Okongwu scores 29 as Hawks beat Cavaliers 114-111

ATLANTA (AP) — Onyeka Okongwu scored a season-high 29 points and had 12 rebounds, leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 114-111 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.

Atlanta snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 3-3, and halted Cleveland’s three-game winning streak. The Cavs are 3-2.

Donovan Mitchell cut Atlanta’s lead to one on a driving layup with 20.6 seconds remaining. Nickeil Alexander-Walker made two free throws with 15.3 left to take the lead back to three and Mitchell got two potential tying looks off on the final possession, but misfired on both.

Alexander-Walker added 25 points for Atlanta, and Aaron Wiggins scored 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting off the bench.

James Harden led Cleveland with 24 points, followed by Mitchell with 22. Sam Merrill shot 4 of 8 from 3-point range for the Cavaliers.

Cleveland darted out to a 15-point first quarter lead, the fourth consecutive game the Hawks have trailed by at least 15 points.

Atlanta’s 16 first-quarter points were its lowest mark for any period so far this season, but it quickly turned the tables by forcing Cleveland into its joint-lowest scoring quarter of the season, also with 16.

Atlanta rallied with a 19-2 run in the second quarter, flipping a 35-24 deficit into a 43-37 lead.

The game was the second half of a doubleheader at State Farm Arena after the Atlanta Dream defeated the Golden State Valkyries 80-69 in Game 6 of the WNBA Finals.

PELICANS 132, KINGS 120

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jeremiah Fears had 22 points, a career-high 13 assists and eight rebounds to lead New Orleans to a win over Sacramento.

Zion Williamson had an efficient night with 22 points on 10 of 12 from the floor, with all of those made shots coming in the paint. Trey Murphy III added 18.

The Pelicans bench outscored the Kings’ reserves 41-8 in their first win of the year under new coach Jamahl Mosley.

Darius Acuff Jr. scored 34 points — the most of the rookie’s young career — to go along with 12 assists for the Kings. Domantas Sabonis, who entered the night leading the NBA in rebounding at 16.5 per game, had 15 boards to go along with seven assists, but he also turned the ball over seven times.

Those turnovers plagued Sacramento all night, as the Kings gave it up 25 times.

Fears’ big night in the backcourt was all the more important for the Pelicans, who were missing Jordan Poole (ankle) and Dejounte Murray (birth of child).

New Orleans never trailed after Murphy’s free throws made it 55-54 with 1:45 left in the first half.

GRIZZLIES 124, TRAIL BLAZERS 103

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Cameron Boozer had the first triple-double of his NBA career with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, and Memphis beat Portland to move to 5-0.

The Grizzlies had seven other players in double-figures, including three players off the bench. Isaiah Stewart led the Memphis reserves with 18 points. Deni Avdija led the Blazers with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Ja Morant had 14 points and three assists in 23 minutes in his first game against his former team but left the game in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return. One game after hitting a game-sealing 3-pointer against the Lakers, Damian Lillard went 3 of 13 from the field on Thursday.

With the Grizzlies holding a 2-point lead, they went on a 10-0 run to make it 87-75 with 2:09 left in the third quarter.

A 3-pointer by Zach Edey with 9:47 left gave the Grizzlies a 96-85 lead, forcing a Blazers timeout.

Morant cut the lead to 96-87 out of the timeout, but the Grizzlies kept the pressure on with back-to-back baskets by Western Conference Player of the Week Ty Jerome to the Memphis lead to 101-89.

Jerome scored 10 points on just 3 of 12 from the floor in the win and has cooled after a hot start to the year.