NEW YORK (AP) — Mikal Bridges scored a career-high 45 points, including 15 in a row for Brooklyn to break open a game that had been close for 3 1/2 quarters, and the Nets beat the Miami Heat 116-105 on Wednesday night in the final game for both teams before the All-Star break.
In his third game since coming from Phoenix in the trade for Kevin Durant, Bridges had an electrifying scoring stretch that could even match Durant. The Nets led only 90-89 before he went to work with an array of drives, 3-pointers and jumpers over the next three minutes.
That pushed the lead to nine and when another Nets player finally scored, it was a 3-pointer by fellow newcomer Cam Johnson that pushed it to 108-96.
Bridges scored 17 points in the final quarter to blow by his previous career best of 34 points. He was 17 of 24 from the field, 4 of 6 on 3s and 7 of 7 at the line, and also had eight rebounds and five assists.
Cam Thomas added 19 points and Johnson had 18 for the Nets, who won for the first time since the two former Suns joined them in the lineup.
Bam Adebayo had 24 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for the Heat. Max Strus scored 18 points.
LAKERS 120, PELICANS 102
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James had 21 points in his first game since becoming the NBA’s career scoring leader, and Anthony Davis had 28 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the new-look Los Angeles’ victory over New Orleans.
Angelo Russell had 21 points and seven assists during his warm welcome home to the Lakers, who won for just the second time in six games. Los Angeles’ five new players all made their home debuts after the club’s busy trade deadline, and the Lakers never trailed.
Brandon Ingram scored 25 points and C.J. McCollum had 22 points and nine assists in his return from a one-game absence with a sprained right ankle for the Pelicans, who lost for only the second time in six games.
CELTICS 127, PISTONS 109
BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 38 points, including 24 in the third quarter, and NBA-leading Boston rolled past Detroit.
Malcolm Brogdon had 25 points off the bench, and Al Horford added 11 points and seven rebounds for Boston. Derrick White finished with 11 points and six assists.
Marcus Smart contributed nine points, seven rebounds, six assists and six steals in his first game back after missing nine with a sprained right ankle.
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pistons with 28 points and five rebounds.
HORNETS 120, SPURS 110
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — LaMelo Ball had 28 points, 10 assists and a season-high 12 rebounds and Charlotte beat San Antonio to send the Spurs into the NBA All-Star break with a franchise-record 14-game losing streak.
Ball had his third triple-double of the season and franchise-leading ninth overall.
P.J. Washington continued his hot play with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Mark Williams had 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots as Charlotte won its second straight game. The Hornets had 12 blocks in all, including five by backup center Nick Richards.
Malaki Branham had 23 points and Keldon Johnson added 21 points for the Spurs. McDermott added 17 points on five 3s.
NUGGETS 118, MAVERICKS 109
DENVER (AP) — Reserve Jeff Green scored a season-high 24 points, Nikola Jokic had his 21st triple-double and Western Conference-leading Denver beat short-handed Dallas.
Nikola Jokic finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the Nuggets, who moved to an NBA-best 27-4 at home this season. Michael Porter Jr. hit five 3-pointers and finished with 22 points.
Luka Doncic had 37 points in leading a banged-up Dallas team that was missing guard Kyrie Irving due to lower-back tightness. Doncic and Irving have played alongside each other in two games since Irving was acquired as part of a deal with Brooklyn on Feb. 6.
76ERS 118, CAVALIERS 112
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 29 points — including the 10,000th of his career — and Philadelphia beat Cleveland.
James Harden added 19 points and 12 assists to help send the 76ers into the All-Star break with their fourth straight victory. De’Anthony Melton added 18 points, and Tyrese Maxey had 16.
Donovan Mitchell had 33 points — including 25 in the second half — for the Cavaliers. They had won seven straight.
GRIZZLIES 117, JAZZ 111
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jaren Jackson had 26 points, nine rebounds and four blocks and Memphis beat Utah in the last game for both teams before the All-Star break.
Desmond Bane scored 24 points and Ja Morant had 20 points — on 8-of-26 shooting — and nine assists. Jackson also had five steals.
Kelly Olynyk led the Jazz with 28 points and 14 rebounds, and Jordan Clarkson had 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Utah scoring leader Lauri Markkanen was out with right knee soreness. Then, four minutes into the game, guard Collin Sexton went out with a left hamstring injury and did not return.
PACERS 117, BULLS 113
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Buddy Hield made six 3-pointers in the second half and finished with 27 points, helping Indiana overcome a 24-point deficit after the first quarter to beat Chicago.
Tyrese Haliburton banked in a 9-foot shot for a 113-112 lead in the final minute, Myles Turner sank two free throws and Hield closed it out with a pair of foul shots with 7.1 seconds remaining as the Pacers snapped a five-game skid.
Aaron Nesmith scored 21 points for Indiana, which had lost 16 of 18. Turner added 17, Haliburton 16 and Bennedict Mathurin 14.
Zach LaVine scored 35 points, including 12 in the opening quarter as the Bulls took a 39-15 lead.
KNICKS 122, HAWKS 101
ATLANTA (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 28 points, Julius Randle added 25 and New York cruised into the All-Star break with its third straight victory, blowing out Atlanta.
New York settled things right from the start. The Knicks never trailed, building a 24-point lead in the first half and leading by double digits for the final 42 minutes of the game.
De’Andre Hunter had 20 points and Trae Young 19 for Atlanta.
THUNDER 133, ROCKETS 96
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and Oklahoma City routed Houston.
Gilgeous-Alexander was 8 of 16 on field goals and 13 of 15 on free throws. The first-time All-Star played just three quarters because Oklahoma City was up 116-78 heading into the fourth.
Jabari Smith Jr. scored 15 points for Houston. The NBA-worst Rockets have lost seven straight.
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