NBA scores: Beal leads Wizards in 117-110 win over Clippers

Washington Wizards guard John Wall shoots against Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul, centre, during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Washington on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016. (AP / Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON - Bradley Beal scored 41 points, Markieff Morris had 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, and the Washington Wizards beat the Los Angeles Clippers 117-110 on Sunday.

John Wall added 18 points and 11 assists for the Wizards. They closed with a 22-8 run to win their third straight game and fifth in six.

Blake Griffin scored 26 points for the Clippers, but was held scoreless during a fourth quarter in which coach Doc Rivers was ejected.

DeAndre Jordan added 13 points and 17 rebounds, and Chris Paul had 13 points and 12 assists. Los Angeles had won four in a row.

Washington shot 80 per cent (12 of 15) from the floor in the fourth after already coming back from an 11-point deficit in the third.

JAZZ 82, GRIZZLIES 73

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Gordon Hayward scored 22 points and Rudy Gobert had 21 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, helping Utah win a defensive battle.

The win -Utah's fourth straight and seventh in the last eight - came after the Jazz broke open a close game with about four minutes remaining. Boris Diaw, Hayward and Shelvin Mack connected on a trio of 3-pointers, turning a 66-all tie into a Jazz win. Diaw had 11 points and Mack had 10.

Mike Conley led Memphis with 14 points, while Zach Randolph had 12 points and 11 rebounds. JaMychal Green added 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Memphis managed only 30 per cent shooting on the night against the aggressive Jazz defence. That included the Grizzlies converting only 2 of 23 shots from outside the arc.

SPURS 113, PELICANS 100

SAN ANTONIO - LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points and San Antonio paid tribute to Tim Duncan on his jersey retirement night with a fundamentally strong performance.

San Antonio won its fourth straight overall and fourth consecutive at home after a slow start at the AT&T Center.

The Spurs retired Duncan's jersey after the game. The franchise cornerstone retired in the off-season after winning five championships and two MVPs in 19 seasons, all with San Antonio.

Duncan's style of play led to the nickname "The Big Fundamental," and the Spurs honoured him with their own rather seamless performance against the Pelicans.

RAPTORS 109, MAGIC 79

ORLANDO, Fla. - DeMar DeRozan scored 31 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 16 points and 13 rebounds, helping Toronto beat Orlando.

DeRozan has scored at least 30 points in four straight games and 15 times overall this season. Toronto exploded in the third quarter to open a 20-point lead and has scored 100 points in 14 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NBA.

Toronto outscored the Magic 29-13 in the third quarter to break open a four-point halftime advantage.

Evan Fournier led the Magic with 15 points but was plagued by foul trouble trying to guard the more physical DeMarre Carroll.

76ERS 108, NETS 107

PHILADELPHIA - Joel Embiid scored 17 of his career-high 33 points in the third quarter and hit a pair of free throws with 12.5 seconds left to lead Philadelphia over Brooklyn in a matchup of two of the league's worst teams.

Embiid added 10 rebounds and Ersan Ilyasova had 22 points for the 76ers, who snapped an eight-game home losing streak while winning for the third time in 13 games.

A leading Rookie of the Year candidate, Embiid was 12 for 17 from the field, including 2 for 3 from beyond the arc, and 7 for 8 from the free-throw line.

Brook Lopez had 22 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Nets, who lost their ninth in a row on the road.

CELTICS 105, HEAT 95

MIAMI - Isaiah Thomas scored 23 points before getting ejected, Avery Bradley added 20 and Boston built a huge early lead on the way to beating Miami.

Al Horford had 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Celtics. They led by 22 in the first half and beat Miami for the fifth consecutive time.

Miami turned the ball over 23 times, and Boston converted those into 24 points. And the Heat, the worst free-throw shooting team in the NBA, went 6 for 14 from the line in the fourth quarter.

Goran Dragic led all scorers with 31 points for Miami. Hassan Whiteside finished with 23 points and 17 rebounds, all but one of those rebounds coming in the second half.

Thomas was ejected with 3:02 left for elbowing Justise Winslow in the face, bloodying the Heat forward and being assessed with a flagrant-2 after a lengthy review.

MAVERICKS 99, KINGS 79

DALLAS - Rookie Dorian Finney-Smith scored a season-high 17 points, leading six Dallas players in double figures.

After losing to Sacramento by 31 points at home 11 days ago, the Mavericks started fast. They made 11 of their first 15 shots and never trailed.

Deron Williams, Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews each scored 15 for Dallas.

DeMarcus Cousins scored 33 for Sacramento. The Kings were minus second-leading scorer Rudy Gay, who missed his third consecutive game because of a strained right hip flexor.