Kon Knueppel set career highs with eight 3-pointers and 34 points as the visiting Charlotte Hornets withstood a career-high 49 points from fellow rookie Cooper Flagg to beat the Dallas Mavericks 123-121 on Thursday.
The matchup between the top Rookie of the Year candidates — former Duke teammates — lived up to expectations, with the Hornets emerging with their fifth straight win after Flagg’s 20-foot jumper hit the back rim at the buzzer.
Knueppel, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 draft, shot 10-for-16 overall and 8-for-12 from 3-point range. Brandon Miller scored 23 points for Charlotte, while LaMelo Ball added 22.
Flagg, the first overall pick in last June’s NBA Draft, scored 25 points in the first half and finished 20 of 29 from the field with 10 rebounds. Klay Thompson had 16 points for Dallas.
76ers 113, Kings 111
Tyrese Maxey made the decisive layup with 1.3 seconds left, guiding Philadelphia to a victory over visiting Sacramento.
Maxey finished with 40 points, while Joel Embiid added 37, and each of them chipped in with eight assists. Paul George notched 15 points for the 76ers, who overcame an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit. They have won two in a row for the first time in more than two weeks.
Dennis Schroder scored 27 points and DeMar DeRozan added 25 to pace Sacramento, which lost its seventh straight game and fell to 0-4 on its six-game road trip. The Kings are 3-21 away from home this season.
Timberwolves 123, Thunder 111
Anthony Edwards scored 26 points as Minnesota jumped on Oklahoma City early and rolled to a home win. Playing their fourth game in five nights, the Timberwolves built a 14-point first-quarter lead and led the whole way.
Jaden McDaniels added 21 points, going 5-for-5 on 3-point attempts, while Naz Reid added 18 points off the Minnesota bench. Rudy Gobert had 14 rebounds and 11 rebounds.
Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander produced 30 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Isaiah Hartenstein returned from a calf injury that kept him out since Dec. 28, and he finished with 11 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes.
Nuggets 107, Nets 103
Jamal Murray scored 27 points, Jonas Valanciunas hit two free throws with 2.6 seconds left, and host Denver beat Brooklyn in Michael Porter Jr.’s return to the Mile High City.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had 25 points and tied his season with seven 3-pointers while Peyton Watson scored 19 points for the Nuggets, who earned their third win in four games.
Porter scored a season-high 38 points but missed his final four 3-point attempts after Brooklyn rallied to tie it. Terance Mann had 12 points for the Nets, who have lost seven straight.
Wizards 109, Bucks 99
Kyshawn George tallied 23 points, five rebounds and five assists and Alex Sarr recorded 16 points and a career-high 17 rebounds as Washington beat Milwaukee to earn a rare set of back-to-back wins.
Myles Turner led the way for the Bucks with 21 points, a season-high 14 rebounds and six blocks. Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis each scored 19 points. Milwaukee fell to 3-13 without star Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) in the lineup.
The Wizards led by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter, but a Turner 3-pointer cut the lead to 101-99 with 1:30 remaining. Washington, however, responded by scoring the final eight points.
Rockets 104, Hawks 86
Kevin Durant scored 31 points to spark Houston to a strong second half and a win in Atlanta.
Durant was 12-for-22 from the floor, hitting three 3-pointers. Atlanta native Jabari Smith Jr. added 14 points and eight rebounds for Houston, and Reed Sheppard scored 13. Josh Okogie had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Atlanta was led by CJ McCollum with 23 points, including five treys,. Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 20 and Corey Kispert added 17 points. The loss ended the Hawks’ four-game winning streak.
Heat 116, Bulls 113
Jaime Jaquez Jr. capped a standout performance with a key assist and a rebound, to help Miami escape with a win at Chicago.
Jaquez finished with 19 points and closed out a double-double with his 10th rebound in the closing seconds, as Chicago’s Coby White missed a would-be game-tying 3-point attempt. Norman Powell put up 21 points as the Heat won for the third time in four games.
The Bulls’ offensive woes included White shooting just 2-of-11 from the floor, with much of his 14 points coming on 8-of-10 production at the foul line. Ayo Dosunmu led all scorers with 23 points off the Chicago bench.
Suns 114, Pistons 96
Dillon Brooks scored a career-high 40 points and made four 3-pointers, Grayson Allen had 24 points, and host Phoenix topped Detroit.
On a night when the Suns distributed “Dillon the Villain” T-shirts to fans, Brooks was 13 of 22 from the field and added eight rebounds and four assists. Phoenix’s Collin Gillespie scored 16 points.
Cade Cunningham put up 26 points, Jaren Duren had 23 points and 13 rebounds and Tobias Harris had 13 points for the Pistons, who had won six of seven.
