NBA Summary: The Hawks get out of the 21-point gap and outscore the Bulls

NBA Summary: The Hawks get out of the 21-point gap and outscore the Bulls

NBA: Chicago Bulls at Atlanta HawksDec 26, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) reacts after a dunk against the Chicago Bulls in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory attribution: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Jalen Johnson scored a career-high 30 points, including the go-ahead basket late in the fourth quarter, to help the Atlanta Hawks erase a 21-point deficit and beat the visiting Chicago Bulls 141-133 on Thursday.

Johnson scored 11 of Atlanta’s 50 points in the fourth quarter, and his basket gave the Hawks the lead with 2:44 left and held. It was the highest-scoring fourth quarter for an NBA team this season.

Johnson shot 11 of 16 from the field and added 15 rebounds and four assists. Trae Young scored 27 points, 16 in the fourth quarter and 13 assists. He hit a 3-pointer and tied the game at 126-126 with 3:03 left. De’Andre Hunter scored 25 points off the Atlanta bench.

Chicago’s Zach LaVine scored a season-high 37 points, including 22 in the third quarter, and added seven assists. Reserve Jevon Carter scored a season-high 26 and Coby White collected 23 points and nine assists.

Thunder 120, Pacers 114

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 45 points as Oklahoma City defeated Indiana in Indianapolis for its ninth straight win.

Gilgeous-Alexander also grabbed seven rebounds and had eight assists for West leader Oklahoma City. Jalen Williams contributed 20 points and Isaiah Hartenstein scored 11 points with 13 boards. Williams and Hartenstein each hit two free throws to cap an 8-0 run that gave Oklahoma City a 111-107 lead with 1:39 to play.

Andrew Nembhard finished the game with 23 points, ending Indiana’s five-game winning streak despite outshooting the Thunder by a combined 47.2 percent to 46.3 percent. Pascal Siakam had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Myles Turner finished the game with 12 and 11, respectively.

Grizzlies 155, Raptors 126

Jaren Jackson Jr. and rookie Zach Edey each recorded 21 double-doubles and Memphis set a franchise record for points in a game with a win over Toronto.

Memphis, the NBA’s highest-scoring team, won for the seventh time in nine games and handed Toronto its ninth straight loss. Edey grabbed 16 rebounds while Jackson grabbed 11. Desmond Bane had 19 points, Jaylen Wells had 17 and Ja Morant added 15 points and nine assists.

Toronto, which fell to 1-14 on the road, was led by RJ Barrett, who finished with 27 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Scottie Barnes contributed 26 points and eight assists for the Raptors, who were outrebounded 63-40.

Heat 89, Magic 88

Tyler Herro drilled a 15-footer with 0.5 seconds left to send Miami, which blew a 17-point lead, past host Orlando.

Herro finished the game with a team-high 20 points and Alec Burks added 17 as the Heat got revenge on their in-state rivals after taking a 25-point lead in a 121-114 loss to the Magic on Saturday had driven out.

Orlando had a chance for one last shot, but Jalen Suggs’ long 3-point attempt failed and was deemed to have come after the buzzer. Suggs finished the game with 29 points but was just 2 of 11 from 3-point range. Goga Bitadze added 10 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and three steals for the Magic.

Nets 111, Dollars 105

Cameron Johnson scored 29 points, Noah Clowney and Shake Milton added 20 each and visiting Brooklyn beat Milwaukee.

Brooklyn outscored the Bucks 35-23 in the fourth quarter to snap a two-game losing streak. Milwaukee played without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, who were sidelined with non-COVID illnesses. Khris Middleton led Milwaukee with 21 points, while Brook Lopez made four 3-pointers and finished with 20 points.

Brooklyn took a 109-102 lead when Keon Johnson converted a four-point play with 47.9 seconds left. Middleton responded with a 3-pointer with 41.3 seconds left in the game before Johnson made two free throws to seal the comeback victory.

Rockets 128, Pelicans 111

Jalen Green scored 30 points, Cam Whitmore added 27 points off the bench and Houston never trailed in the win over New Orleans.

Fred VanVleet scored 25 points and Alperen Sengun added 10 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for the Rockets, who won their fourth straight in a series that began a week earlier with a 133-113 win over the Pelicans in Houston .

Trey Murphy III scored 21 points and Dejounte Murray and Brandon Boston each had 17 for the Pelicans, who lost their eighth straight game.

Wizards 113, Hornets 110

Jordan Poole hit a 3-pointer with 8.7 seconds left and Washington rallied late to beat visiting Charlotte after blowing a 21-point lead in the first half.

Poole’s three-pointer made it 112-110 before Charlotte’s Brandon Miller missed a shot from distance with six seconds left. Washington’s Justin Champagnie recovered and hit one of two free throws, giving the Wizards a 13-4 run to end the game. Poole led with 25 points and Bilal Coulibaly added 20 as Washington, which has five wins this season, beat Charlotte for the second time.

The Hornets’ LaMelo Ball led all scorers with 31 points but was shut out in the fourth quarter. Miles Bridges had 22 points and 14 rebounds and Miller scored 18 for Charlotte, which has lost six straight and 14 of 15.

–Field level media

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