Kyrie Irving scored 15 fourth-quarter points to lift the Brooklyn Nets to their 10th straight win – the longest streak this NBA season – with a 108-107 victory over the short-handed Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

Irving finished with 28 points, headlined by 15 in the final period, making five three-pointers with five rebounds and eight assists, as the Nets held on to their three-point three-quarter time lead.

Kevin Durant added 26 points with a season-high 16 rebounds and eight assists, with center Nic Claxton contributing 17 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high six blocks.

The result means the Nets have achieved their longest win streak since 2005-06, moving closer to their franchise record of 14, from 2003-04 and 2005-06.

Brooklyn improved their record to 23-12, having won 14 of their past five games, closing the gap on the top two in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics (25-10) and the Milwaukee Bucks (22-12).

Irving led a 17-3 fourth-quarter run with eight consecutive points as the Nets pulled clear in the last before the Hawks rallied, only for Dejounte Murray to miss a 27-footer on the buzzer.

Murray finished with 24 points and John Collins added 21 for the Hawks, who were without Trae Young and Clint Capela with calf injuries as well as De'Andre Hunter (ankle).

Butler and Bam lead Heat past Lakers

The Miami Heat dominated on offense and defense, keeping the Los Angeles Lakers to their second lowest score of the season, in a 112-98 victory.

Jimmy Butler (27 points and six steals) and Bam Adebayo (23 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks) combined for 50 of the Heat's 112 points, as they improved to 18-17, with all five starters reaching double figures. Tyler Herro added 18 points, including three triples and nine assists.

LeBron James, playing against his former franchise, scored 27 points with nine rebounds and six assists and Russell Westbrook added 15 points on six-of-16 shooting.

DeRozan downs Giannis in OT

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a monster double-double with 45 points and 22 rebounds but could not prevent the Milwaukee Bucks losing 119-113 to the Chicago Bulls in overtime.

Demar DeRozan stuffed his stat sheet too, with 42 points on 15-of-25 shooting, with 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks. Zach LaVine added 24 points with four three-pointers.

DeRozan made a crucial steal from an Antetokounmpo's inbound with 11.1 seconds of regulation time remaining down 106-104, setting up Ayo Dosunmu's dunk to send it to OT.

Atlanta Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young will miss Wednesday's clash with the in-form Brooklyn Nets due to a left calf contusion.

Young joins Hawks center Clint Capela (right calf strain) and forward De'Andre Hunter (left ankle sprain) on the sidelines.

The 24-year-old two-time All-Star injured his calf in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's 129-114 defeat to the Indiana Pacers.

The 17-17 Hawks come up against the 22-12 Nets, amid their nine-game winning streak, the best active run in the NBA.

Young is second in the NBA this season for assists, averaging 9.9 per game, while he led the league last season for total points and total assists. The guard is 11th this season with a 27.3 scoring average.

Anthony Edwards continued to show what he can do as a true top option in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 116-106 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.

With Karl-Anthony Towns still out, Rudy Gobert was also ruled out in the hours leading up to tip-off, leaving the home Timberwolves as the underdogs against a full-strength Mavericks outfit.

But after one of the best games of his career against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday – when Edwards had 37 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds – the former number one overall draft pick showed it was no fluke.

Playing against arguably the league's top one-man-show in Dallas' Luka Doncic, Edwards produced an all-round performance with 27 points (seven-of-21 shooting), 13 rebounds and nine assists, helping his side build a 20-point buffer heading into the last quarter.

After only exceeding six assists in two of his first 23 games this season, Edwards has now registered at least seven in five of his past eight outings.

He was supported strongly against the Mavericks by Naz Reid, with the sweet-shooting center taking full advantage of his team's absences and his expanded role. He had 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting with 13 rebounds, after a 28-point, nine-rebound performance on Friday.

Doncic was kept quiet in his 28 minutes, hitting just five-of-17 from the field for 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

The win is the Timberwolves' third in a row, pulling their record above .500 at 16-15 after starting the season 2-6.

Giannis, Lopez dominate the Pelicans' interior

Giannis Antetokoumpo put up his third-highest point total of the season as he dropped 42 in the Milwaukee Bucks' 128-119 win against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Both teams entered the contest in the top-three of their respective conferences, but it was the 2021 NBA Champions coming out on top, with Antetokounmpo shooting 12-of-17 from the field and 17-of-22 from the free throw line while adding 10 rebounds.

Brook Lopez was similarly impressive, also shooting 12-of-17 from the field for 30 points, although his league-leading figure in blocks per game (2.8) took a small dip after only blocking one shot against the Pelicans.

Young carries the Hawks' offense

Trae Young had his fifth game of the season with at least 30 points and 10 assists in a close 126-125 victory to snap a six-game Orlando Magic winning streak.

Young finished with 37 points on 11-of-22 shooting, while also dishing 13 assists. None of his teammates scored more than rookie A.J. Griffin's 19 off the bench.

It was comfortably the best game of the season for former number one draft pick Markelle Fultz, scoring 24 points with nine assists and six rebounds as the Magic's starting point guard.

Clint Capela will miss one to two weeks after an MRI on Thursday revealed the Atlanta Hawks center had suffered a strained right calf in Wednesday's loss to the Orlando Magic.

Capela, 28, is currently third in the NBA for rebounds per game (12.0), and his 63.3 per cent field goal percentage is the seventh-highest mark in the league.

His injury adds to a troubling list for the Hawks, who have been without starting forward John Collins for the past seven games as he deals with an ankle injury, while starting guard Dejounte Murray has missed a week of action with his own ankle injury.

Franchise centerpiece Trae Young was also absent for Monday's loss against the Memphis Grizzlies due to lower-back tightness, but returned to the lineup for Wednesday's loss.

With Capela and Collins still out, it will be a real opportunity for former top-10 draft pick Onyeka Okongwu to play starter's minutes.

Okongwu, 22, is averaging 21 minutes per game and has only made three starts from his 28 appearances this season, but he boasts per-36 minute figures of 14.0 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.

The Brooklyn Nets continued their hot run of form on Monday as they defeated the Washington Wizards 112-100 on the road for the eighth win from their past nine outings.

Kevin Durant's under-the-radar MVP campaign took another step in the right direction with a game-high 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting, adding nine rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block.

For the season, he is averaging exactly 30.0 points per game – the sixth-highest figure in the league – while his 55.9 per cent field goal shooting is a new career-high in his 15th campaign, and he is eighth in the league for blocks at 1.7 per game.

Durant was supported well by Kyrie Irving with 24 points (seven-of-17 shooting), six rebounds and five assists, while Ben Simmons contributed 10 points (five-of-nine), eight rebounds and five assists in 23 productive minutes.

After beginning the season with five losses from their first six games, the Nets are now fourth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 17-12, and they can make it nine wins from 10 when they travel to take on the Toronto Raptors on Friday.

Jackson sets new career-high

Jaren Jackson Jr had six blocks in his first nine minutes of action against the Atlanta Hawks, going on to finish with a career-high eight in a 128-103 win.

The former fourth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft showed exactly the kind of defensive upside that, when coupled with his sweet shooting stroke, makes him one of the sport's most versatile big men.

He added 15 points and seven rebounds to go with his eight blocks, and he is also hitting 1.9 three-pointers per game at a 37.3 per cent clip.

The Grizzlies are now 18-9 and occupy the second seed in the Western Conference.

Luka outduels Shai to move the Mavs above .500

Luka Doncic raised his league-leading points per game figure to 33.1 as he dropped 38 in the Dallas Mavericks' 121-114 home win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With his 38 points on 13-of-27 shooting, Doncic has now eclipsed 30 points in 19 of his 25 games this season, while his 8.8 assists per game has him fourth in the league, chipping in another eight with his 11 rebounds against the Thunder.

It was also a terrific display from the Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored a game-high 42 points on 14-of-23 shooting to raise his average to 31.2 per game – now second in the league.

Dallas are now 14-13, and are tied for the eighth seed in the West.

Joel Embiid posted another 50-point performance to lead the Philadelphia 76ers past the Charlotte Hornets 131-113 on Sunday.

Embiid scored 53 points with 11 rebounds for the Sixers, backing up his league season-best 59 points against the Utah Jazz on November 13.

The Sixers center joined Allen Iverson (2000-01 and 2004-05) and Wilt Chamberlain (1965-66 and 1967-68) to become the third player in franchise history to record multiple 50-point games in the same season.

Embiid also joined Chamberlin as the only Sixers in franchise history with at least 30 games of 40 points and 10 rebounds.

The big man's haul was built around 20-of-32 shooting along with making 11-of-11 free throws as the Sixers improved to 14-12.

James Harden made a solid contribution with 16 assists along with 19 points, including three-of-eight three-point shooting.

Pelicans soar into Western Conference lead

Zion Williamson scored 35 points to power the New Orleans Pelicans to a 129-124 overtime victory over the Phoenix Suns, who were missing Devin Booker again.

Williamson starred on 14-of-21 shooting with eight rebounds for the Pels, who beat the Suns twice in three days to surge into the Western Conference lead with a 18-8 record, fueled by seven straight wins.

Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton both fouled out for Phoenix, who were without Booker due to left hamstring tightness.

Griffin snatches remarkable OT Hawks win

A.J. Griffin sunk an overtime buzzer-beater to clinch the Atlanta Hawks a thrilling 123-122 win over the Chicago Bulls, after DeMar DeRozan hit three free throws with 0.5 seconds left to take the lead.

The Hawks snatched the win when Jalen Johnson's inbound alley-oop pass found Griffin, who hit a six-foot turnaround jumper. Trae Young had 19 points and 14 assists for Atlanta.

DeRozan scored a game-high 34 points for the Bulls, including 12 in the fourth quarter and three overtime free throws after being fouled by Bogdan Bogdanovic with less than a second left on a three-point attempt.

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving eclipsed 30 points each in the Brooklyn Nets' 120-116 home win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.

It was also the return of Ben Simmons after a five-game stint on the sidelines, starting and contributing six points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals in 21 productive minutes.

Durant top-scored with 34 points on 14-of-25 shooting, while Irving was just as good, scoring 33 on 11-of-21 shooting while chipping in 11 rebounds.

Mostly known for his offense, Durant blocked two shots, raising his season average to 1.7 per game – the eighth-best figure in the league.

Trae Young was solid for the Hawks with 33 points (12-of-25 shooting) and nine assists, but he committed a game-high eight turnovers. He is the only player in the NBA averaging at least 25 points (27.2) and nine assists (9.5).

With the win, the Nets have now taken six of their past seven, improving their record to 15-12 after starting the season 1-5.

Pelicans stay top of the West

Entering the game as the top two teams in the Western Conference, the New Orleans Pelicans rode a terrific Zion Williamson performance to a 128-117 win against the Phoenix Suns.

Williamson was unstoppable offensively, scoring a game-high 35 points on 13-of-17 shooting, adding seven rebounds and four assists. Of his 20 games this season, it is the ninth time he has scored at least 25 points on 60 per cent shooting.

There are 14 players shooting 59 per cent or better from the field this season, and of those, only Anthony Davis is averaging more field goal attempts per game (17.5) than Williamson's 15.4.

Embiid's early dominance almost goes to waste

Joel Embiid tied the Los Angeles Lakers' whole team in the first quarter with 20 points each, but the Philadelphia 76ers needed an overtime period to come away with a 133-122 win.

Embiid was eight-of-nine from the field in the first quarter for his 20 points, going on to finish with 38 on 14-of-19 shooting, 12 rebounds and five assists. Teammate De'Anthony Melton helped out with a career-high 33 points on 11-of-16 shooting, hitting eight of his 12 three-point attempts.

Anthony Davis continued his strong form with 31 points (nine-of-13 shooting) and 12 rebounds, but he missed a potential go-ahead free throw in the final seconds, before the Lakers were outscored 13-2 in overtime.

Atlanta Hawks All-Star Dejounte Murray will spend the next two weeks on the sideline after the extent of his injury was revealed on Thursday.

Murray could only make it through four minutes of the Hawks' 113-89 loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday, leaving in the first quarter after tweaking his left ankle. 

After an MRI on Thursday, the team announced he has been diagnosed with an ankle sprain and is dealing with the associated swelling, and his status will be updated when his condition improves.

Murray became a first-time All-Star this past season with the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 21.1 points, 9.2 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game to carry his side to the play-in tournament.

His emergence, combined with the Spurs going into rebuild mode, resulted in the Hawks swooping in with an offer centred on three future first-round draft picks, and Murray has shown his breakout was no fluke.

Despite playing alongside All-NBA point guard Trae Young, Murray's production has remained strong, as he is second on the Hawks for points (20.8) and assists (6.2), while leading the team in steals (1.8 per game).

His absence adds to a growing injury list for Atlanta, which now includes three starters as John Collins (ankle sprain) and De'Andre Hunter (hip flexor strain) remain out.

All-Star guard Dejounte Murray exited the Atlanta Hawks' game with the New York Knicks on Wednesday with a left ankle sprain.

Murray, who was traded to the Hawks from the San Antonio Spurs in the offseason, limped off in the first quarter after only four minutes on court.

The 26-year-old landed awkwardly on R.J. Barrett's foot as came down from a mid-range jump shot and was slow to get to his feet.

The guard had initially been listed as questionable, before the Hawks later ruled him out for the game.

Murray is averaging a career-high 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists through 24 games this season for the Hawks, who came into Wednesday's game with a 13-11 record.

The Boston Celtics kept their terrific season rolling on Monday when they utilised a dominant third quarter to defeat the Toronto Raptors 116-110 away from home.

Boston were led by Jayson Tatum, who finished with 31 points on 11-of-24 shooting, hitting five of his 10 three-point attempts while adding 12 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in his 39 minutes. He helped his side outscore the Raptors 35-18 in the third period, turning around a six-point deficit at halftime.

The 24-year-old is enjoying the best season of his career, averaging a career-high 30.7 points per game while shooting a career-best 48.1 per cent from the field, all while attempting a career-high 9.3 three-pointers per game.

Tatum was supported well by running-mate Jaylen Brown, who chipped in 22 points (nine-of-22 shooting), eight rebounds and eight assists, while reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart posted 18 points (seven-of-14) and seven assists.

While the Celtics were the best defensive team in the league this past season when they went to the NBA Finals, this campaign it has been all about their offense.

Scoring 120 points per 100 possessions, they are two-and-a-half points clear of the second-ranked Phoenix Suns (117.5), and they are getting it done by shooting a league-best 40.2 per cent from the three-point line.

Their win against the Raptors was their 21st game with at least 110 points, helping them to a league-best record of 20-5, while no other team has more than 17 wins.

Harden's rough return to Houston

Playing against his former team, James Harden returned for the Philadelphia 76ers after five weeks on the sidelines, but had a rough outing in a 132-123 double-overtime loss to the Houston Rockets.

Harden, who won the 2017-18 league MVP while playing for the Rockets, scored 21 points, dished seven assists, snagged four rebounds and plucked two steals, but he shot a dismal four-of-19 from the field.

His step-back three-pointer tied the game at 108-108 with 90 seconds remaining in regulation, ultimately forcing overtime, before back-to-back MVP runner-up Joel Embiid fouled out in the first extra period, leaving the 76ers short-handed for the second overtime.

Last year's second overall draft pick Jalen Green was strong for the Rockets, scoring 27 points on nine-of-20 shooting with seven assists, while this year's third overall pick Jabari Smith Jr added 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Gilgeous-Alexander carries the Thunder

Arguably the breakout star of the season so far, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the best player on the floor yet again in a 121-114 win on the road against the Atlanta Hawks.

The 24-year-old is currently third in the NBA in scoring at 31.1 points per game, and that figure got a bump after he put up 35 points against the Hawks, hitting 10-of-22 from the field and all 15 of his free throws.

Of the four other players averaging at least 30 points per game this season (Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum) none are attempting fewer than Gilgeous-Alexanders 3.0 three-pointers per game, and none are shooting better than his 92.4 per cent from the free throw line.

Trae Young made it clear he is not happy that details about friction between himself and Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan became public, but insisted things were "all good".

A report from The Athletic's Shams Charania detailed an incident where McMillan had not approved Young's decision to skip a team shootaround to focus on treatment for his minor shoulder injury.

It is said to have resulted in an ultimatum, with McMillan telling Young he would have to come off the bench if he wanted to play against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, with the 24-year-old two-time All-Star instead deciding to not show up altogether.

The Hawks officially attributed Young's absence to his shoulder injury, before the report brought new information to light, prompting McMillan to call the whole fiasco a "miscommunication".

The report also included a line citing anonymous sources saying "it's the latest situation that has caused many people within the Hawks to question Young's leadership approach" – pointing to similar friction between Young and former head coach Lloyd Pierce as a main factor behind his departure.

In his first media appearance since the news broke, Young said he was frustrated it all became public.

"It's hard for people who don't know the full situation to understand it," he said on Monday. "Like I said, it's a private matter made public, which was unfortunate. If it stayed private it probably wouldn't have been as big of a deal. 

"It's unfortunate. My job and my goal is to win a championship, and that's all I'm focused on.

"When you're an outside guy like [reporters] are, and you don't understand a private matter and private situation, you should probably stay on the outside.

"It's unfortunate that everybody has to understand and know a little bit of the details that went on inside. I mean, inside here we're all good. 

"If you've got any more questions about that you can talk to somebody else about it. That's all I've got to say about it."

The Hawks ended up with an impressive win against the Nuggets, with rookie A.J. Griffin taking advantage of his opportunity in the starting line-up to score a career-high 24 points.

Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan has clarified Trae Young's absence from Friday's 117-109 win over the Denver Nuggets as down to a "miscommunication" amid reports of a feud.

The Hawks had claimed that the All-Star's absence for the game was due to right shoulder soreness, but The Athletic's Shams Charania has since reported that the coach and player had engaged in a heated exchange at Friday's shootaround.

It is reported that McMillan and Young disagreed on whether the 24-year-old point guard would participate in shootaround or receive treatment. McMillan subsequently handed him an ultimatum to play off the bench or not show up at all, with Young opting for the latter.

The Hawks coach labelled the issue as a "miscommunication" when asked on Sunday, as Young trained normally, putting him in line to play on Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Atlanta, who lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs last season, hold a 13-10 record and sit fourth in the East, but there have been reports of simmering tensions.

McMillan took over as Hawks coach in March 2021 on an interim basis from Lloyd Pierce. He went on to guide them to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, earning the job permanently in July 2021.

Two-time All-Star Young is averaging 27.8 points on 41.1 per cent field goal shooting with 9.6 assists this season.

The Atlanta Hawks learned Thursday that their 125-108 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday came at a cost.

De'Andre Hunter exited in the first quarter with a right hip flexor strain and will be re-evaluated in one week, while John Collins will miss at least two weeks due to a left ankle sprain sustained on a dunk attempt just before halftime.

Tests on Collins' ankle on Thursday confirmed the severity of the sprain, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Hunter is third on the Hawks in scoring at 14.9 points per game, while Collins ranks fourth at 12.3 points per contest and second in rebounds at 7.5 per game.

While Atlanta’s lineup took a hit with the injuries to Hunter and Collins, reinforcements are on the way with Bogdan Bogdanovic expected to make his season debut soon, following his knee surgery in the offseason.

Bogdanovic averaged 15.1 points last season and his 169 made three-pointers were second on Atlanta behind Trae Young.

In addition to the imminent return of Bogdanovic, the Hawks also may have caught a break with the timing of the injuries to Hunter and Collins. Atlanta has the easiest strength of schedule this month, with its 14 December opponents sporting a .422 combined winning percentage.

Wednesday’s win snapped a season-worst three-game losing streak for Atlanta, who own a one-game lead over the Washington Wizards for first place in the Southeast Division.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have quietly built an elite championship profile with a top-five offense and a top-five defense, and they were too good for fellow Eastern Conference playoff contenders the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.

Against the Hawks, the Cavaliers rode the offensive brilliance of their two All-Star guards. Darius Garland, who the team drafted fifth overall back in 2019, had an efficient 26 points on nine-of-14 shooting, while their offseason trade acquisition Donovan Mitchell top-scored with 29 points on 11-of-22 shooting.

While having two terrific scorers in the backcourt is one thing, having two elite playmakers unlocks a whole new level of play.

Both Garland and Mitchell finished with nine assists each, with Mitchell averaging a career-high 5.8 assists since arriving from the Utah Jazz, while Garland's 7.7 assists per contest ties him for the sixth-most in the league.

When factoring in that they both play close to 40 minutes a night, coach J.B. Bickerstaff can stagger his rotation in a way where one of them is always on the floor, giving them 48 minutes of structured, competent offense, regardless of who the four surrounding players are.

While their dynamic duo are the heartbeat of their offensive success – producing the fifth-best offensive rating in the league at 114.8 points per 100 possessions – they have an equally impactful pairing in the frontcourt with seven-footers Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.

Allen, along with Garland, was honoured last season as a first-time All-Star, while Mobley came into the league as one of the greatest defensive prospects in the history of college basketball.

It is the brilliance of that combination that has allowed the Cavaliers to concede the third-fewest points per 100 possessions (108.2) despite starting two small guards, making them the only team in the top-five of both offensive and defensive efficiency.

After Monday's win against the Hawks, Garland spoke about how their defense was able to deliver a 12-point win despite committing 20 turnovers as a team.

"We're just trying to cut the turnovers down, really – even though we had a lot tonight, we made it up on defense," he said.

"That's how we got easy buckets and got out in transition – got us a couple lay-ups, a couple lobs, and that's really what got us going.

"Our team is just unselfish – everybody sees it. We all love each other, we just want to win, we're just competitors."

Coach Bickerstaff expanded on what makes their defense so good during his postgame press conference, pointing to it as a driving force of their offense, as well.

"We've shown what we're capable of defensively," he said. "We know when we're at our best we can create stops, we can force turnovers, we can create easy opportunities for ourselves.

"In that fourth quarter, holding them to 17 points until that last three – that's how you win basketball games against good teams. You lock down defensively, and that helped our offense.

"When you're getting stops, you're playing in the flow and not against a set defense as much. All of our stuff works together – our offense helps our defense, and our defense helps our offense

"We need to be able to slow the game down and control the game. If you have to go against our half-court defense, you're going to be in for a tough time."

He went on to discuss how special the Allen and Mobley connection is, and why it is such a stark difference when Allen is out injured. The Cavaliers have a woeful defensive rating of 126.6 in the two games Allen has missed this season, and what would be a league-leading figure of 104.0 in the 15 games he has played.

"Jarrett is a Defensive Player of the Year-caliber player," he said. "When you take that away, it's obviously going to have an impact. 

"But when he's on the floor, we're a different team, and when our two big guys are on the floor together, and they're working as a pair, they're hard to score on.

"Evan [Mobley] is an All-Defensive player himself, we're extremely fortunate to have two guys who can defend the way they can defend. When they're working together, you're hard-pressed to find easy looks out there."

With the win, the Cavaliers are now 7-1 at home and 11-6 overall, occupying the third seed in the Eastern Conference – a position they will be aiming to maintain all season.

Joel Embiid had an injury scare late as the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers charged home but ultimately fell short in a 112-109 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.

Embiid appeared to roll his left ankle when he tripped over teammate Georges Niang with 5:53 remaining in the fourth quarter. He writhed in pain on the ground and was attended to by a trainer before hobbling to the bench at Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers center played the game out but limped throughout yet nailed a three-pointer to make it 105-102, before Timberwolves top scorer Anthony Edwards steadied it with his second triple of the game.

Embiid finished with 32 points, including making 18-of-20 from the free-throw line, with nine rebounds, six assists and three steals for the Sixers, who were without James Harden and Tyrese Maxey due to foot injuries.

Shake Milton added 27 points, while De'Anthony Melton made five three-pointers in his 19-point haul. Melton's three with 29.1 seconds remaining moved the 76ers within one point, before he missed a lay-up and Edwards iced the game from the stripe. The Sixers had trailed by 20 points but rallied with a 25-15 fourth quarter.

For the winners, Edwards had 25 points with five rebounds and five assists, while point guard D'Angelo Russell scored 19 points with seven assists.

French center Rudy Gobert scored eight points with 13 rebounds and Karl-Anthony Towns added 12 points with eight rebounds.

The result leaves both sides with 8-8 records, with the Timberwolves having won three straight. Embiid's 32 points means he is averaging 41.25 across his past four games.

Trae shines as Hawks win with OT buzzer-beater

Trae Young fed A.J. Griffin under the basket for a buzzer-beating two-pointer in overtime as the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Toronto Raptors 124-122.

Young took an inbound pass with 3.8 seconds remaining in overtime with scores tied, racing clear as Griffin - who is the son of Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin - got behind the defense, allowing the Hawks guard to find him wide open for a routine lay-up in the nick of time.

Atlanta hauled in a seven-point deficit with 2:36 to go in the fourth quarter, led by Young, who finished with 33 points on 12-of-21 shooting with 12 assists. Scottie Barnes had a season-high 28 points for injury-hit Toronto, who only dressed nine players.

George hurt as Clippers blow out Spurs

Paul George hit three first-half three-pointers before being ruled out with knee soreness at half-time while Kawhi Leonard's impact was limited again but the Los Angeles Clippers blew out the San Antonio Spurs 119-97.

George played 15 first-half minutes, scoring 21 minutes on five-of-eight three-point shooting, while Leonard played 22 minutes for 11 points with four assists in his second game back after stiffness in his surgically repaired knee.

Norman Powell came off the bench to score a game-high 26 points, with five-of-seven three-point shooting, as the Clippers improved to 9-7. The Clippers hit 13 first-half triples and finished with 21 for the game on 53.8 per cent three-point shooting.