UNDATED (AP) — Bradley Beal became the second NBA player to post a 60-point performance, but it didn’t stop the Philadelphia 76ers from improving to 7-1.
Joel Embiid scored 38 points as the Sixers downed the Wizards, 141-136.
Seth Curry hit six straight 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 28 points. Ben Simmons had 17 points and 12 assists, while Tobias Harris scored 19.
Beal went 20 of 25 from the floor, made 7 of 10 3-points and went 13 of 15 from the line to match former Wizard Gilbert Arenas for the franchise single-game points mark.
Elsewhere in Wednesday’s NBA schedule:
— Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 25 points and Khris Middleton added 23 as the Bucks rolled past the Pistons, 130-115. Milwaukee improved to just 5-3 overall, but the Bucks have won by an average of 23.5 points while going 4-0 at home. Saddiq Bey scored 20 points to pace the 1-7 Pistons.
— Rookie Payton Pritchard’s putback with two-tenths of a second left capped a wild finish in the Celtics’ 107-105 verdict over the Heat. Jayson Tatum scored 27 points and Jaylen Brown had 21 for the Celtics, who wasted an early 17-point lead and a 10-point advantage in the final minute before winning. Both teams considered boycotting the game following the rioting at the Capitol.
— The Suns made 21 3-pointers en route to a 123-115 victory over the sputtering Raptors. Jae Crowder nailed six treys and finished with 21 points for Phoenix, which hit 20 3′s for the fourth time in franchise history. Devin Booker scored 24 points as the 6-2 Suns dropped the reigning Atlantic Division champs to 1-6.
— Kawhi Leonard scored 21 points, including the tying and go-ahead buckets on consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter of the Clippers’ 108-101 of the Warriors. Paul George returned from a one-game absence with a sore right ankle to add 21 points and 12 rebounds in the Clippers’ fourth straight win against Golden State. Warriors guard Stephen Curry had just 13 points on 5 of 17 shooting after scoring a combined 92 in his previous two games.
— Malcolm Brogdon scored a career-high 35 points and made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:22 remaining to send the Pacers past the Rockets, 114-107. Justin Holiday added a season-high 20 points for Indiana, which closed on an 8-0 run to beat Houston at home for the first time in four years. Rockets guard John Wall had a season-high 28 points in his fourth game with his new team, but James Harden finished with 15.
— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points and George Hill provided the go-ahead free throws with 12 seconds left to send the Thunder past the Pelicans, 111-110. Darius Bazley had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which avenged a home loss to New Orleans last week while winning for just the second time in six games. Zion Williamson scored 29 points and Brandon Ingram 24 for the Pelicans.
— Austin Rivers scored 14 straight Knicks points down the stretch and finished with 23 in a 112-100 comeback over the Jazz. Julius Randle had 30 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in New York’s third win in a row. The Knicks trailed by 18 in the first half but outplayed the Jazz in the second and won for the fifth time in six games.
— Gordon Hayward poured in a career-high 44 points and the Hornets coughed up a double-digit lead before knocking off the Hawks, 102-94. LaMelo Ball had 16 points and eight rebounds for Charlotte, which led by 24 in the first half. John Collins had 23 points and 11 boards for the Hawks, but Trae Young finished with just seven points on 2 of 9 from the field.
— Terrence Ross scored 20 points and hit five 3-pointers to lead the Magic to a 105-94 decision over the Cavaliers. But Orlando guard Markelle Fultz suffered an apparently serious knee injury less than five minutes into the game. Fultz came in averaging a career-best 14.3 points in seven games.
— Buddy Hield converted a four-point play with 38 seconds left to push the Kings past the Bulls, 128-124. Hield missed 12 of his first 14 shots and was 1 of 8 on 3-pointers before hitting one from the top of the arc and getting fouled by former Kings teammate Garrett Temple. Sacramento first-round draft pick Tyrese Haliburton scored 15 of his season-high 17 points in the fourth quarter and made a key steal in the backcourt.
— Several teams showed dismay hours after a violent mob loyal to President Donald Trump was able to storm the U.S. Capitol and in response to a decision by a Wisconsin prosecutor not to charge a police officer who shot a Black man last year. In Miami, the Heat and Celtics released a joint statement saying they were playing “with a heavy heart” in a game where most players and coaches knelt for the national anthem. In Milwaukee, both the Bucks and Pistons intentionally took turnovers on their first possessions, with all 10 players on the court kneeling.
