CLEVELAND (AP) – Shake Milton scored 27 points, Dwight Howard had 18 points and 15 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers finished a six-game road trip without injured star center Joel Embiid beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-94 on Thursday night. The Sixers, who were won twice by the Cavs earlier this season, went 4-2 on their trip as they waited for Embiid to recover from a knee injury. They could also stay on Brooklyn’s heels for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Seth Curry made five 3-pointers and scored 19 points, and Milton’s scoring off the bench helped offset an off night for Ben Simmons, who went just 2 of 11 from the floor but had 13 rebounds. Howard made 6 of 7 shots while matching his season-high.
Philadelphia’s defense clamped down on Cleveland in the third quarter, holding the Cavs to 17 points.
SPURS 134, HAWKS 129, 2OT
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Clint Capela had 28 points and 17 rebounds, Trae Young had 28 points and 12 assists, and Atlanta overcame two late meltdowns to beat San Antonio.
Young had 15 points in overtime as Atlanta snapped a two-game skid. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 28 points while shooting 4 for five on 3-pointers.
San Antonio veteran DeMar DeRozan had 36 points and nine assists, and Derrick White had a career-high seven 3-pointers en route to 29 points.
Danilo Gallinari’s 3-pointer put Atlanta up 133-129 with 11.8 seconds remaining in the second overtime after Rudy Gay’s 3 pulled San Antonio within a point. Young added a free throw to seal it.
NUGGETS 101, CLIPPERS 94
beating Los Angeles for its fourth straight victory.
The Nuggets dominated the first three quarters on a night when Nikola Jokic didn’t reach double figures until hitting a 3-pointer with 5:20 left in the game. He finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Paul George had 17 points and eight rebounds in his return after missing two games with a sore right foot. Terance Mann added 18 points off the bench.
Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points, and Will Barton had 19 points for Denver.
HEAT 116, WARRIORS 109
MIAMI (AP) – Jimmy Butler scored 22 points, Duncan Robinson scored 21, and Miami held off Golden State to win its third straight outing and move back over the .500 mark at 25-24.
Tyler Herro scored 20 points, Bam Adebayo had 19, Trevor Ariza added ten, and Andre Iguodala – the 2015 NBA Finals MVP for Golden State – had 10 in the fourth quarter to help seal the win against his former club.
Victor Oladipo started and did a little of everything in his first game with the Heat, finishing with six points, five assists, three rebounds, and two steals. Stephen Curry finished with 36 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who got 23 from Andrew Wiggins and a 16-point, 10-rebound, eight-assist night from Draymond Green.
