NBA roundup: Magic defeat Heat in dramatic fashion following franchise-record comeback

The Orlando Magic established a franchise record by rallying from a 22-point deficit at the start of the final period to defeat the Heat, 121-114, on Saturday. They achieved this by limiting visiting Miami to only eight fourth-quarter points.

In the first half, Orlando was trailing by as many as 25 points. However, they began to reduce the deficit with a 13-0 surge to begin the fourth quarter. The Magic then embarked on an additional 11-0 run to secure their first lead since the early first quarter.

The fourth-quarter runs were propelled by the triumvirate of Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Goga Bitadze, who collectively scored 21 of Orlando’s 37 points, including the final 17 points that secured the comeback victory. This 25-point recovery is currently tied for the most significant in franchise history. On November 8, 1989, Orlando also surmounted a 25-point deficit in Cleveland.

35 points and nine assists were season highs for Anthony, who played off the bench. Bitadze completed the game with a double-double, scoring 18 points on 8-of-8 shooting and collecting 13 rebounds. Caldwell-Pope contributed 24 points, half of which were earned on a perfect 12-of-12 shooting from the free-throw line.
Miami was without Jimmy Butler as a result of a gastrointestinal illness. Miami’s first-half scoring total of 76 points was a franchise record for a single half this season, despite Butler’s absence. Tyler Herro posted 22 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Terry Rozier contributed 23 points off the bench. Bam Adebayo tallied 23 points and grabbed six rebounds.

Celtics 123, Bulls 98

Visiting Boston avoided back-to-back defeats by defeating Chicago, thanks to Jayson Tatum’s 43 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists.

In the span of 36 minutes, Tatum converted 16 of his 24 field-goal attempts, including 9 of his 15 attempts from 3-point range. Kristaps Porzingis contributed 22 points and seven rebounds for Boston, which also received 19 points, five rebounds, and eight assists from Jaylen Brown. The Celtics have not lost consecutive games this season.

The Bulls were led by Nicola Vucevic, who produced 19 points and 10 rebounds. For Chicago, Patrick Williams, Coby White, and Zach LaVine each contributed 14 points, but the team was limited to 44 points in the second half.

Lakers 103, Kings 99

LeBron James tallied a game-high 32 points, while D’Angelo Russell contributed 20 points off the bench. Los Angeles survived to complete a three-day, two-game road sweep of Sacramento.

The initial game of the sequence was won by the Lakers, with a score of 113-100, on Thursday night. James supplemented his impressive scoring performance with seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals, which lead the team. He assisted the Lakers in outshooting the hosts by hitting 13 of his 24 shots, resulting in a ratio of 48.2 percent to 43.3 percent. On top of his 10 points, five assists, and three rejections, Anthony Davis was the Lakers’ leading rebounder, with 15.

The Kings were led by De’Aaron Fox, who added seven assists to his 31 points. Three of his five three-point attempts were successful, and Sacramento maintained a modest 30-27 advantage in points from beyond the arc.

Pistons: 133, Suns: 125

Jaden Ivey posted 20 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists to help Detroit secure a victory at Phoenix, while Cade Cunningham contributed 28 points and 13 assists.

Jalen Duren contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Malik Beasley scored 18 points off the bench, helping the Pistons snap a seven-game losing streak to the Suns.

Devin Booker (groin) was absent for the first time this season, and Kevin Durant responded with a season-high 43 points, six assists, and five rebounds for the Suns. 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 26 points were recorded by Bradley Beal.

Knicks 104, Pelicans 93

In the second half, Jalen Brunson tallied 29 of his season-high 39 points for visiting New York, which defeated upset-minded New Orleans by surmounting a 14-point third-quarter deficit.

The Knicks implemented their most significant recovery of the season during a decisive 37-13 run that connected the third and fourth quarters, during which Brunson scored 20 points. The Knicks earned their third consecutive victory and improved to 8-2 in their last 10 games, thanks to Karl-Anthony Towns’ double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds).

For the Pelicans, Trey Murphy III tallied 26 points, but they have suffered six consecutive losses, resulting in a 2-21 record since their 3-3 start. New Orleans faltered by a minimum of 10 points for the 17th time this season. The possibility of a triple double was briefly considered by Dejounte Murray, who recorded 14 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.

Trail Blazers 94, Spurs 114

Victor Wembanyama scored 30 points and matched his career high with 10 blocked attempts as host San Antonio defeated struggling Portland.
A 13-2 surge in the final minutes of the second quarter by the Spurs transformed a close game into a decisive victory, enabling them to establish a 16-point lead at halftime.

On behalf of the Spurs, Charles Bassey achieved a career-high 16 points and 12 rebounds.

In their most recent eight games, the Trail Blazers have suffered seven losses. Shaedon Sharpe scored 25 points for the team. Anfernee Simons contributed 18 points, Deandre Ayton secured 14 points and eight rebounds, and Scoot Henderson scored 12 points off the bench.

Bucks 112; Wizards 101

A season-high 34 points were scored by Bobby Portis, who led Milwaukee to a victory over Washington despite being shorthanded.

Damian Lillard (calf) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (back) were conspicuous absences for the NBA Cup champion Bucks. The triple-double watch was on for Portis, who added 10 rebounds and eight assists to his total. His teammate, Khris Middleton, contributed 18 points, eight assists, and six rebounds.

Washington was led by Jordan Poole, who scored 26 points on an 8-for-19 shooting streak. Corey Kispert added 16 points, Alexandre Sarr contributed 11 points, and Bilal Coulibaly scored 20 points and collected 12 rebounds.

Warriors: 113, Timberwolves: 103

Stephen Curry tallied 31 points and dished out 10 assists as Golden State maintained its lead and defeated Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Golden State successfully ended a three-game losing streak and secured its first road victory since November 22 with Trayce Jackson-Davis’ 15 points and nine rebounds.

For Minnesota, Anthony Edwards tallied 19 points; however, he only converted six of his 20 field goal attempts. Ultimately, Rudy Gobert contributed 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Donte DiVincenzo scored 19 points off the bench.

Grizzlies 128, Hawks 112

Starting in place of the injured Ja Morant, Scotty Pippen Jr. score 22 points to lead visiting Memphis to a victory over Atlanta.

As a result of persistent back discomfort, Memphis was participating without Morant. Upon entering the contest, Pippen had an average of 10.2 points and subsequently delivered his second-best scoring performance of the season. Along with five rebounds, nine assists, and two steals, Pippen was 9-for-12 from the field and 3-for-4 on 3-point attempts. In addition, Desmond Bane contributed 23 points, which included four three-pointers.

De’Andre Hunter’s 26 points off the bench were the main contributor for Atlanta. In addition, Dyson Daniels contributed 15 points, six assists, and six steals. Lost their third consecutive game, the Hawks were without Trae Young due to a wounded heel.

Cavaliers 126, 76ers 99

With a victory over Philadelphia, Cleveland advanced to a league-best 25-4, with Darius Garland scoring 26 points and six other players reaching double figures.

Cleveland’s Evan Mobley contributed 22 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists as the team won its fourth consecutive game and maintained a lead of up to 35 points. Georges Niang contributed 13 points, Donovan Mitchell tallied 19, Caris LeVert had 12, and Ty Jerome contributed 11.

Philadelphia was without its standout player, Joel Embiid, who was rested for the second game of the Sixers’ back-to-back set. Philadelphia was led by Tyrese Maxey, who scored 27 points. After playing his first back-to-back set of the season, Paul George concluded with 11 points.

113 for the Mavericks, 97 for the Clippers

Quentin Grimes contributed a team-best 20 points off the bench, which served as a catalyst for Dallas’ victory over Los Angeles.

Klay Thompson contributed 16 points, while Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyrie Irving each contributed 15 for the Mavericks. The team has now won nine of their last 11 games and avenged a 23-point loss to the Clippers on Thursday.

James Harden and Kevin Porter Jr. each contributed 19 points to the Clippers, who were led by Normal Powell’s 28 points. For Los Angeles, Ivica Zubac contributed 13 points and 15 rebounds, as the team’s two-game winning streak was terminated.

the Jazz scored 105 points and the Nets scored 94 points.

Lauri Markkanen scored 14 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, and Utah ultimately secured a victory over Brooklyn in New York by dominating the second half.

For the second time this season, the Jazz emerged victorious in consecutive games by limiting their opponents to under 100 points and allowing a season-low number of points. Markkanen made two of six 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter, leading to a five-for-10 shooting performance.

In nine contests, Brooklyn suffered its seventh consecutive loss. In addition, the Nets suffered their fifth consecutive home loss from the previous six games. In the fourth quarter, Cameron Johnson concluded with 13 of his 18 points. The first double-double of the campaign was achieved by Ben Simmons, who recorded a season-high 15 points and 10 assists.