Seven games finished on Wednesday night, and the theme was simple: the best teams kept winning, and two of them had to climb out of deep holes to do it. The Los Angeles Lakers won their seventh game in a row, the San Antonio Spurs won their tenth in a row after trailing by 22 points, and James Harden turned back the clock in New York. Here is the full NBA Wednesday roundup.
Lakers win seventh straight in Milwaukee
Luka Doncic scored 32 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 123-112 at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday night. The Lakers improved to 11-2 and have won seven games in a row. Milwaukee fell to 1-11, matching the worst start in franchise history. Tyler Herro led the Bucks with 27 points in his return from a one-game absence, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 25 points off the bench. The Lakers turned 19 Bucks turnovers into 28 points. Los Angeles arrived in Milwaukee two nights after beating Atlanta, covered in our Monday night roundup.
Wembanyama drags Spurs back from 22 down
Victor Wembanyama scored 32 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Chicago Bulls 124-119 in Chicago. The Spurs trailed by 22 points late in the second quarter and by 14 at halftime, then outscored Chicago 68-49 after the break. Dylan Harper added 18 points and 10 assists, and De’Aaron Fox had 17 points and nine assists. Jalen Smith led Chicago with 23 points, tying his career high. San Antonio has now won 10 games in a row and sits at 10-2. Chicago has lost eight in a row and sits at 1-9.
Murray scores 17 in the fourth as Nuggets hold off Memphis
Jamal Murray scored 30 points, 17 of them in the fourth quarter, as the Denver Nuggets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 123-118 in Memphis. Nikola Jokic added 27 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, and Cameron Johnson scored 23. Denver led by as many as 18 points, but Memphis closed to three with seven seconds left before the Nuggets held on. Ty Jerome and Jaylen Wells each scored 22 for Memphis. Denver improved to 6-4. Memphis fell to 7-4.
Siakam leads Pacers to first home win
Pascal Siakam scored 28 points as the Indiana Pacers beat the Washington Wizards 114-101 in Indianapolis. Siakam made all 12 of his free throws and added eight rebounds. Ivica Zubac had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Andrew Nembhard added 17 points and 10 assists. Indiana scored the first 14 points of the fourth quarter and outscored Washington 37-24 in the period. It was the Pacers’ first home win of the season. Washington has lost five games in a row. Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith left the game with a sore right knee and was ruled out before the fourth quarter.
Celtics erase 22-point deficit in Toronto
Jayson Tatum scored 24 points as the Boston Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors 98-93 in Toronto. Boston trailed by 22 points in the first half and by three with one minute left, then scored the final eight points of the game. Derrick White added 19 points. It was Boston’s fifth win in a row and completed a 4-0 road trip. Boston improved to 10-2, matching the Lakers’ record. Ja’Kobe Walter led Toronto with 17 points.
Harden’s season-high 32 lifts Cavaliers past Knicks
James Harden scored a season-high 32 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New York Knicks 115-107 at Madison Square Garden. Harden hit a three-pointer with 4:22 left that put Cleveland ahead for good. Donovan Mitchell added 23 points. Jalen Brunson led New York with 27 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. The win ended Cleveland’s five-game losing streak against the Knicks. Cleveland improved to 6-6. New York fell to 6-5.
Nets score 145 in rout of Pelicans
Zion Williamson scored a game-high 29 points, but it was not nearly enough as the Brooklyn Nets beat the New Orleans Pelicans 145-111 in New Orleans. Michael Porter Jr. and Egor Demin each scored 22 for Brooklyn, and Julius Randle added 17 points and five assists. The Nets led by as many as 41 points and scored 83 points in the first half. Brooklyn improved to 3-8. New Orleans has lost four games in a row and fell to 4-8.
Wednesday’s finals at a glance
| Game | Final score | Leading scorer |
|---|---|---|
| Lakers at Bucks | 123-112 | Luka Doncic, 32 |
| Spurs at Bulls | 124-119 | Victor Wembanyama, 32 |
| Nuggets at Grizzlies | 123-118 | Jamal Murray, 30 |
| Wizards at Pacers | 101-114 | Pascal Siakam, 28 |
| Celtics at Raptors | 98-93 | Jayson Tatum, 24 |
| Cavaliers at Knicks | 115-107 | James Harden, 32 |
| Nets at Pelicans | 145-111 | Zion Williamson, 29 |
Three late games, Orlando at Utah, Golden State at Houston and Oklahoma City at Portland, were still in progress when this roundup was filed.