Basketball

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Brunson playfully tried to escape a media scrum in front of his locker by announcing that Josh Hart was ready to talk to reporters.

HOUSTON (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 24 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 and the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Houston Rockets 122-95 on Friday night.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Nets hadn't won in the new year and their leading scorer hadn't even made a shot. Everything changed quickly Friday night.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Jarrett Allen had his sixth straight double-double and the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to their second easy win in three nights over Washington, beating the Wizards 114-90 on Friday night.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton had 18 of Indiana’s franchise-record 50 assists and the Pacers routed the Atlanta Hawks 150-116 on Friday night for their sixth straight victory. Haliburton, the NBA assists leader at 12.

BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 30 points and hit five 3-pointers to help the Boston Celtics run past the Utah Jazz 126-97 on Friday night. Boston never trailed, led by as many as 36 points in the first half and made 17 3s for the night.

Ricky Rubio's retirement from the NBA may have seemed abrupt, even puzzling, to some. Donovan Mitchell sensed it coming. And now that it's happened, Mitchell feels relieved for a teammate who became a cherished friend.

CHICAGO (AP) — Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic are set to return to the Chicago Bulls' rotation after being sidelined because of injuries.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — With three seconds left in a tie game, Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone set up Nikola Jokic to be the safety valve on an inbounds pass at the far end. Jamal Murray, the first option, wasn't available up the sideline.

Detroit Pistons (3-31, 15th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Golden State Warriors (16-18, 11th in the Western Conference) San Francisco; Friday, 10 p.m. EST FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NBA LINE : Warriors -9.