NBA

NBA

NBA

LaMelo Ball had a season-high 32 points and the Charlotte Hornets held off a furious second-half rally from Indiana’s backups to beat the Pacers 121-118 on Friday night for their fifth straight victory.

Gordon Hayward added 25 points, and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 16 to finish off a 4-0 homestand that included wins over Golden State and Washington.

“I feel like we are really locking in on defense right now,” said Ball, who also had 11 rebounds and eight assists.

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NBA

Collin Sexton barely got a chance to show the Cavs — and other teams — he’s worthy of a long-term investment.

The flashy and productive guard is done for the season after injuring his left knee and undergoing surgery.

Cleveland’s leading scorer this season tore cartilage in his knee on Nov. 7 in a game against the New York Knicks. The Cavs didn’t provide their first update until Friday, when they said Sexton had an operation on Wednesday in Atlanta.

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Oklahoma City Thunder (6-9, 10th in the Western Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (8-8, ninth in the Eastern Conference)

Boston; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EST

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Celtics -10.5

Boston will try to keep its three-game home win streak intact when the Celtics take on Oklahoma City.

The Celtics have gone 3-3 in home games. Boston ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference with 45.6 points per game in the paint led by Jaylen Brown averaging 11.0.

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NBA

Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins made the most of their opportunity to step up as scorers in Stephen Curry’s absence.

Poole scored 22 of his season-high 32 points in the first half and Wiggins had 27, helping the Golden State Warriors beat the Detroit Pistons 105-102 on Friday night.

“I’m really proud of Jordan,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He struggled the last few games. He was locked in right at the beginning.”

Golden State started the fourth quarter with a 16-point lead and held on to win after Detroit’s Jerami Grant and Frank Jackson missed 3-pointers in the closing seconds.

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Denver Nuggets (9-7, fifth in the Western Conference) vs. Phoenix Suns (12-3, second in the Western Conference)

Phoenix; Sunday, 8 p.m. EST

Denver will attempt to break its three-game road skid when the Nuggets face Phoenix.

The Suns are 10-3 against Western Conference opponents. Phoenix is fourth in the NBA with 110.7 points and is shooting 47.1% from the field.

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Jayson Tatum grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant, so he knew all about the Celtics-Lakers rivalry even before becoming part of it.

On Friday night, he put on an offensive show in front of Celtics Hall of Famers Bill Russell and Paul Pierce in the latest chapter.

“It’s a surreal moment, obviously, Bill Russell and the impact he had on the Celtics and the NBA,” Tatum said. “Having someone like Paul come to the game and someone I have a relationship with.

“I remember watching him play,” Tatum said, breaking into a smile. “Now he’s watching me play, that’s crazy.”

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Stephen Curry exited the court to one last chorus of “MVP! MVP!” chants, a sound that even he thought was weird.

It is, after all, Kevin Durant’s home arena.

It was Curry’s night, though.

Curry had 37 points, easily winning a matchup of the NBA’s top two scorers when Durant had his worst night of the season, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Brooklyn Nets 117-99 on Tuesday.

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Toronto Raptors (8-8, 11th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Golden State Warriors (14-2, first in the Western Conference)

San Francisco; Sunday, 8:30 p.m. EST

Golden State will try to continue its three-game win streak with a victory against Toronto.

The Warriors are 8-1 on their home court. Golden State leads the Western Conference averaging 113.9 points and is shooting 47.4%.

The Raptors are 6-3 on the road. Toronto has a 2-2 record in games decided by less than 4 points.

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Kristaps Porzingis had 29 points and 11 rebounds, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 13 of his 19 in the fourth quarter and the Dallas Mavericks rallied behind a small-ball lineup to beat the Denver Nuggets 111-101 on Monday night.

Dallas opened the fourth period on a 17-6 run that included 3-pointers by Hardaway, Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock to go ahead 98-88 with six minutes left, its largest lead to that point. With Porzingis and All-Star guard Luka Doncic on the bench, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd opened the quarter with a four-guard lineup plus the 6-foot-7 Finney-Smith against an opponent finishing a back-to-back with its smaller second unit on the floor.

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