Harden, Maxey lead 76ers past Nets

Seth Curry had a season-high 32 points for Brooklyn. Kyrie Irving had 30 for the Nets, who have lost five of the last seven games without Kevin Durant.

The game was the first regular-season matchup between Embiid and former teammate Ben Simmons since a February 2022 trade that sent Simmons to Brooklyn for Harden. Simmons missed the rest of the 2022 season with various injuries, then Embiid was injured and missed the Sixers' win in Simmons' Philadelphia return Nov. 22.

BUCKS 107, NUGGETS 99

MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 14 rebounds as Milwaukee defeated short-handed Denver on Wednesday night.

The Western Conference-leading Nuggets were missing four usual starters in two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic (left hamstring tightness), Jamal Murray (left knee/injury management), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (sprained right wrist) and Michael Porter Jr. (personal reasons).

Jokic had returned after missing two games and recorded his fourth straight triple-double Tuesday in a 99-98 victory at New Orleans. But he rested the hamstring Wednesday rather than playing on back-to-back nights. Porter missed a third straight game.

Jrue Holiday had 20 points for the Bucks, who won despite committing 23 turnovers. Pat Connaughton scored a season-high 19 points, matched a career high with 12 rebounds and shot 7 of 8 overall and 5 of 6 on 3-point attempts.

HAWKS 137, THUNDER 132

OKLAHOMA CITY — Trae Young had 33 points and 11 assists, helping Atlanta beat Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.

Dejounte Murray scored 21 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 20 for the Hawks, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points and Jalen Williams added 24 for the Thunder.

Williams stole the ball from Young and dunked to cut Atlanta's lead to 133-132 with 15.3 seconds left. Atlanta's John Collins was fouled with 14.5 seconds remaining. He made both free throws to make it 135-132.

Gilgeous-Alexander drove to the hoop to try to get quick points, but Murray blocked his shot. Gilgeous-Alexander rebounded and missed again, and Murray came up with the ball. Murray was fouled and made two free throws at the other end with 2.7 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach.

The teams were tied at 77 at halftime. It was the most points the Hawks have scored in a half this season.

WIZARDS 108, ROCKETS 103

HOUSTON — Kyle Kuzma scored 20 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to help Washington rally at Houston.

The Wizards trailed by as many 19 points and were down by 10 to open the fourth quarter before Kuzma took over.

The Wizards scored the first eight points of the fourth to start a 15-2 run that gave them an 86-83 lead with about eight minutes left. The Wizards made five free throws in that span and Kuzma had 10 points with two 3-pointers.

Tari Eason made a layup for Houston after that before Kuzma made two more 3-pointers in less than a minute to power an 8-0 run that pushed Washington's lead to 94-85.

Houston's Alperen Sengun had 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double. Jalen Green had 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting after scoring a career-high 42 points Tuesday night against Minnesota in a win that snapped a 13-game skid.

MAGIC 126, PACERS 120

ORLANDO, Fla. — Paolo Banchero scored 23 points and Garry Harris made all six of his 3-point shots and added 22 points as Orlando held off a late rally and beat Indiana.

Bennedict Mathurin came off the Pacers' bench to score 26 points for the second straight game, and Myles Turner added 22 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana, which was coming off a 116-110 win over Chicago a night earlier. Buddy Hield hit his first five 3-point shots and finished with 21 points.

Wendell Carter Jr. had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic. Orlando made 15 of 28 attempts from 3-point range and shot 56% overall.

The Pacers fell behind 11-0 and never led, losing for the eighth time in nine games since NBA assist leader Tyrese Haliburton went out with a sprained left knee and sprained left elbow.

Banchero scored 13 points in the Magic's 46-point first quarter in which they shot 64% and built a 17-point lead.

TIMBERWOLVES 111, PELICANS 102

NEW ORLEANS — Anthony Edwards scored 37 points, Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 12 rebounds in his return from a groin injury, and Minnesota spoiled Brandon Ingram's return from a two-month absence with a win in New Orleans.

D'Angelo Russell scored 19 points for the Timberwolves, who've won three of four. Jaden McDaniels closed out a 10-point night with a pull-up jumper and a 3-pointer in the final minutes to thwart New Orleans' comeback bid.

Ingram, who had not played since Nov. 25 and had missed 29 games with a left toe injury, scored 13 points but struggled with his shot, missing 14 of 18, including all six attempts from deep.

CJ McCollum scored 25 points, and Jonas Valanciunas added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Pelicans, who lost their sixth straight and dropped their ninth in the 12 games missed by star power forward Zion Williamson (right hamstring).

New Orleans' frustration boiled over in the middle of the fourth quarter when Jose Alvarado was called for a loose-ball foul after Austin Rivers' missed 3 and then assessed a technical when he bounced the ball hard off the floor.

Pelicans coach Willie Green began screaming and gesticulating angrily and was assessed a technical foul. He had to be restrained by assistants as he continued lambasting officials and got himself ejected for the first time in his two seasons as a head coach with his a second technical. The crowd stood and roared in support of Green as he walked toward the tunnel, and then spectators launched into a disparaging chant about the officiating.