NEW YORK (AP) — Zach LaVine scored 20 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Chicago Bulls to a 108-99 victory over Brooklyn on Tuesday night in the Nets’ first game after a coaching change.
The Nets announced Steve Nash was out earlier in the day, then fell to 2-6 with Jacque Vaughn leading them.
Kevin Durant had 32 points and nine rebounds for the Nets, but Kyrie Irving managed only four points on 2-for-12 shooting. He missed all six 3-point attempts.
DeMar DeRozan added 20 points and Ayo Dosunmu had 17 for the Bulls, who outscored the Nets 31-19 in the final quarter. Goran Dragic, who played last season with the Nets, chipped in 15 off the bench as the Bulls snapped a two-game losing streak.
Royce O’Neale matched his career high with 20 points and Nic Claxton had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who played without Ben Simmons for a second straight night because of a sore left knee.
HEAT 116, WARRIORS 109
MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler scored five straight points late to give Miami the lead, Max Strus led all scorers with 24 and the Heat overcame a triple-double from Stephen Curry to beat Golden State.
Butler scored 23 points, including a three-point play with 1:48 left that put the Heat ahead to stay. Bam Adebayo added 19, Duncan Robinson had 17 and Kyle Lowry scored 13 for Miami, which won on coach Erik Spoelstra’s 52nd birthday.
Curry had 23 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists for the Warriors, who dropped their third straight and dropped to 3-5 — 0-4 on the road. Andrew Wiggins added 21 points and Klay Thompson scored 19.
It was the 10th regular season triple-double for Curry. But it wasn’t enough, and a call that went Miami’s way denied him a chance to tie the game with 1:39 left.
Curry was hit on the hand by Butler as he tried a 3-pointer, with the Warriors down three. A foul was called, but overturned on review.
SUNS 116, TIMBERWOLVES 107
PHOENIX (AP) — Cam Johnson scored 29 points, making seven 3-pointers, and Phoenix beat Minnesota for its fifth straight victory.
Johnson finished 7 of 11 behind the arc and 10 for 17 overall for the Suns, who were playing without center Deandre Ayton because of a sprained left ankle. Mikal Bridges had 19 points for Phoenix (6-1) and Devin Booker scored 18, though Booker was just 2 of 7 from 3-point range.
Chris Paul had 15 points, 12 assists and a team-high eight rebounds for the Suns, who led by as many as 18 points, though Minnesota got as close as 87-85 in the fourth quarter.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 24 points apiece. Towns had 10 rebounds and seven assists, while Edwards made five 3-pointers in 10 attempts.
THUNDER 116, MAGIC 108
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points, and Oklahoma City rallied from 15 points down in the second half to beat Orlando for its fourth straight win.
Aleksej Pokusevski added 16 points for the Thunder, who improved to 4-3 and have a winning record for the first time since nine games into the 2020-21 season.
Wendell Carter, Jr. tied a career high with 30 points and Franz Wagner added 20 for Orlando. Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft, had 15 points and eight rebounds.
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The Associated Press
