Doncic leads Mavs past Hornets in Porzingis' return
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Luka Doncic had 34 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists and a career-high four blocks, Kristaps Porzingis scored 16 points in his return from a knee injury and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Charlotte Hornets 104-93 on Wednesday night.
Tim Hardaway Jr. added 18 points to help Rick Carlisle become the 16th coach in NBA history to win 800 games. The Mavericks have won four straight after opening 2-4.
Porzingis played for the first time since having knee surgery in October. The 7-foot-3 Latvian played 21 minutes, finishing 6 of 16 from the floor and 4 of 9 from beyond the 3-point arc. He had four rebounds.
Terry Rozier had 18 points to lead the Hornets. They shot 38% from the field and had their four-game winning streak snapped.
NETS 116, KNICKS 109
NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 26 points as the solo superstar before soon centering a Big Three, leading Brooklyn — short-handed after agreeing to a trade for James Harden — past New York.
Durant was already scheduled to play on both nights of a back-to-back for the first time since surgery to repair his Achilles tendon. He maybe had to do a little more than planned after the Nets shook up their roster earlier in the day with a four-team blockbuster highlighted by the acquisition of Harden.
With point guard Kyrie Irving missing a fifth straight game for personal reasons, the Nets had only nine players.
Julius Randle scored 30 points for the Knicks. They have lost five in a row.
BUCKS 110, PISTONS 101
DETROIT (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his 20th triple-double and Milwaukee beat Detroit for the third time this month.
The Bucks built a big early lead with a flurry of 3-pointers. Brook Lopez connected three times from beyond the arc in the first quarter, when the Bucks were 7 of 11 from long distance. Detroit was 4 of 20 overall in the period and trailed 27-13 after one.
Jrue Holiday added 21 points for the Bucks. Jerami Grant had 22 for Detroit.