De’Andre Hunter’s late points help Hawks fend off Hornets

De’Andre Hunter scored on back-to-back possessions during a 10-second span in the final minute and Jalen Johnson racked up 20 points to lift the Atlanta Hawks over the host Charlotte Hornets, 107-104, on Saturday night.

The Hawks converted down the stretch after a Charlotte rally created a dramatic finish.

Hunter finished with 18 points, Onyeka Okongwu posted 16 points and 11 rebounds and Zaccharie Risacher and Trae Young each supplied 14 points as Atlanta won its third game in a row. Clint Capela had 14 rebounds.

Charlotte’s Brandon Miller went 10-for-30 from the field on the way to 32 points. Josh Green had 17 points, Vasilije Micic turned in 15 and reserves Nick Richards and Cody Martin posted 12 apiece. The Hornets have dropped five straight games and seven of their past eight.

Atlanta stretched a 77-76 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter to 89-81 as the Hornets stalled offensively with only five points in the first 5 1/2 minutes of the final frame.

The Hawks went up 91-82 with less than six minutes to play before the Hornets charged back. They got even at 99-all on Miller’s tip-in with 42.9 seconds to go before Hunter scored the next four points.

But Miller drained a 3-pointer to get the Hornets within 103-102 at the 14.6-second mark. Hunter countered with two free throws before a Charlotte timeout. Miller missed on a trey, then Okongwu made two foul shots to seal the victory.

Miller has seven straight games with 20 or more points.

The Hornets played their second game in a row without leading scorer LaMelo Ball. The team announced prior to the game that the guard’s strained left calf will sideline him for at least two weeks.

Meanwhile, Richards (ribs) played for the first time since Nov. 1 on Saturday.

Atlanta surged into halftime with a 55-50 lead by holding Charlotte to 18 points in the second quarter.

Devin Booker, Suns deal Warriors their third straight loss

Devin Booker and Tyus Jones stole the spotlight from a Kevin Durant-Stephen Curry showdown with a combined 46 points and 18 assists Saturday night and the Phoenix Suns held off the visiting Golden State Warriors 113-105.

Durant shot just 7-for-20 but still managed 21 points and added 10 rebounds for Phoenix, which won for just the second time in its last eight games.

Curry went 8-for-21 overall and 3-for-10 from deep for 23 points for Golden State, which dropped its fourth straight.

The Suns created their winning margin in the first half, running up a 66-49 lead behind 13 points from Grayson Allen, 12 from Booker and 11 from Jones. The Suns went 14 of 21 on 3-pointers in the half.

The Warriors got within 85-78 with 1:04 remaining in the third quarter, but then went scoreless the rest of the period and added just eight points in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter, falling behind 103-86.

It was still a 15-point game after Durant hit a jumper with 3:35 to play, but Golden State made one last push, using a 13-3 flurry to get within 108-103 on Curry’s interior hoop with 1:11 to go.

But Booker capped a game-high, 27-point performance with four straight free throws, making him 8-for-8 for the game, and the Suns kept the visitors at arm’s length throughout the final minute.

Booker and Jones each had nine assists. Jones had 19 points, making seven of his nine shots overall and four of his five 3-point attempts.

Allen chipped in with 17 points and Royce O’Neale 11 for the Suns, who made only four 3-pointers in the second half yet finished 18-for-35.

Andrew Wiggins added 18 points for the Warriors, who made only 14 of their 40 shots from distance. Draymond Green put up 13 points to go with seven assists, while Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski added 12 points apiece and Buddy Hield 11.

Curry and Podziemski each had seven rebounds.

Antetokounmpo, Bucks top Wizards, continue win streak

Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his third triple-double of the season with 42 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists as the Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak to six games, beating the visiting Washington Wizards 124-114 on Saturday night.

Damian Lillard had 25 points and 10 assists, Brook Lopez scored 18 points, AJ Green added 13 off the bench and Taurean Prince had 11 for Milwaukee, which won for the eighth time in its past nine games.

Antetokounmpo registered his first career 40-point triple-double and went 15-for-24 from the field.

Washington lost its 14th straight game and is two setbacks away from matching its franchise-record losing streak of 16. The Wizards were 9-for-32 (28.1 percent) from 3-point range.

Jordan Poole led Washington with 31 points. Former Bucks point guard Malcolm Brogdon tallied season highs of 29 points and 11 rebounds, and Jonas Valanciunas and Corey Kispert had 16 points apiece.

After the Wizards used a 9-2 run to pull within 105-103 with 4:57 remaining in the game, Milwaukee answered with 10 straight points. Prince and Lopez capped the rally with back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Bucks ahead 115-103 with 1:29 left.

Milwaukee moved over .500 for the first time since winning its season opener on Oct. 23, shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 16-for-35 (45.7 percent) from 3-point range.

Antetokounmpo returned after missing one game due to a left knee issue and scored 15 points in the first quarter. Poole had 12 points for Washington, which led 29-28 at the end of the period.

Lillard hit a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer to end the second quarter and give the Bucks a 63-58 halftime lead. Lillard had 18 points in the first half, while Poole had 17 for the Wizards.

Milwaukee extended its lead to 83-73 on Bobby Portis’ 3-pointer with 4:32 left in the third quarter, but Washington battled back and trailed 92-86 at the end of the period.

Washington played without forward Kyle Kuzma, who sat out with a left rib sprain.

76ers get rare win, avenge earlier home loss to Pistons

Tyrese Maxey had 28 points and six assists as the visiting Philadelphia 76ers rolled past the Detroit Pistons 111-96 on Saturday night.

KJ Martin supplied 19 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots, while Ricky Council IV had 17 points. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 14 points and six rebounds.

Paul George, who had missed the Sixers’ previous three games with a left knee bone bruise, chipped in 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Both teams were without their top players.

Sixers center Joel Embiid missed for the fourth consecutive game due to left knee injury management and personal reasons.

Pistons top scorer Cade Cunningham sat out the second game of a back-to-back after missing three of the previous four games due to a hip injury.

Detroit blew out host Indiana 130-106 on Friday.

Embiid’s replacement, Andre Drummond, departed in the first quarter after injuring his ankle.

The Sixers avenged a 105-95 home loss to Detroit earlier in the season. Philadelphia, which had lost seven of its last eight, collected just its fourth victory of the season.

Malik Beasley led the Pistons with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Jaden Ivey tossed in 15 points. Marcus Sasser and Wendell Moore Jr. added 12 and 11 points off the bench, respectively.

Philadelphia shot 56 percent in the first quarter and raced to a 37-20 lead. Detroit perked up in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 57-52 by halftime. Beasley led the charge with 14 points in the half and Ivey had 12.

Council led the Sixers with 13 points.

The Sixers quickly restored a double-digit dominance early in the second half. Maxey scored 10 points in the first three minutes and KJ Martin made it 69-55 with a putback dunk, prompting a Pistons timeout.

Back-to-back dunks by Martin and Guerschon Yabusele made it 77-60. A basket by Oubre with 3:52 remaining in the quarter stretched Philadelphia’s lead to 20 points. The lead was still 20 at 89-69 when the quarter ended.

Detroit never threatened in the fourth.