Immanuel Quickley exploded for a career-high-tying 40 points, Scottie Barnes dropped in 26 and the Toronto Raptors took advantage of the absence of Jimmy Butler III to overpower the Golden State Warriors 145-127 in San Francisco on Tuesday night.
Butler sustained a torn ACL in Monday’s home win over the Miami Heat, with the after-effects showing in a 41-28 Toronto blitz in the first quarter en route to a lead as large as 30 points.
But led by reserves Buddy Hield (25 p
oints) and Jonathan Kuminga (20), the Warriors rallied late to get within 125-116 before Golden State eventually caved to Toronto’s high-efficiency offense, which had its highest-scoring game of the season.
Quickley hit 11 of his 13 shots and Barnes 12 of his 18 for Toronto, which connected on 59.3% of its attempts in the game and 61.8% of its 3-point shots. Brandon Ingram finished with 22 points and Sandro Mamukelashvili 14 for Toronto, which was making its second stop on a five-game western swing.
Lakers 115, Nuggets 107
Luka Doncic had 38 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, and Los Angeles used a strong second half to beat host Denver.
LeBron James scored 19 points for Los Angeles, which rallied from 16 down. Marcus Smart added 15 points for the Lakers, who played the second half without Deandre Ayton after he sustained a left eye injury.
Jamal Murray had 28 points and 11 assists but had just two points in the second half when Denver was outscored 58-36. Peyton Watson and Aaron Gordon had 18 points each, Spencer Jones added 16 and Tim Hardaway Jr. contributed 10 for the Nuggets. Denver has lost two in a row after a four-game winning streak.
Suns 116, 76ers 110
Devin Booker scored 27 points and Jalen Green played for the first time in more than two months to lead Phoenix past host Philadelphia.
Green (hamstring), whose last game was Nov. 8, came off the Suns bench and played 20 minutes, scoring 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting. He was part of a strong effort by the Phoenix reserves, who placed four players in double figures, including Jordan Goodwin and Grayson Allen with 16 points apiece.
VJ Edgecombe had 25 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. notched 21 for Philadelphia, which played without Joel Embiid (ankle) and Paul George (knee). Tyrese Maxey shot just 7 of 25 en route to 20 points for the Sixers, who have lost four of their last six games.
Jazz 127, Timberwolves 122
Keyonte George scored a career-high 43 points and Jusuf Nurkic had his second career triple-double to rally Utah past Minnesota in Salt Lake City.
Nurkic finished with 18 rebounds, 16 points, and 10 assists for his first triple-double since 2019. Ace Bailey added 20 points while Isaiah Collier chipped in 18 points and 10 assists off the bench. Will Hardy earned his 100th career win as the Jazz head coach.
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 38 points. Julius Randle added 19 points while Jaden McDaniels chipped in 18 points and six assists. Donte DiVincenzo had a team-high eight assists to go along with 15 points. Naz Reid chipped in 13 off the bench.
Rockets 111, Spurs 106
Reed Sheppard scored 12 of his 21 points off the bench in the fourth quarter to help spark Houston to a comeback win over visiting San Antonio.
The Rockets erased a 16-point deficit en route to squaring the season series with the Spurs at a game apiece. Alperen Sengun posted 20 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, while Durant added 18 points and seven assists. Amen Thompson posted 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for Houston.
After a scorching start from long range, the Spurs missed 31 of 37 3-pointers over the final three periods. Julian Champagnie led the Spurs with 27 points on 8-for-16 shooting from deep, while De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama scored 14 points apiece.
Bulls 138, Clippers 110
Coby White matched a season high with 27 points and Matas Buzelis added 21 as host Chicago defeated visiting Los Angeles, stopping the Clippers’ six-game winning streak.
Seven players scored in double figures for the Bulls, who led by as many as 31 points on the way to their third win in four games. Chicago tied a franchise best with 25 3-pointers, sparked by a 6-for-10 showing from White. Nikola Vucevic had 19 points, Ayo Dosunmu followed with 18 and Tre Jones had a double-double of 15 points and 10 assists. Kevin Huerter scored 14 points and Jalen Smith had 10.
James Harden (24 points) and John Collins (23) paced the Clippers. Ivica Zubac registered a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, Jordan Miller scored 12 points and TyTy Washington Jr. chipped in 11.
Heat 130, Kings 117
Bam Adebayo recorded 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists to help Miami post a victory over host Sacramento.
Norman Powell scored 22 points and Andrew Wiggins added 19, as Miami improved to 1-1 on a five-game road trip. Simone Fontecchio matched his career best of five 3-pointers while contributing 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Miami was a stellar 21-of-42 from 3-point range.
DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points and Russell Westbrook added 22 for the Kings, who lost their second straight game to fall to 4-2 on a seven-game homestand. Zach LaVine and backup Malik Monk each added 18 points, and Dylan Cardwell collected a career-best 12 rebounds for Sacramento.
