ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Reserves Cole Anthony and Bol Bol each scored 17 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 115-104 win over the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.
Wendell Carter Jr. led seven Magic scorers in double figures with 19 points, and Orlando’s bench outscored the Nuggets’ reserves 56-10. Orlando is in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 23-33.
Aaron Gordon had a season-high 37 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic had 29 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and combined with Gordon to score all 29 of Denver’s points in the third quarter.
NETS 116, BULLS 105
NEW YORK (AP) — Spencer Dinwiddie scored 25 points in his first game since returning to Brooklyn, and the Nets beat Chicago hours after trading superstar Kevin Durant to Phoenix.
Joe Harris had 18 points, and Yuta Watanabe chipped in 14 points in 22 minutes off the bench. Dorian Finney-Smith, who came with Dinwiddie from Dallas in the trade for Kyrie Irving, had nine points and nine rebounds in his Nets debut.
It was Dinwiddie’s first game in a Nets uniform since Dec. 27, 2020. He spent five seasons with the team and returned with 18 points in the second half.
Zach LaVine scored 38 points and DeMar DeRozan had 14 for Chicago, which lost its second straight and fell to 10-18 on the road.
BUCKS 115, LAKERS 106
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 38 points and 10 rebounds, and Milwaukee rallied in the second half for its ninth consecutive victory, beating Los Angeles without LeBron James.
James sat out to rest his sore left ankle and foot two nights after he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s career scoring leader.
Khris Middleton scored 22 points and Jrue Holiday added 18 for the Bucks, who matched their longest winning streak since their 9-0 start to this season.
Dennis Schröder had 25 points and 12 assists in a standout performance at point guard for the Lakers, who had only four reserves after their flurry of trades in the past two days. Anthony Davis had 23 points and 16 rebounds while battling foul trouble in Los Angeles’ third straight loss.
HAWKS 116, SUNS 107
ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young scored 25 of his 36 points in the second half and Atlanta beat short-handed Phoenix, which was awaiting the arrival of newly acquired Kevin Durant.
Josh Okogie had 25 points and Deandre Ayton added 23 points for Phoenix, which had its three-game winning streak end.
The Suns had only nine players available after trading Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges as part of a package for Durant, the 13-time All-Star, before Thursday’s trade deadline. Durant did not join his new team for the game, but the anticipation for his arrival is growing.
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The Associated Press
