Timberwolves win third straight, beating Magic 104-89

By Canadian Press on January 9, 2025.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Julius Randle had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Anthony Edwards added 21 points and seven assists and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Orlando Magic 104-89 on Thursday night for their third straight victory.

Naz Reid came off the bench to score 16 points, and Rudy Gobert added 10 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota.

Goga Bitadze led Orlando with 15 points and eight rebounds. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 13 points.

CAVALIERS 132, RAPTORS 126

CLEVELAND (AP) — Darius Garland scored a season-high 40 points, Jarrett Allen had 18 points and 15 rebounds, and NBA-leading Cleveland beat Toronto to extend their win streak to 12.

Evan Mobley finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Cavaliers, who are tied for the fifth-best record in league history through 37 games at 33-4. Cleveland also has the top home mark in the NBA, going 20-1 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Scottie Barnes had 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Toronto, which is a league-worst 1-17 on the road and has lost 15 of its last 16 overall. Chris Boucher added 23 points and 12 rebounds off the bench.

Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell was given the night off after playing a team-high 35 minutes Wednesday in a 129-122 win over the Thunder. West leader Oklahoma City had won a franchise-record 15 in a row.

WARRIORS 107, PISTONS 104

DETROIT (AP) — Buddy Hield scored 19 points, helping Golden State hold on for a win over Detroit.

Golden State earned a much-needed victory after dropping two straight games at home, losing by 16 points to Miami and getting routed by 30 points against Sacramento.

It wasn’t easy.

The Warriors led by 18, but Malik Beasley missed a 3-pointer just before the buzzer that could have sent the game to overtime.

Detroit’s Cade Cunningham had 32 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Beasley scored 21 points, missing 10 of his 14 3-pointers.

The Pistons fell to .500 after winning five straight and eight of their previous nine games.

MAVERICKS 117, TRAIL BLAZERS 111

DALLAS (AP) — Jaden Hardy scored a season-high 25 points off the bench, P.J. Washington had 23 points and 14 rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks used a late 16-0 run to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 117-111 on Thursday night.

Dereck Lively II added season highs with 21 points and 16 rebounds for the Mavericks, who are still without All-Star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Dallas has won two straight following a season-long five-game losing streak.

Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe each scored 22 points to lead the Blazers, who split a road back-to-back are are 2-3 on their trip.

Scoot Henderson scored 20 off the bench, hitting all 12 of his free throws.

Portland led 109-99 with 4:33 to play but then missed its next six field-goal attempts and committed two turnovers. Washington hit two free throws tying the score at 109-109 with 2:26 left and followed with a right-corner 3-pointer for a 112-109 lead with 1:58 to go.

ROCKETS 119, GRIZZLIES 115

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Alperen Sengun had 32 points and 14 rebounds, and Houston held on to beat Memphis in a showdown between two of the top teams in the Western Conference.

Jalen Green finished with 27 points and Fred VanVleet scored 22 as the Rockets won their third straight and solidified their hold on second place in the Western Conference, moving 1 1/2 games ahead of Memphis.

Ja Morant scored 27 points in his return from a five-game absence with a shoulder injury, and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 21 points, eight rebounds and six blocks for Memphis. Desmond Bane had 16 points.

Houston dominated the inside early, scoring 20 points in the paint before the halfway point of the first quarter. Memphis initially couldn’t stop anything at the rim. Houston opened a 17-point lead before taking a 68-63 advantage at the break.

The Associated Press