UNDATED (AP) — James Harden lived up to the hype in his first home game since being acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Harden just missed a triple-double as the 76ers whipped the Knicks, 123-108. He delivered 26 points, nine assists and nine rebounds as the Sixers improved to 3-0 with him on the court.
Joel Embiid finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds, while Tyrese Maxey had 25 points. Maxey had 11 points while the 76ers grabbed the lead for good in the third quarter, outscoring the Knicks, 38-19.
RJ Barrett had 30 points and Julius Randle had 24 in New York’s 13th loss in 15 games.
Checking out Wednesday’s other NBA action:
— The Suns became the first team to 50 wins this season by clobbering the Trail Blazers, 120-90. Cam Johnson scored 20 points, Deandre Ayton added 18 to help Phoenix win without its usual starting guards. Johnson was 6 of 8 from the field, and Ayton 9 of 12 as the Suns halted a two-game skid.
— Jrue Holiday banked in a driving layup with 1.9 seconds left to complete the Bucks’ comeback from a 14-point deficit over the final six minutes of a 120-119 downing of the Heat. The Bucks outscored Miami 21-6 down the stretch to snap the Heat’s four-game winning streak. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points, 17 rebounds and five assists for the Bucks, Khris Middleton scored 26 and Holiday had 25.
— Donovan Mitchell poured in 37 points and Mike Conley scored nine in overtime to send the Jazz to a 132-127 win over the Rockets. Rudy Gobert had 27 points and 17 rebounds as Utah won its third straight and ninth in the last 10 games. Houston’s Christian Wood had 24 points, including a desperation 28-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to send it to OT.
— The Thunder earned a 119-107 win at Denver as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and Isaiah Roby added a career-high 26. Oklahoma City was 16 of 29 from beyond the arc after entering the game ranked last in the league in 3-point shooting percentage. Nikola Jokic provided 22 points and 16 rebounds on a night when no other Denver starter scored in double figures.
— Terry Rozier had 29 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as the Hornets hammered the Cavaliers, 119-98. Isaiah Thomas scored 10 points in his debut for Charlotte. The Hornets made 17 3-pointers and improved to just 3-11 since Jan. 28. Cleveland guard Darius Garland returned from a three-game injury absence and finished with 33 points in as many minutes.
— Brandon Ingram scored 33 points on 15 of 19 shooting in leading the Pelicans to their third straight win, 125-95 over the Kings. Ingram scored 28 of his points before being briefly forced out of the game by an elbow to the face from Damian Jones. Jonas Valanciunas had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and CJ McCollum had 17 points and a season-high nine assists for New Orleans.
— The Pacers overcame a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Magic, 122-114, in overtime. Malcolm Brogdon had 31 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for Indiana, while Tyrese Haliburton finished with 21 points and six assists. Haliburton scored five of the Pacers’ 12 overtime points.
NBA fines Pacers’ Smith, Spurs’ Murray
UNDATED (AP) — The Phoenix Suns are without their starting backcourt for the time being.
Devin Booker has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocol and missed Wednesday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. The three-time All-Star is averaging 25.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists this season. The Suns already are spending time without Chris Paul because of a broken thumb.
Also in the NBA:
— The Nets have indicated that forward Kevin Durant will be back in the lineup on Thursday against Miami. Durant is expected to return from a left knee injury that has sidelined him since mid-January. The Nets have plummeted from title contenders to eighth place in the Eastern Conference during his absence.
— Pacers forward Jalen Smith has been fined $20,000 for directing profane language toward a game official on Monday. Spurs guard Dejounte Murray has been docked $20,000 for throwing the ball off the legs of a referee. Both incidents occurred Monday night.
