WASHINGTON — Kyle Kuzma had 15 points and 16 rebounds, and Bradley Beal added 13 points in his return from a three-game absence to lift the Washington Wizards to a 117-98 victory over Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.

Washington Coach Wes Unseld Jr. missed a second straight game after entering health and safety protocols. Assistant Pat Delany, who coached the team Saturday, also entered the protocols, forcing assistant Joseph Blair to take over for this game.

Beal had been out since entering the protocols himself, but he returned and scored 11 points in the first quarter. Washington went on an early 11-0 run and never looked back.

Embiid scored 32 points for the 76ers, but he was on the receiving end of the game’s biggest highlight when Kuzma dunked over him in the second quarter. Philadelphia lost for only the second time in its last 11 games.

HORNETS 97, KNICKS 87: Miles Bridges scored a career-high 38 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, leading Charlotte to a victory in New York.

Terry Rozier added 22 points. He and Bridges combined to outscore the Knicks by themselves in the first half as Charlotte bounced back nicely from a loss to Orlando that ended its four-game winning streak.

The Hornets played without LaMelo Ball but didn’t miss their flashy point guard, with Bridges driving them to a strong start. He scored 28 points in the first half and got the basket that tied his previous high of 35 in the fourth quarter with a spectacular baseline drive and reverse scoop that had teammates grinning.

Rozier had 17 in the first half, when Charlotte led 62-44.

MAVERICKS 104, THUNDER 102: Luka Doncic had 20 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for his third triple-double in five games, and surging Dallas withstood a late run by visiting Oklahoma City.

Dorian Finney-Smith added 17 points and 10 rebounds and Kristaps Porzingis had 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for the Mavericks, who have won three straight and 9 of 10.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points to lead the Thunder, who have dropped 7 of 8.

GRIZZLIES 119, BULLS 106: Desmond Bane and Ja Morant scored 25 points each, and Memphis dominated short-handed Chicago in Memphis, Tennessee, for its 12th win in 13 games.

Brandon Clarke added 15 points and seven rebounds in the Grizzlies’ main event of the 20th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.

DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 24 points and five assists, Ayo Dosunmu had 15 points and Coby White finished with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists for Chicago, which lost its fourth straight.

CLIPPERS 139, PACERS 133: Nicolas Batum scored a season-high 32 points, Reggie Jackson added 26 points and host Los Angeles beat Indiana.

Marcus Morris had 21 points for the Clippers, who snapped a two-game skid with their highest-scoring game of the season. Batum and Jackson combined to score 33 of their team’s 35 points in the fourth.

Caris LeVert had 26 points and nine rebounds before fouling out with 28 seconds to play and the Pacers down by five. Chris Duarte added 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists as seven Pacers scored in double figures. They’ve lost four in a row and 10 of 11.

SUNS 121, SPURS 107: Devin Booker had a season-high 48 points and visiting Phoenix dominated the fourth quarter to defeat San Antonio for its fourth straight victory.

Chris Paul added 15 points and 12 assists as Phoenix won its sixth straight on the road and fifth consecutive in San Antonio.

Spurs center Jakob Poeltl had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Dejounte Murray added 18 points.

CAVALIERS 114, NETS 107: Darius Garland strengthened his All-Star case with 22 points and 12 assists, leading Cleveland to a win over visiting Brooklyn, who began a stretch without injured superstar Kevin Durant.

Isaac Okoro added 15 points and Jarrett Allen had 14 and 10 rebounds for the Cavs, who won their fifth straight.

Kyrie Irving scored 27 points in his fourth game of the season and James Harden added 22 for Brooklyn, which was playing its first game since Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer, sprained his left knee. He’s expected to be out several weeks.

HAWKS 121, BUCKS 114: Trae Young scored 30 points for struggling Atlanta, who trailed for much of the game before rallying for a victory over Milwaukee, snapping a 10-game home losing streak.

Winning at State Farm Arena for the first time since Nov. 22, the Hawks avoided their longest stretch without a home victory since an 11-game skid near the end of the dismal 2004-05 season, when Atlanta finished 13-69.

Khris Middleton scored 34 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 for the Bucks.

TRAIL BLAZERS 98, MAGIC 88: CJ McCollum scored 16 points in his first game back from a collapsed lung, Jusuf Nurkic added 21 points and a season-best 22 rebounds, and visiting Portland beat Orlando.

McCollum missed 17 games over six weeks after being injured Dec. 4. The ninth-year pro started but played on a minutes restriction. He made 7 of 13 shots and 2 of 4 3-pointers in 28 minutes.

Portland beat the Magic for a 10th straight time dating to Jan. 13, 2017.

HEAT 104, RAPTORS 99: Tyler Herro scored 23 points, Jimmy Butler got a triple-double in the game’s final moment and Miami held off visiting Toronto.

Bam Adebayo, in his first game back after missing six weeks following thumb surgery, scored 14 points and made a pair of free throws with 8.5 seconds remaining.

Butler finished with 19 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds – the last of those coming as time was expiring, when Fred VanVleet’s 3-point try missed.

Gabe Vincent scored 15 points for Miami, which pulled into a virtual tie with Chicago for first in the Eastern Conference.

VanVleet finished with 22 points for Toronto.

NOTES

NETS: Guard Kyrie Irving insists an injury to teammate Kevin Durant won’t change his stance on not getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

Irving, who only recently returned to action after a drawn-out stalemate over getting vaccinated, said following a loss to the Cavaliers that he has no intention of getting the shot – and nothing will sway him.

“That’s my decision already, and I’m standing on it,” Irving said.

The seven-time All-Star point guard has become a lightning rod of sorts for his decision not to get the vaccine. And due to COVID-19 mandates in New York City concerning public arenas, Irving is not permitted to play in home games.

His decision to remain unvaccinated is having a dramatic impact on the Nets and their ability to contend for an NBA championship, something that almost seemed assured when the team landed Irving, Durant and James Harden.