 seconds left.
76ERS 108, PISTONS 103
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Joel Embiid had 25 points and 10 rebounds and got the better of Andre Drummond down the stretch in a matchup of trash-talking big men to help Philadelphia beat Detroit.
Embiid drew the fifth and sixth fouls on Drummond and drew cheers as he waved goodbye to his fouled-out rival in between hitting four free throws to put Philadelphia ahead 100-95 with 2:35 left.
Robert Covington added 25 points, and Dario Saric had 17 points and hit a 3-pointer with 1:40 left to put the Sixers ahead 103-95.
Drummond had 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and five steals. Tobias Harris scored 27 points, and Reggie Jackson had 25 points for the Pistons. They trailed by 18 points early in the third quarter.
PELICANS 123, TRAIL BLAZERS 116
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - DeMarcus Cousins had 38 points and New Orleans overcame the absence of Anthony Davis to beat Portland.
E'Twaun Moore added 19 points for the Pelicans. Damian Lillard had 29 points and eight assists for the Blazers, and CJ McCollum added 17 points.
Davis, the Pelicans' top scorer with an average of 25.2 points, was ruled out against the Blazers because of a pelvis injury. An All-Star, Davis was injured in the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz on Friday night and carried off the court because he couldn't put pressure on his legs.
MAVERICKS 108, CLIPPERS 82
DALLAS (AP) - J.J. Barea had 21 points and 10 assists, and Dallas beat Los Angeles for coach Rick Carlisle's 700th career victory.
Dallas made 16 of 35 3-point attempts and had five players score in double figures. Dirk Nowitzki went 5 for 5 from the long range on his way to 16 points, and reserve Devin Harris finished with 15 points.
Carlisle became the 18th coach in NBA history with at least 700 wins.
DeAndre Jordan had 14 points and 17 rebounds for the Clippers (8-13), who have dropped two in a row after winning three straight. Lou Williams scored 18 points.
NUGGETS 115, LAKERS 100
DENVER (AP) - Jamal Murray had 28 points, Will Barton scored 13 of his 16 points in the final 7:44, and Denver scored the game's final 15 points to beat Los Angeles.
Denver was without its starting frontcourt of Nikola Jokic, Paul Millsap and Wilson Chandler. Millsap is out several months after surgery on his left wrist, Jokic was in a walking boot after suffering a sprained left ankle Thursday, but Chandler (back) could return Monday.
Brandon Ingram led the Lakers with 20 points and Brook Lopez had 15 points. Lonzo Ball had nine points, nine rebounds and five assists.
HAWKS 114, NETS 102
NEW YORK (AP) - Dennis Schroder scored 24 points and reserve Luke Babbitt had 20, leading short-handed Atlanta past Brooklyn.
Atlanta had five players score in double figures in its third road win of the season. DeAndre Bembry had 12 points, and Isaiah Taylor and Taurean Prince each had 11.
The Hawks played without starting center Dewayne Dedmon and rookie John Collins due to injuries. Dedmon hurt his left leg Wednesday night and is expected to miss three to six weeks. Collins, the 19th pick in the June draft, injured his left shoulder Thursday night and will be out for two to three weeks.
Spencer Dinwiddie had 15 points for Brooklyn.
BUCKS 109, KINGS 104
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points and Milwaukee held off Sacramento.
Antetokounmpo made 17 free throws and had 13 rebounds, Khris Middleton added 25 points and Eric Bledsoe had 18. Milwaukee beat the Kings 112-87 on Tuesday night in Sacramento.
Zach Randolph led the Kings with 22 points, and Buddy Hield added 19.
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