NBA roundup: Behind Evan Mobley, Cavs down Mavs for ninth straight win

Evan Mobley collected 34 points and 10 rebounds to fuel the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers to a 134-122 victory over the host Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

One day after being named the Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month, Mobley put on a show at the offensive end. The power forward scored 18 points in the second quarter, finishing the night 14 of 21 from the floor and 3 of 6 from 3-point range.

Caris LeVert scored 17 points off the bench while Darius Garland recorded 16 points and nine assists for the Cavaliers, who posted their ninth straight win overall — all by double digits.

Donovan Mitchell and Georges Niang each scored 15 points as Cleveland coasted to victory against a short-handed Dallas team that was playing without former Cavalier Kyrie Irving (illness) and superstar Luka Doncic (calf).

Cleveland shot a robust 53.1 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from 3-point range in the game.

Quentin Grimes scored 26 points, Jaden Hardy had 17 off the bench and Klay Thompson sank four of 10 3-point attempts to highlight his 16-point performance for the Mavericks, who have lost four straight games.

Brandon Williams made a short jumper to stake the Mavericks to a 21-17 lead before the Cavaliers responded by scoring the next 20 points to bridge the first and second quarters. Niang drained a pair of 3-pointers and Mobley also connected from beyond the arc during the run.

Cleveland extended its lead to 18 points (41-23) on Dean Wade’s dunk in transition early in the second. It matched that advantage at 58-40 after Mobley’s dunk late in the quarter.

The Cavaliers pushed their lead to 78-53 early in the third quarter on a Mobley 3-pointer, a four-point play by Mitchell and a floating jumper from Garland.

Garland’s 3-pointer later in the quarter extended Cleveland’s advantage to 27 points at 93-66. Dallas trimmed the deficit to nine at 129-120 with 1:16 to play before running out of gas.

Celtics, behind hot shooting, overwhelm Rockets

Derrick White and Jayson Tatum combined for 43 points and the visiting Boston Celtics rode a brilliant offensive first half to a 109-86 win over the injury-depleted Houston Rockets on Friday.

White scored 23 points and drilled six 3-pointers while Tatum scored 10 of his 20 points down the stretch of the first half to help the Celtics — who played without Jaylen Brown (shoulder) — cruise to victory.

Payton Pritchard and Jrue Holiday totaled six 3-pointers and chipped in 20 and 14 points, respectively, as Boston made 19 of 39 3-point attempts and overwhelmed the Rockets with offensive precision.

Houston could not keep pace while falling to 1-3 on its five-game homestand. Jalen Green led the Rockets with 27 points while Alperen Sengun added 14 points and seven rebounds. But Houston could not overcome the absences of Amen Thompson (suspension), Tari Eason (leg), and Jabari Smith Jr., who broke his left (non-shooting) hand during shootaround earlier Friday.

Smith is scheduled to undergo surgery and is expected to be sidelined for four to eight weeks.

Both teams were scorching early, shooting a combined 11 for 16 while Houston pushed to a 15-12 lead by the 7:29 mark of the first quarter. But the Celtics seized control with a 10-0 run out of a timeout, with Holiday nailing two 3-pointers and Luke Kornet adding a pair of dunks.

Boston extended to a 17-4 run and double-digit lead Houston shaved to 37-31 entering the second. Holiday scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting while Pritchard tallied 10 points off the bench in the first quarter. The Celtics shot 62.5 percent in the frame and made 7 of 12 3-pointers.

Green tallied 11 points during a 14-6 spurt that shaved another double-digit deficit to 53-51. That’s when Tatum took over, recording two dunks and two 3-pointers over the final 2:53 of the half.

Pistons overcome slow start to rally past Hornets 98-94

Tobias Harris had 24 points with 10 rebounds and the Detroit Pistons defeated the visiting Charlotte Hornets 98-94 on Friday night.

Cade Cunningham supplied 18 points for Detroit, which has won five of its last six games. Malik Beasley had 12 points off the bench, Tim Hardaway Jr. chipped in 11 and Jalen Duren added 10 with 14 rebounds.

Detroit was playing its first game since starting guard Jaden Ivey suffered a fractured left fibula against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Mark Williams had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Hornets, who have lost nine straight and 17 of their last 18.

Charlotte had hopes of ending its skid by holding a 65-52 lead at halftime.

The Hornets were clinging to a 47-46 lead, then finished the opening half on a 18-6 run. They took advantage of Cunningham spending most of that span on the bench after picking up his third foul. Seth Curry had a three-point play during the outburst, and Bridges finished it off by picking off a pass and making a 31-foot 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer.

Bridges had 14 points by the break and Williams tossed in 12.

Detroit scored the first five points of the second half, including a Harris 3-pointer, before Bridges and Curry hit 3-pointers to restore Charlotte’s double-digit advantage.

With the score 73-61 early in the third quarter, the Pistons reeled off a 12-2 run that Duren began with a putback and finished off with a dunk. Detroit took a 79-78 lead on a Hardaway 3-pointer with 3:25 remaining in the quarter.

The Pistons finished the third on a 5-1 spurt, including a Harris dunk, to gain an 84-82 lead.

Up 86-85 with under nine minutes left, the Pistons had a 6-0 spurt that included two Harris baskets. After the Hornets pulled within two points, Cunningham hit a midrange jumper for a 94-90 lead with 3:10 left.

A Bridges turnover led to a Harris fast break layup for a 96-90 advantage. A Williams layup and two Josh Green free throws pulled Charlotte within two points.

Victor Wembanyama wins battle of big men as Spurs top Nuggets

Victor Wembanyama amassed 35 points, 18 rebounds and four assists, and his steal in the final seconds helped the San Antonio Spurs beat the host Denver Nuggets 113-110 on Friday night.

Devin Vassell scored 18 points and had a dunk in the final seconds to seal San Antonio’s win. Keldon Johnson scored 16 points, Julian Champagnie had 15 and Chris Paul added 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Spurs.

San Antonio led 111-110 with 17 seconds left, and Nikola Jokic had the ball near the top. Wembanyama, who had eight turnovers, stole Jokic’s pass and fed Vassell for the dunk.

Michael Porter Jr., who scored 22 points, missed a 3-point attempt from 35 feet at the horn.

Jokic finished with 41 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, Jamal Murray scored 14 points and Christian Braun and Julian Strawther 11 each for Denver.

The Nuggets led 90-87 to start the final quarter but San Antonio rallied. Tyus Jones gave the Spurs the lead with a layup, and Wembanyama hit a 27-footer and a 31-footer to make it 97-92 with 7:53 left.

Jokic had been out since the start of the quarter, and upon his return, he fed Porter and Strawther for 3-pointers as Denver went back in front 100-99.

The lead grew to 108-103 after Porter’s dunk with 2:35 left, but Wembanyama fed Johnson for a three-point play to give San Antonio a 109-108 lead.

Jokic and Paul traded buckets, Jokic missed a 3-pointer and Champagnie had a turnover with 17 seconds left to set up the last chance for Denver.

The Nuggets trailed by eight at halftime but went on a 14-4 run to open the third quarter. The two teams then got hot from deep, combining to make five straight 3-pointers, three by San Antonio.

Wembanyama had a double-double 2:09 into the second quarter to help San Antonio build a lead that grew to 12. He had 22 points and 13 rebounds at intermission to counter Jokic’s 19 points and 10 boards.

LeBron James adds to statistical achievements as Lakers top Hawks

LeBron James scored 30 points and Anthony Davis returned from a one-game absence to score 18 points with 19 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers earned a 119-102 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Friday.

James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, passed Michael Jordan for most 30-point games in NBA history at 563.

Austin Reaves scored 20 points, while Rui Hachimura and rookie Dalton Knecht each had 13 as the Lakers improved to 7-2 since Dec. 15. Davis missed Thursday’s victory over the Portland Trail Blazers for injury management on a sore left ankle.

Trae Young scored 33 points and Jalen Johnson added 19 for the Hawks following his own missed game on Wednesday at Denver because of a sore shoulder.

Onyeka Okongwu scored 14 points with 11 rebounds, and Dyson Daniels had 13 points as Atlanta dropped its second consecutive game following a four-game win streak.

The Hawks, who entered with 117.9 points per game, fell to 1-2 on a six-game road trip that continues in with a game against the Clippers on Saturday before heading to Utah and Phoenix.

The Hawks were up by five points a mere three minutes into the game before the Lakers moved in front for good at 14-13 with 7:31 left in the first quarter.