NBA: Pistons dominate Knicks to cap season sweep

Cade Cunningham scored 42 points, handed out 13 assists, and grabbed eight rebounds as the Detroit Pistons pulled away in the second half to beat the New York Knicks 126-111 on Thursday.

Detroit completed a season sweep of New York, winning all three meetings by a combined 84 points and extending its regular-season winning streak against the Knicks to six games. New York had previously won 16 consecutive matchups between the teams.

Cunningham made 17 of 34 shots, marking his third 40-point game of the season. Paul Reed stepped in for Jalen Duren, who was suspended, contributing 18 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. Detroit has now won nine of its last 11 games.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 33 points and eight assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and 11 rebounds. New York lost for the third time in five games.

Hawks End Losing Streak Against 76ers

Jalen Johnson recorded 32 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists as the Atlanta Hawks defeated host Philadelphia 117-107, ending a three-game losing streak.

Atlanta shot 43.2% from the field and 31.2% from three-point range, with CJ McCollum contributing 23 points off the bench. The Hawks improved to 3-0 against the 76ers this season.

Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points on 8-of-23 shooting for Philadelphia. VJ Edgecombe added 20 points and nine rebounds, while Andre Drummond had 10 points and 14 rebounds. The Sixers, missing Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (suspension), suffered their third straight loss.

Cavaliers Dominate Nets

Donovan Mitchell scored 17 points and James Harden added 16 points with nine assists as Cleveland routed Brooklyn 112-84.

Jarrett Allen posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Cleveland led from start to finish for the second straight game and has won 11 of its last 12. Dennis Schroder’s free throws late in the third quarter gave the Cavaliers a 102-59 lead, their largest margin of the season.

For Brooklyn, Michael Porter Jr. scored 14 points, Ochai Agbaji added 13 off the bench, and Danny Wolf contributed 11 points, six rebounds, and seven assists. The Nets shot just 34.5% from the field.

Rockets Edge Hornets

Kevin Durant scored 35 points on 14-of-20 shooting as Houston defeated host Charlotte 105-101 in the first game after the All-Star break.

Jabari Smith Jr. added 15 points, while Alperen Sengun and Reed Sheppard each scored 13 for the Rockets, who capitalized on 16 turnovers by Charlotte. Houston has now won five straight road games.

Grant Williams led the Hornets with 20 points. LaMelo Ball, playing a day after a minor car accident, scored 11 points in 31 minutes, making just one of six three-point attempts.

Spurs Outshine Short-Handed Suns

Stephon Castle led San Antonio with 20 points as the Spurs dominated Phoenix 121-94 in Austin, Texas.

Victor Wembanyama added 17 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks, and four assists as San Antonio led by 12 at halftime and extended the lead to 29 in the third quarter.

Jalen Green scored 26 points for Phoenix, which dropped its second straight game. Devin Booker missed the second half due to right hip soreness, and the Suns also played without Grayson Allen (ankle) and Dillon Brooks (suspension).

Wizards Top Pacers

Bub Carrington, Jaden Hardy, Anthony Gill, and Kadary Richmond each scored 13 points as Washington beat visiting Indiana 112-105.

The Wizards had seven double-figure scorers and snapped a three-game losing streak. They forced 23 turnovers in the victory.

Jarace Walker led the Pacers with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists, while rookie Taelon Peter had a career-high 16 points. Indiana’s two-game winning streak ended.

Raptors Beat Bulls

Brandon Ingram scored 31 points, along with eight rebounds and six assists, to lead Toronto past Chicago 110-101.

Scottie Barnes added 14 points and nine rebounds as the Raptors capitalized on 23 Chicago turnovers. Toronto has won eight of its last 12 games.

Anfernee Simons scored 20 points and Isaac Okoro added 16 for the Bulls, whose losing streak reached seven games. Tre Jones and Josh Giddey returned from left hamstring injuries.

Magic Rout Kings

Paolo Banchero scored 30 points as Orlando set a franchise record with 27 three-pointers in a 131-94 victory over Sacramento.

The Kings suffered their 15th straight loss, tying a franchise record. Maxime Raynaud had 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Keegan Murray contributed 15 after missing 20 games due to an ankle injury.

Anthony Black scored 20 points, Desmond Bane added 17, and Jett Howard had 16 on perfect 6-of-6 shooting for the Magic.

Clippers Edge Nuggets

Bennedict Mathurin scored a season-high 38 points in his home debut for Los Angeles, and Kawhi Leonard added 23 points as the Clippers beat Denver 115-114 in Inglewood, California.

Derrick Jones Jr. had 22 points and John Collins finished with a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic posted 22 points, 17 rebounds, and six assists, ending his four-game triple-double streak.

Celtics Down Warriors

Jaylen Brown recorded a triple-double with 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists to lead Boston past Golden State 121-110 in San Francisco.

Payton Pritchard came off the bench to score 26 points with six rebounds and seven assists. The Celtics have won seven of eight games.

De’Anthony Melton led the Warriors with 18 points. Stephen Curry missed his sixth straight game with a knee injury, and Kristaps Porzingis made his debut for Golden State, scoring 12 points in 17 minutes.

-Field Level Media/Reuters