UNDATED (AP) — Kyrie Irving hit nine 3-pointers and scored a season-high 50 points, and the Brooklyn Nets snapped a four-game skid with a 132-121 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
Irving became one of 22 players in NBA history with five 50-point games.
Irving was 15 of 19 from the field and 9 of 12 from beyond the arc. Andre Drummond dominated inside, finishing with 20 points and 14 rebounds for Brooklyn, which got back to .500 on the season and moved into sole possession of eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings, just ahead of the Hornets. Miles Bridges and Terry Rozier each scored 30 points for Charlotte.
In other NBA action:
— Klay Thompson scored 20 points on a night actor Will Ferrell surprised him and teammates before the game by participating in warmups with the Warriors, and Golden State snapped a five-game skid by beating the Los Angeles Clippers 112-97. Jordan Poole also scored 20 points off the bench while Andrew Wiggins had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who won for just the second time in their last nine games to complete a road-home back-to-back. Nicolas Batum scored 17 points to lead the Clippers in a second straight defeat following a five-game winning streak.
— Ja Morant had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane added 22 points apiece as the Memphis Grizzlies built an early lead and routed the New Orleans Pelicans 132-111. The win solidified Memphis’ hold on second place in the Western Conference as the Grizzlies won for the second time in three games.
— Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 39 points and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 142-115 for their fifth straight win. Khris Middleton had 25 points and nine assists, and Bobby Portis added 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Bucks. Milwaukee scored a season-high point total and shot 53% from the field. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points, a career-high 14 assists and eight rebounds for the Thunder. It was the sixth time in seven games since the All-Star break that Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 30 points. The Thunder’s No. 2 scorer, Lu Dort, will miss the rest of the season after having surgery to address a cartilage tear in his left shoulder.
— Darius Garland had 41 points and 13 assists and hit a decisive pair of free throws with 14 seconds left to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Indiana Pacers 127-124. The Pacers went ahead 124-122 with 40 seconds remaining when Malcolm Brogdon was credited with a basket after Evan Mobley was called for goaltending.
— DeAndre Ayton and Landry Shamet scored 21 points each and Mikal Bridges blocked a potential tying 3-pointer in the final seconds to help the Phoenix Suns hold off the Orlando Magic 102-99. After Cameron Payne’s two free throws put the Suns up by three with 6.9 seconds left, Orlando’s Moritz Wagner put up a 3-pointer that Bridges deflected. Ayton had 19 rebounds and scored the Suns’ final two baskets, including a putback with 1:31 left after Orlando had taken a 98-97 lead. Payne finished with 18 points and 12 assists. Wendell Carter Jr. led Orlando with 20 points and had 12 rebounds.
