San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich is not one to call attention to himself, but his players made sure he basked in the limelight for at least a few minutes after he became the NBA’s all-time leader in regular-season coaching wins Friday night.
The Spurs players kept Popovich on the court to soak in the applause from the home fans after his team rallied for a 104-102 win over the Utah Jazz. He looked uncomfortable amid the attention but finally cracked a smile.
His grin was about more than just the record, as the Spurs rallied from 15 points down in the fourth quarter to give Popovich the record. San Antonio had been 0-33 in games it was trailing entering the final period. The victory, Popovich’s 1,336th, pushed him past Don Nelson. Popovich is in his 26th NBA season, all with the Spurs.
Dejounte Murray led the Spurs with 27 points, with Jakob Poeltl adding 15 points and 11 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points to lead the Jazz, while Jordan Clarkson chipped in 17 points.
Lakers 122, Wizards 109
LeBron James scored 33 of his 50 points after halftime and host Los Angeles won for just the second time in eight games, pulling away to defeat Washington.
James shot 18 of 25 from the field and 6 of 9 from 3-point range. He became the first Lakers player with multiple games of 50 points in a season since Kobe Bryant in 2007-08. He also had six assists, leaving him two shy of 10,000 for his career.
Malik Monk added 21 points for the Lakers. Former Laker Kyle Kuzma had 23 points and rookie Corey Kispert scored a career-best 21 for the Wizards, who lost for the fifth time in seven games.
Raptors 117, Suns 112
Gary Trent Jr. matched his season best with 42 points, hitting eight 3-pointers, and visiting Toronto withstood a comeback by Phoenix for the win.
Pascal Siakam added 25 points and 10 assists for the Raptors, who won their second in a row. Toronto’s Scottie Barnes had 15 points.
Cameron Payne scored 24 points for the Suns, who fell to 5-4 since losing Chris Paul to a broken thumb. Devin Booker added 22 points and seven assists.
Celtics 114, Pistons 103
Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and host Boston ran its winning streak to five games by defeating Detroit.
Tatum scored at least 30 points for a fifth straight game and added eight rebounds and six assists. Jaylen Brown had 22 points with eight rebounds and four assists, and Marcus Smart added 20 points for Boston.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 27 points. Jerami Grant and Marvin Bagley III each scored 20 for Detroit, which has lost back-to-back games following a 6-2 stretch.
Grizzlies 118, Knicks 114
Ja Morant scored 15 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter as Memphis overcame a 15-point deficit and earned a victory over visiting New York.
The Grizzlies faced a 96-81 deficit with 1:08 left in the third quarter but outscored New York 37-18 the rest of the way. Morant shot 14 of 33 to post his 24th 30-point game this season. He helped Memphis win for the fifth time in seven games.
Julius Randle had 36 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who missed a chance at a season-high fourth straight win. Randle shot 11 of 27, including 1 of 5 in the fourth quarter.
Mavericks 113, Rockets 100
Dwight Powell joined Luka Doncic with double-doubles as Dallas rebounded from a 30-point trouncing at the hands of the Knicks to beat host Houston.
Powell had a season-high 26 points and tied a season high with 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and just his third in the last three years. Doncic paced Dallas with 30 points and 14 rebounds for his 35th double-double of the year.
Kevin Porter Jr. and Josh Christopher shared team-high scoring honors with 17 points apiece for the Rockets, who were coming off a 139-130 overtime win over the Los Angeles Lakers at home on Wednesday.
Magic 118, Timberwolves 110
Mo Bamba had 27 points and 12 rebounds, Moritz Wagner and Markelle Fultz provided key performances off the bench, and host Orlando overcame an 18-point deficit to defeat red-hot Minnesota.
For the Magic, Wendell Carter Jr. had 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Wagner totaled 18 points and six rebounds in 13 minutes, Fultz contributed 14 points and seven assists, and Cole Anthony had 15 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Minnesota, which entered the game averaging a league-best 114.7 points per game, went 15-for-45 from 3-point range and had five players score in double figures. Anthony Edwards scored 25 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns overcame foul trouble to post 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Hawks 112, Clippers 106
Trae Young had 27 points and 11 assists as host Atlanta withstood a late charge from Los Angeles to snap a two-game losing streak.
Kevin Huerter scored 16 points and Clint Capela had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks, who saw their 106-96 lead dwindle to 108-106 with 36.2 seconds left before they held on.
Ivica Zubac paced the Clippers with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Reggie Jackson added 24 points.
Heat 117, Cavaliers 105
Jimmy Butler, who returned after a one-game absence caused by a sinus issue, scored 11 points during the crucial third quarter, leading host Miami over Cleveland.
Butler finished with 24 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals. He was the key as Miami stretched a one-point halftime lead to 13 after three quarters. Miami also got 30 points and 17 rebounds — both game highs — from Bam Adebayo while winning for the 13th time in 16 games.
Cleveland, which had its two-game win streak snapped, was led by Darius Garland, who had 24 points and 10 assists. Rookie Evan Mobley added 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Hornets 142, Pelicans 120
Miles Bridges scored 26 points to lead seven Charlotte scorers in double figures as the visiting Hornets handed New Orleans its fourth consecutive loss.
Terry Rozier added 25 points for the Hornets, who shot 59.8 percent from the floor, including 46.8 percent on 3-point attempts. Charlotte had won just three of its previous 10 games but took command by outscoring New Orleans 42-27 in the third quarter.
New Orleans rookie Trey Murphy III had season highs of 32 points (making seven 3-pointers) and nine rebounds and Devonte’ Graham scored 19 points. The Pelicans were without leading scorer Brandon Ingram (hamstring strain) and second-leading scorer CJ McCollum (health and safety protocol).
–Field Level Media
