Phoenix's big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal scored 88 points, led by Durant's 37 points, and the visiting Suns defeated the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 117-111 on Monday. Broke it.
Phoenix is opening its fourth straight game, overcoming a sluggish start that saw it trail by as many as 19 points in the second quarter. Beal scored 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor, part of the Suns' 54.8 percent overall performance. Booker, who returned from missing four games with a sprained right ankle, scored 27 points.
Behind Durant, who grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists for a game-high point total, the Suns chipped away and took a lead they would never relinquish just before midway through the third quarter.
However, Phoenix's advantage never grew beyond nine points, as Darius Garland and Caris LeVert each helped keep Cleveland within range. Garland scored 30 points and made nearly half of the Cavaliers' 15 3-pointers, making 7 of 10 from deep.
Pistons 114, Hornets 97
Cade Cunningham had 22 points and eight assists, and host Detroit defeated Charlotte in the season series.
For the Pistons, Jalen Duren had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Simone Fontecchio had 17 points and eight rebounds. Detroit has won 11 games this season, three of which have come at the expense of the Hornets.
Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 24 points, and Grant Williams contributed with 22 points. Brandon Miller had 19 points and seven assists.
Nuggets 125, Raptors 119
Nikola Jokic had 35 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists, Jamal Murray added 26 points and 12 assists, and host Denver rallied from a 22-point deficit to defeat weaker Toronto.
Jokic has 21 triple-doubles this season and 126 in his career. Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. each scored 19 points for Denver, which won nine of 10 games.
RJ Barrett scored 26 points, Kelly Olynyk added 24 points and Grady Dick added 17 points for Toronto, which has lost six of its past seven games.
Mavericks 127, Bulls 92
Luka Doncic recorded his seventh consecutive triple-double with 27 points, 14 assists, and 12 rebounds, and Derek Lively II scored 22 points to lead Dallas to a rout of host Chicago.
Daniel Gafford (20 points), Kyrie Irving (14 points) and Jaden Hardy (11 points) also scored in double figures, and the Mavericks snapped a season-high three-game losing streak to win their third straight.
Rookie Onuralp Bitim led the Bulls with a career-high 17 points. DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic followed with 13 points each.
Celtics 121, Trail Blazers 99
Jaylen Brown had 27 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Boston became the first NBA team to reach the 50-win mark this season with a win over host Portland.
Jayson Tatum added 26 points and eight assists and Sam Hauser scored a season-high 22 points off the bench for the Celtics, who won for the 13th time in 15 games.
Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who lost for the 10th time in their last 11 home games.
Warriors 112, Spurs 102
Jonathan Kuminga scored 22 points and Klay Thompson added 21 points as visiting Golden State, returning to the starting lineup, defeated San Antonio to earn a split in the home-and-home series between the teams.
The Warriors were without Stephen Curry due to an ankle injury, but they didn't need him. Chris Paul had 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Golden State, snapping a two-game losing streak.
Victor Wembaneyama returned to the Spurs after missing two games with a right ankle injury and led all scorers with 27 points while adding 14 rebounds.
—Field Level Media
