Raptors beat 76ers for 5th win in 6 games

By Canadian Press on March 12, 2025.

TORONTO (AP) — AJ Lawson scored 28 points, Jared Rhoden set career highs with 25 points and 12 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-105 on Wednesday night in a matchup of short-handed teams.

Orlando Robinson scored a career-high 25 points and matched his career high with 12 rebounds to help the Raptors win for the fifth time in six games.

Andre Drummond returned after sitting out Monday night in a loss at Atlanta due to illness but the 76ers were without eight players including Joel Embiid (left knee), leading scorer Tyrese Maxey (back/finger), Paul George (left groin) and former Raptors star Kyle Lowry (right hip).

Quentin Grimes scored 29 points and Jeff Dowtin Jr. had a career-high 20 against his former team, but the 76ers lost for the fifth time in seven games following a nine-game losing streak.

HAWKS 123, HORNETS 110

ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young made all of his 21 free throws and scored 35 points to lead Atlanta to their fourth straight victory, over Charlotte.

Young added 12 assists on a poor shooting night from the field. He was 7 of 20 and missed all five of his 3-point attempts.

The Hawks are seventh in the Eastern Conference and moved within five games of idle sixth-place Detroit as they seek to avoid the play-in tournament.

Miles Bridges had 31 points and 11 rebounds, and LaMelo Ball added 25 points and nine assists for the Hornets, who are second-to-last in the East. DaQuan Jeffries contributed 20 points and Mark Williams had 14 points and 14 rebounds.

THUNDER 118, CELTICS 112

BOSTON (AP) —Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 and Chet Holmgren had 23 points and 15 rebounds to lead Oklahoma City to a victory over Boston in a much-anticipated potential NBA Finals preview.

The Western Conference-leading Thunder withstood a barrage of Boston 3-pointers — a franchise record 63 attempts in all — to sweep the defending NBA champions in the two-game season series and win for the 17th time in their last 18 games.

Jayson Tatum scored 33 for Boston, which had won five straight and 15 of its last 18 games. Al Horford added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Derrick White scored 22.

CLIPPERS 119, HEAT 104

MIAMI (AP) — Bogdan Bogdanovic scored a season-high 30 points and Ivica Zubac added 26 points and 14 rebounds, helping Los Angeles beat Miami.

James Harden had 24 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Clippers, who won for the fourth time in five games and pulled within 1 1/2 games of idle Golden State for the No. 6 — and last guaranteed — playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Tyler Herro scored 31 points and Andrew Wiggins added 22 for the Heat, who fell 2 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the race for the No. 7 spot and most advantageous play-in position in the Eastern Conference.

ROCKETS 111, SUNS 104

HOUSTON (AP) — Jalen Green had 29 points to lead Houston to a victory over Phoenix in a game where Houston’s Steven Adams and Phoenix’s Mason Plumlee were ejected for fighting.

Alperen Sengun scored 20 points and Dillon Brooks added 19 to help the Rockets extend their winning streak to four.

Bradley Beal’s two free throws got the Suns within eight with about 9 1/2 minutes to go before Houston used a 9-2 run to make it 99-84 with about seven minutes remaining. Jock Landale opened the run with a 3-point play and Brooks capped it with a layup after a turnover by Devin Booker.

Beal had 25 points and Booker and Kevin Durant added 19 each as the Suns lost for the third time in four games.

The Associated Press