NBA roundup: Joel Embiid guides Sixers past Pacers
Two days after snapping the Milwaukee Bucks' 16-game winning streak with a 133-130 victory, the Sixers needed another strong offensive effort to win their fifth straight against the Pacers.
Tyrese Maxey made six 3-pointers and scored 24 points for Philadelphia, and James Harden contributed 14 points, 20 assists and nine rebounds. Jalen McDaniels had 20 points.
Tyrese Haliburton totaled 40 points and a season-high 16 assists for the Pacers, who had won three of their previous four games. Jordan Nwora scored 16 points, and Buddy Hield added 15.
Cavaliers 118, Celtics 114 (OT)
Lamar Stevens scored five consecutive points in overtime to help Cleveland rally at home to claim the regular-season series over Boston.
Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 40 points, including some critical baskets during Cleveland's fourth-quarter rally that erased a 14-point deficit. Evan Mobley finished with 25 points, 17 rebounds and three blocked shots as the Cavaliers overtook the short-handed and weary Celtics.
Boston came into Cleveland for the second half of a back-to-back, one night after going to double overtime in a loss to the New York Knicks. Jayson Tatum, the Celtics' leading scorer, sat out Monday after scoring 40 points in 49 minutes of action Sunday. Boston got 32 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists from Jaylen Brown.
Trail Blazers 110, Pistons 104
Damian Lillard recorded 31 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists as visiting Portland handed Detroit its eighth consecutive loss.
Lillard had 21 points and six assists in the opening half as the Blazers established a 59-51 lead and never looked back. Jerami Grant supplied 26 points for Portland, which played without starters Jusuf Nurkic (calf) and Anfernee Simons (ankle).
Isaiah Livers led seven Pistons in double figures with 17 points. Cory Joseph had 14 points, Jaden Ivey contributed 13 points and 13 assists and Alec Burks also scored 13 points.
Heat 130, Hawks 128
Jimmy Butler amassed 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists as host Miami edged Atlanta. The Heat led by six with 4.4 seconds left before the Hawks' De'Andre Hunter and Murray sank 3-pointers on either side of Butler hitting two foul shots.
It was Miami's second straight win - both against Atlanta. The Heat got 22 points from Victor Oladipo and 21 from Caleb Martin, who both came off the bench.
The Hawks, who have lost five straight road games, were led by Trae Young, who had 25 points and seven assists. Dejounte Murray added 23 points and eight assists.
Nuggets 118, Raptors 113
Jamal Murray scored 18 of his 24 points in the second half, Nikola Jokic had 17 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists and host Denver rallied past Toronto.
Toronto led by six points before getting outscored 15-4 in the final three minutes. Michael Porter Jr. scored 20 points, Aaron Gordon added 19 points and Reggie Jackson finished with 13 for Denver, which has won eight of its past nine games overall and eight straight at home.
Fred VanVleet had 21 points and 14 assists, Pascal Siakam scored 19 and Jakob Poeltl added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who have alternated wins and losses for six games.
Kings 123, Pelicans 108
Domantas Sabonis recorded his eighth triple-double of the season, Trey Lyles capped a third-quarter spurt with a three-point play and Sacramento gradually pulled away from visiting New Orleans in the second half en route to a victory.
Sabonis collected 19 points, 11 rebounds and a game-high 11 assists, while Kevin Huerter put up a game-high 25 points for the Kings, who won for the second time in three outings on a four-game homestand. Even without De'Aaron Fox, out with a sore hamstring, the Kings put all five starters in double figures.
Brandon Ingram had 24 points to pace the Pelicans, who completed a 1-2 Western swing with a second consecutive loss. Jonas Valanciunas was the game's leading rebounder with 12 boards to go with 19 points for the Pelicans, who also saw all five starters score in double figures.