Brooklyn’s Ben Simmons goes to the basket against Chicago’s Coby White in the first half of Thursday’s game at New York. Mary Altaffer/Associated Press
NEW YORK — Spencer Dinwiddie scored 25 points in his first game since returning to Brooklyn and the Nets beat the Chicago Bulls 116-105 on Thursday night, hours after trading superstar Kevin Durant to Phoenix.
Joe Harris had 18 points, and Yuta Watanabe chipped in 14 points in 22 minutes off the bench. Dorian Finney-Smith, who came with Dinwiddie from Dallas in the trade for Kyrie Irving, had nine points and nine rebounds in his Nets debut.
It was Dinwiddie’s first game in a Nets uniform since Dec. 27, 2020. He spent five seasons with the team and returned with 18 points in the second half.
Zach LaVine scored 38 points and DeMar DeRozan had 14 for Chicago, which lost its second straight and fell to 10-18 on the road.
Playing short-handed and in danger of losing more ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race, the Nets snapped a two-game skid with a 20-6 fourth-quarter run, keyed by Dinwiddie and Watanabe. Dinwiddie scored 13 in the fourth and Watanabe hit a pair of 3s.
MAGIC 115, NUGGETS 104: Reserves Cole Anthony and Bol Bol each scored 17 points to lead Orlando over Western Conference-leading Denver at Orlando, Florida.
Wendell Carter Jr. led seven Magic scorers in double figures with 19 points, and Orlando’s bench outscored the Nuggets’ reserves 56-10. Orlando is in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 23-33.
Aaron Gordon had a season-high 37 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic had 29 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and combined with Gordon to score all 29 of Denver’s points in the third quarter.
After missing their first five shots and falling behind 12-0, the Magic shot 63% (27 for 43) for the rest of the first half. They led by 16 points before Gordon and Jokic helped Denver cut its deficit to 10 points – 65-55 – halftime.
Gordon (17 points) and Jokic (12) handled all the scoring for the Nuggets in the third quarter, and a 3-pointer by Gordon pulled them to within three late in the period.
But Gordon and Jokic spent he first 3:34 of the final quarter on the bench, and Anthony and Bol led a rally that pushed Orlando’s lead back to 107-88 with 6:05 remaining.
HAWKS 116, SUNS 107: Trae Young scored 25 of his 36 points in the second half and host Atlanta beat short-handed Phoenix.
After leading 56-47 at halftime, the Hawks extended their lead to 20 points in the third quarter.
Josh Okogie had 25 points and Deandre Ayton added 23 points and for Phoenix, which had its three-game winning streak end.
The Suns had only nine players available after trading Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges as part of a package for Kevin Durant, the 13-time All-Star, before Thursday’s trade deadline. Durant did not join his new team for the game, but the anticipation for his arrival is growing.
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