Kyrie Irving and Tim Hardaway Jr. combined for 83 points as Dallas got revenge on the New Orleans Pelicans in a 125-120 victory on Tuesday (all time AEDT) after losing to them a few days ago early.
With the Mavericks down by seven points early in the fourth quarter, Hardaway got angry with three consecutive points in the final five minutes to give his team the lead before Irving finished the job in a record time, while Josh Green’s late three-pointer iced the victory.
Playing without co-superstar Luka Doncic (ankle), Irving had 42 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and Hardaway had 41 points including nine triples.
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According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, this was the 20th time in NBA history that a team had two players score over 40.
Zion Williamson scored 30 points, but converted only one of two shots that could have tied Orleans’ scores after the Mavs appeared to intentionally foul him with 17.1 seconds remaining. Overall, the former No. 1 pick shot 6 of 11 from the line.
That came in a game against Green, who had 13 points, four threes, four rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes, against fellow Australian Dyson Daniels.
After playing a starting role in Sunday’s game between the two teams with several Pelicans stars out, Daniels played just 18 minutes coming off the bench in this one for two points, three rebounds and two assists.
Dante Exum missed a seventh straight game with a heel injury.
The win allowed Dallas to reclaim the sixth seed in the West, with Dallas and New Orleans tied at 24-17.
EMBIID LEAVES FOR 41 POINTS
Joel Embiid scored 41 points in a blistering return from injury Monday as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Houston Rockets 124-115.
Kicking off a jam-packed stretch of NBA games as the United States marked the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the Sixers were always in control as they cruised to victory.
Embiid had missed the Sixers’ last three games after twisting his left knee in the Jan. 6 loss to the New York Knicks.
But the NBA’s Most Valuable Player showed no signs of rust as he posted his seventh 40-point game of the season, adding 10 rebounds and three assists.
Embiid shot 12 of 21 from the field and was nearly perfect from the foul line, making 16 of 17 free throws in a comfortable victory for the Sixers, who improved to 25-13 to stay in third place in the Eastern Conference. .
76ers beat Kings to end losing streak | 00:58
Embiid’s performance also extended a remarkable scoring streak. The 29-year-old has now had 16 consecutive games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the second-longest such streak in NBA history. Only Wilt Chamberlain is ahead of Embiid and Abdul-Jabbar.
Embiid received support from Tyrese Maxey in Monday’s rout with 27 points while Patrick Beverley added 11 off the bench and Tobias Harris 10.
Jalen Green led Houston’s scoring with 20 points while Alperen Sengun finished with 19.
Houston (19-20) got off to a strong start to lead by a point early in the first quarter, but was unable to respond as the Sixers shifted gears and went up 14 points in advance at the end of the period.
The Sixers controlled the rest of the game, taking a 28-point lead at one point.
ALL RESULTS
ROCKETS 115 76ERS 124
PELICANS 120 THE MAVERICKS 125
PISTONS 129 THE MAGICIANS 117
MAGIC 98 KNICKS 94
SPURS 99 FALCONS 109
WARRIORS – GRIZZLIS
BULLS – HORSEMEN
CELTS – RAPTORS
HEAT – NETS
PACERS-JAZZ
THUNDER – LAKERS
