WASHINGTON — James Harden scored 36 points, and when he finally missed a couple big free throws in the final seconds, the ball came right back to him as the Los Angeles Clippers edged the Washington Wizards 110-106 on Monday for their sixth straight victory.
Harden made two free throws with 36.9 seconds left to give the Clippers a 108-106 lead, and after the teams traded scoreless possessions, Kyshawn George missed a 3-pointer for Washington. Harden was fouled with 5.9 seconds left. At that point, he was 16 for 16 from the line, but he missed both free throws.
The Wizards couldn’t secure the rebound, and the ball bounced back to Harden, who was fouled again. This time he made both shots to seal the win.
Washington has lost seven straight.
Although the two teams have been headed in opposite directions of late, this game was close basically the whole way. Harden’s layup put the Clippers up by three, but Khris Middleton was fouled while shooting a 3 with 57.6 seconds left, and he made all three free throws to tie it at 106.
The Clippers were without the injured Kawhi Leonard for a second straight game. Trae Young (knee, quad) still hasn’t played since being traded to Washington from Atlanta.
Alex Sarr led the Wizards with 28 points. George had 18 points, six assists and six rebounds, but he missed a trio of key shots in the last couple minutes for Washington.
ATLANTA — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 points and 17 rebounds and Milwaukee snapped a three-game losing streak, holding off Atlanta after squandering a 23-point lead in the second half.
The Hawks led 105-104 on Jalen Johnson’s 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining before dropping their fourth in a row in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day game played in the hometown of the civil rights icon.
AJ Green and Bobby Portis hit back-to-back 3s, Johnson turned the ball over and Antetokounmpo powered inside for a basket that made it 109-105 with 36 seconds to go.
The Hawks still had a chance after Nickeil Alexander-Walker connected from outside the stripe and Ryan Rollins missed a free throw for the Bucks. But CJ McCollum bobbled the ball and wound up flinging an off-balance shot that clanked off the rim to seal it for Milwaukee.
Atlanta nearly won after missing its first 21 shots from 3-point range. The Hawks trailed 54-38 at halftime and 74-51 approaching the midway point of the third period before finally coming to life.
THUNDER 136, CAVALIERS 104
CLEVELAND — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points, Chet Holmgren added 28 and Oklahoma City rolled to a victory over Cleveland.
It is the 30th time in 42 games Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 30. The reigning NBA MVP is second in the league in scoring, averaging 31.8 points.
The Thunder — who improved to a league-best 36-8 — tied a season high with 23 3-pointers and made 48.9% from beyond the arc. Luguentz Dort made five 3’s and finished with 18 points, while Isaiah Joe (16 points) and Holmgren made four apiece.
It is Cleveland’s worst loss in a regular-season game in nearly two seasons since Kenny Atkinson became coach. The last time it lost by at least 30 was a 37-point defeat at Miami on March 24, 2024.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 19 points, while Jaylon Tyson had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Jarrett Allen had 16 points in his 600th NBA game.
NEW YORK — Max Christie scored a season-high 26 points, Cooper Flagg had 18 in his first pro game at Madison Square Garden and Dallas rolled to a victory over New York, who were booed frequently in the first half while falling behind by 30.
The Knicks lost their fourth straight and ninth in 11 games, even with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart back from ankle injuries to return them to full strength.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, are missing numerous injured players but the ones who did suit up ran the Knicks off the floor in the first half to win their third straight game. Flagg had missed the previous two, both victories over Utah, with a sprained left ankle. The No. 1 pick also had seven rebounds, while Naji Marshall scored 18 points.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and 18 rebounds for the Knicks, and Brunson also had 22 points. Mitchell Robinson had 12 points and 15 rebounds.
SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama had a season-high seven 3-pointers and finished with 33 points and 10 rebounds hours after being named an All-Star starter for the first time as San Antonio beat Utah.
Wembanyama, named to his second All-Star team and the eighth San Antonio player to start, shot 7 for 12 from 3-point distance and finished one shy of his career best, set Nov. 13, 2024, against Washington.
The Spurs had seven players score in double figures in winning their third straight and for the fifth time in seven games.
The backcourt trio of Stephon Castle (18 points), Dylan Harper (15) and De’Aaron Fox (14) combined for 47 points for San Antonio.
Keyonte George had 30 points and Jusuf Nurkic added 20 for Utah.
