Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid reacts after being called for a foul during the second half of Wednesday’s game against the Houston Rockets at Philadelphia. Matt Slocum/Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid had 31 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists and hit a key jumper late to help the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Houston Rockets 118-113 on Wednesday night.

Seth Curry scored 25 points and Tobias Harris added 24 for the Eastern Conference-leading 76ers, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Ben Simmons (illness) didn’t play for the 76ers a game after scoring a career-high 42 points and adding nine rebounds and 12 assists.

John Wall scored 28 points for the short-handed Rockets. Houston, playing without injured starters P.J. Tucker and Victor Oladipo, has lost seven in a row. DeMarcus Cousins and Jae’Sean Tate had 19 points each and Eric Gordon contributed 17.

The 76ers led by 29 points in the second half and looked on their way to an easy victory when Tyrese Maxey’s two free throws made it 100-82 with 10:07 to play. But Philadelphia relaxed enough to let Houston slowly back into the contest.

Gordon’s 3-pointer with 3:54 remaining cut the margin under double-digits for the first time since early in the second quarter, pulling the Rockets within 108-99. Then, Wall scored eight straight points, the last two on a pair of free throws with 1:28 left, to make it 110-107. Embiid answered with a baseline, 12-foot jump shot and the 76ers made enough free throws in the final minute to hold on.

Embiid returned to the lineup after sitting out Monday’s 134-123 loss at Utah due to back stiffness. The 76ers’ big man looked sluggish at times in the first half and grabbed at his back after getting his shot blocked by Cousins with 47.8 seconds left in the first half.

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MAGIC 107, KNICKS 89: Terrence Ross scored 18 of his season-high 30 points in the second half, and Orlando used a decisive third-quarter run to beat visiting New York.

Orlando went on a 25-8 run over the final nine minutes of the third quarter and outscored New York 30-14 in the period to wipe out a three-point halftime deficit. The Knicks’ season-best three-game winning streak ended.

Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 17 rebounds, his 20th double-double of the season. Evan Fournier, playing for the first time in more than a week because of back spasms, scored 19 points. Orlando hit 16 of 34 3-point attempts and shot 45.7% from the floor.

Julius Randle had 25 points and seven rebounds for New York.

WIZARDS 130, NUGGETS 128: Bradley Beal made two free throws with a tenth of a second left to give host Washington its third straight victory.

Davis Bertans had career highs with nine 3-pointers and 35 points, Beal finished with 25 points and a season-high 10 assists, and Russell Westbrook had a triple-double with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists.

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Jamal Murray led Denver with 35 points, and Nikola Jokic scored 33 points.

BULLS 105, PISTONS 102: Zach LaVine scored 37 points and Chicago beat visiting Detroit on short notice.

The Bulls were scheduled to visit Charlotte, with the Pistons at Dallas. Those games got called off Tuesday by the NBA because of COVID-19 contact tracing concerns with the Hornets and power outages in Texas. The Bulls and Pistons were then scheduled to play each other, instead.

PACERS 134, TIMBERWOLVES 128: Domantas Sabonis had 36 points, 17 rebounds and 10 rebounds, and Malcolm Brogdon added 32 points and nine rebounds as Indiana beat host Minnesota in overtime.

Sabonis, Brogdon and the Pacers erased a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Indiana trailed 98-88 and eventually took a five-point lead in the fourth. Sabonis knocked down a pair of free throws with 11.1 seconds left in regulation to help send the game to overtime tied at 121.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 30 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota.

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NOTES

CAVALIERS: Kevin Love took part in most of the Cavaliers’ practice, moving the five-time All-Star closer to playing after missing most of the season with a calf injury.

Love has been out since Dec. 27, when he aggravated a calf strain he initially incurred in the team’s exhibition opener.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Love was able to do “quite a bit of the live stuff” during the workout as the Cavs, who have lost eight straight, got in a previously unscheduled practice after Wednesday’s game against San Antonio was postponed because of a COVID-19 outbreak among the Spurs.

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