Franz Wagner went for 18 points in just 17 minutes, Wendell Carter Jr. led the way with 28 and the Orlando Magic used balanced scoring to easily overcome Cooper Flagg’s historic 51 in a 138-127 triumph over the host Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
Desmond Bane chipped in with 27 points and Tristan da Silva and Jalen Suggs added 19 apiece for the Magic, who kept pace in a tightly bunched competition for the final two automatic Eastern Conference playoff spots and top three play-in berths.
Flagg, 19, became the first teenager in NBA history to produce a 50-point game. The rookie shot 19-for-30 for the Mavericks, who lost for the eighth time in the past nine games.
The 51 points by Flagg surpassed the 49 he put up against Charlotte in January. He also had a 42-point game at Utah in December, giving him the three highest-scoring games this year among rookies.
Hornets 129, Pacers 108
Brandon Miller scored 22 points and Charlotte had plenty of offensive sources in a victory against visiting Indiana.
The Hornets have won eight of their past 10 games to remain in the chase for a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference and a guaranteed playoff berth. Kon Knueppel poured in 20 points, Miles Bridges tallied 19 points and LaMelo Ball cranked out 18 points and nine assists for the Hornets, who shot 24 of 49 (49%) on 3-point attempts.
Pascal Siakam’s 30 points on 13-for-24 shooting led Indiana. Quenton Jackson posted 16 points for the Pacers, who had won three of their previous five but were denied reaching their second three-game winning streak of the season.
Knicks 136, Bulls 96
OG Anunoby shot 7 of 10 from beyond the arc and had a game-high 31 points and Mitchell Robinson added 17 points and 11 rebounds as the host New York jumped out to a 20-1 lead against Chicago and never looked back.
Jalen Brunson had 17 points and 10 assists for the Knicks, who reached 50 wins for the third straight season. New York shot 52.7% from the field, 89.3% from the free-throw line and scored 28 points off 16 Bulls turnovers.
Collin Sexton hit four 3-pointers in the first half and scored a team-high 19 points off the bench for Chicago, which has struggled on the road, losing seven straight. The Bulls have lost six straight overall.
Hawks 141, Nets 107
CJ McCollum scored 25 points as surging Atlanta never trailed and pulled away in the fourth quarter for a victory over Brooklyn in New York.
The Hawks improved to 18-2 in their past 20 games and earned their third win over the Nets in the surge. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 for the Hawks, who led by double digits most of the way and for the entire second half after scoring the game’s first 10 points. Jalen Johnson contributed 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in the Hawks’ fourth straight win.
The Nets moved within a half-game of the Washington Wizards for the league’s worst record ahead of a matchup between the teams on Sunday in Brooklyn. Nic Claxton led the Nets with 16 points.
Raptors 128, Grizzlies 96
RJ Barrett scored 25 points, Collin Murray-Bowles added 19 and Brandon Ingram contributed 17 points and seven rebounds to guide visiting Toronto past Memphis.
The Raptors snapped a two-game losing streak and won for the seventh time in the past eight games.
GG Jackson put up a season-high 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field, but the Grizzlies lost their third straight and fell for the eighth time in the past nine games.
Rockets 140, Jazz 106
Kevin Durant scored 25 points to pace six in double figures as Houston extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over visiting Utah.
Amen Thompson paired 21 points with eight rebounds while Alperen Sengun added 19 points and five assists for the Rockets, who led wire to wire and by as many as 37 points.
Cody Williams posted 27 points and 11 rebounds for Utah, while Brice Sensabaugh scored 20. Kyle Filipowski added 17 points and seven rebounds as the Jazz lost their eighth game in a row.
Celtics 133, Bucks 101
Jaylen Brown scored 26 points and Jayson Tatum added 23 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to lead Boston to a dominant victory at Milwaukee.
The Celtics registered their second win in a row and fifth in the past six contests. Six Celtics scored at least 13 points, including Neemias Queta with 19 and Derrick White with 17. Payton Pritchard supplied 16 points and six assists off the bench.
The Bucks dropped their second straight game and sixth in the past seven. Taurean Prince led Milwaukee with 18 points off the bench, while AJ Green tallied 15.
76ers 115, Timberwolves 103
Paul George scored 23 points and Kelly Oubre capped a 21-point effort with a pair of clutch 3-pointers as Philadelphia topped visiting Minnesota.
The 76ers overcame an ugly first half to win for the eighth time in 11 games. The Timberwolves allowed 74 points after intermission to wrap up a 1-2 road trip.
Joel Embiid contributed 19 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for Philadelphia. Julius Randle and Bones Hyland led Minnesota with 21 points apiece. Anthony Edwards, back from a one-game absence, was held to eight points on 3-of-15 shooting.
Kings 117, Pelicans 113
Dylan Cardwell made a pair of emphatic blocks in the waning moments to cap a stretch of clutch defensive plays as Sacramento sent visiting New Orleans to a seventh consecutive loss.
Sacramento held a two-point lead when Zion Williamson attacked the rim off the dribble with 10.7 seconds left. Cardwell, who had five fouls, risked a disqualifying whistle to meet Williamson at the basket and deliver a stiff rejection. Cardwell later blocked Jeremiah Fears to seal the win.
Cardwell’s five-block, eight-rebound, six-point performance complemented the tone-setting offensive play of Maxime Raynaud, who scored 28 points, and Nique Clifford, who finished with 23. For the Pelicans, Fears poured in 28 points off the bench.
