PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Joel Embiid had 24 points and eight rebounds in his return to the lineup, and Tobias Harris scored 32 to lead the Philadelphia 76ers over the Minnesota Timberwolves 122-113 on Saturday night. Ben Simmons added 14 points, eight rebounds, and six assists for Philadelphia (34-15), which pulled even with idle Brooklyn for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Embiid missed the previous ten games due to a bone bruise in his left knee. The four-time All-Star and MVP candidate entered averaging 29.9 points and 11.5 rebounds in 31 games this season.
With his left knee heavily wrapped, Embiid moved well, but his game wasn’t quite as sharp as before he got injured on March 12 at Washington. Embiid shot 6 of 14 from the field but missed all four 3-point tries and converted 12 of 17 free throws.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 39 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists for the Timberwolves, with the worst record in the NBA at 12-38. Anthony Edwards added 27 points.
JAZZ 137, MAGIC 91
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points, and Utah set an NBA record for 3-pointers in a half against depleted Orlando, extending its franchise-best home winning streak to 22 games.
The Jazz made 18 3-pointers in the first half. Mitchell shot 6 of 7 from beyond the arc to help Utah open a 78-40 advantage at the break. Joe Ingles and Bojan Bogdanovic each had 17 points for the Jazz. No Utah player logged more than 24 minutes, while all 13 in uniform scored at least five points. The Jazz did all that without point guard Mike Conley, who usually sits one side of back-to-back games to rest his right hamstring. Wendell Carter Jr. had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Magic, who went 2 for 23 from long range.continued its home dominance over Cleveland.
Bam Adebayo finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, Trevor Ariza scored 15, and Jimmy Butler added 15 points and 11 assists as the Heat won their 20th straight against the Cavaliers in Miami. Collin Sexton scored 26 points for the Cavaliers, who lost their fifth straight and have not succeeded in Miami since January 2010.
PACERS 139, SPURS 133, OT
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Caris LeVert scored 26 points, and short-handed Indiana snapped a three-game losing streak by beating San Antonio in overtime. Aaron Holiday, Myles Turner, and T.J. McConnell each had 18 points for Indiana. McConnell and Turner combined for 11 points in overtime for the Pacers, who played without Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, and Jeremy Lamb.
San Antonio outscored Indiana 5-0 in the final two minutes of regulation to force the extra period but lost its second straight game at home in overtime. DeMar DeRozan had 25 points for the Spurs.
MAVERICKS 109, WIZARDS 87
WASHINGTON (AP) – Luka Doncic scored 26 points as Dallas defeated Washington for its fourth straight victory. Doncic added eight rebounds and six assists to help the Mavericks finish 4-1 on their road trip. Jalen Brunson scored 19 points, and Boban Marjanovic posted his third double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Russell Westbrook had 26 points and 14 rebounds, but the Wizards set a season-low for issues. Washington has dropped three straight and 11 of 14 since the All-Star break.
The Wizards shot just 5 of 25 from a long distance.
KNICKS 125, PISTONS 81
DETROIT (AP) – Julius Randle scored 20 of his 29 points in the first quarter, and New York pounded Detroit. As New York put it away early, Randle and Reggie Bullock, who had 22 points, hit four 3-pointers apiece in the first. The Knicks stopped a three-game slide, returning to .500 at 25-25. Jerami Grant scored 16 points for the Pistons. Detroit rookie Killian Hayes returned after missing 41 games with a hip injury. The No. 7 draft pick out of France was scoreless in 20 minutes.
