Philadelphia rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat Charlotte 118-114, with Joel Embiid scoring 29 points and making a crucial late-game block. The victory ended the Hornets’ five-game winning streak and gave the 76ers the season series advantage.

The Philadelphia 76ers mounted an impressive comeback Saturday night, overcoming a 15-point deficit to defeat the Charlotte Hornets 118-114 in North Carolina. Joel Embiid led the charge with 29 points and delivered a crucial defensive block in the game’s final moments.

The victory brought Charlotte’s impressive five-game winning streak to an end and secured Philadelphia a 2-1 season series win, which could prove valuable for Eastern Conference playoff positioning.

Philadelphia received significant contributions from returning players. Paul George, playing just his second game after completing a 25-game suspension related to the league’s anti-drug policy violations, contributed 26 points. Tyrese Maxey matched that total with 26 points in his comeback performance after sitting out 10 games due to a finger injury.

Charlotte was paced by Brandon Miller’s 29-point effort, while LaMelo Ball chipped in 20 points and Coby White added 16. Despite the loss, the Hornets secured their first playoff tournament berth since 2022 after Milwaukee fell to San Antonio earlier Saturday.

Spurs 127, Bucks 95

Stephon Castle recorded his fourth triple-double this season as San Antonio dominated Milwaukee on the road, extending their winning streak to eight consecutive games.

The victory marked San Antonio’s 13th win in their last 14 contests, keeping them within striking distance of Oklahoma City for the Western Conference’s top position. The Spurs trail the defending champion Thunder by just two games with eight regular season matchups remaining.

Castle posted 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Victor Wembanyama paced all scorers with 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Milwaukee, playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo for the sixth consecutive game due to a left knee issue, was led by Gary Trent Jr.’s 18 points.

Pistons 109, Timberwolves 87

Tobias Harris delivered an efficient 18-point performance on 7-of-10 shooting as Detroit dominated Minnesota in Minneapolis for a convincing road victory.

Ronald Holland II and Daniss Jenkins each contributed 13 points for the Pistons, who captured their sixth victory in seven outings. Paul Reed provided 12 points from the bench, while Jalen Duren achieved a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Minnesota’s Donte DiVincenzo topped all scorers with 22 points, connecting on five three-point attempts. Rudy Gobert recorded 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Julius Randle managed just 11 points on a difficult 2-of-13 shooting night. Detroit’s 60-43 second-half scoring advantage proved decisive.

Hawks 123, Kings 113

Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s 27-point performance and Jalen Johnson’s 26 points and 10 assists helped Atlanta defeat Sacramento, delivering coach Quin Snyder his 500th career victory and making him the sixth active NBA coach to reach that milestone.

CJ McCollum added 22 points while Jock Landale recorded 19 points and 13 rebounds for Atlanta, which has now won 15 of their last 17 games. Zaccharie Risacher scored 13 points and Mohamed Gueye contributed 10 for the Hawks, who maintain a half-game advantage over Philadelphia for the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed.

Sacramento received 22 points from DeMar DeRozan and 18 points with 10 rebounds from Maxime Raynaud. Precious Achiuwa scored 16, DaQuan Jeffries added 15, and Daeqwon Plowden contributed 14 for the Kings, who suffered their third straight defeat. Malik Monk and Killian Hayes each scored 10 points.

Suns 134, Jazz 109

Jalen Green exploded for 31 points with five three-pointers while Devin Booker added 26 points as Phoenix matched their season scoring high in a dominant performance against Utah.

Grayson Allen scored 19 points and Oso Ighodaro contributed 13 points and eight rebounds for the Suns, who snapped a rough stretch that saw them lose six of seven games. Green shot an impressive 13-of-22 from the field and 5-of-11 from beyond the arc, adding six rebounds and three assists in just 22 minutes. Booker distributed eight assists.

Utah received 26 points from Kyle Filipowski, who also grabbed nine rebounds, while Brice Sensabaugh matched that scoring total. Svi Mykhailiuk scored all 14 of his points after halftime for the Jazz, who have now dropped five straight games and 17 of their last 20.

Grizzlies 125, Bulls 124

Cedric Coward’s 24-point effort, including two clutch free throws with 6.5 seconds remaining, lifted Memphis over Chicago and ended a five-game losing skid.

Tyler Burton contributed 18 points for the Grizzlies while Jahmai Mashack added 17. Rayan Rupert and DeJon Jarreau each finished with 14 points.

Chicago was led by Matas Buzelis, who recorded 29 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Collin Sexton’s 26-point output. Josh Giddey notched his 13th triple-double this season with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Tre Jones added 19 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. The Bulls extended their losing streak to three games and have now fallen in five of their last six contests.