DETROIT — Kevin Durant scored 32 points as the Houston Rockets ended the Detroit Pistons’ four-game winning streak with a 111-104 victory on Friday (Saturday in Manila).
Durant averages 30.6 points in 32 career games against the Pistons — his highest average against any other team. He added seven rebounds and three assists in 40 minutes without a turnover.
Alperen Sengun scored 19 points and Reed Shepherd added 18 points for the Rockets, who have won four of five. Amen Thompson had 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Houston, which had lost five straight on the road.
Jalen Duren led Detroit with 18 points and seven rebounds, but Detroit’s other four starters combined for 37 points on 13-of-35 shooting (37.1 percent).
Houston outscored Detroit 34-20 in the third quarter to turn a tie game into an 86-72 lead. Durant and Sheppard combined for 18 points in the quarter on 7-for-8 shooting.
Detroit got within 87-80 with a four-point possession early in the fourth. Cade Cunningham missed, but Jae’Sean Tate was called for a flagrant foul when he undercut Ron Holland II as he went for the rebound. Holland made both free throws and Duren dunked off a Cunningham lob.
After a Rockets turnover, Isaiah Stewart’s three-point play made it 87-83, but the Pistons couldn’t get even.
Josh Okogie’s three-pointer made it 101-93 with 5:19, and Houston moved the lead back to double figures on Shepherd’s layup with 2:04 left.
Durant had 18 points in the first half, but the Pistons had a 36-24 edge in points in the paint to keep the game tied at 52 going into the third quarter.
Houston’s defense stepped up early in the third quarter, holding Cunningham and Duncan Robinson to two shot attempts in the first eight minutes. The Rockets outshot Detroit 68.4 percent (13-19) to 36.4 percent (8—22) in the period.
Hawks 110, Suns 103
In Atlanta, Jalen Johnson scored 23 points and tied a career high with 18 rebounds for his NBA-leading 30th double-double, and the Atlanta Hawks rallied to beat Phoenix after the Suns lost Devin Booker to a right ankle injury.
Onyeka Okungwu had 25 points for the Hawks, who trailed 91-84 late in the third quarter but gained momentum after Booker went down. The Suns star scored a team-high 31 points and added four rebounds and three assists before leaving.
CJ McCollum extended his double-digit scoring streak to 34 games, scoring 21 points off the bench and adding four rebounds. McCollum and Corey Kispert were acquired in a trade with Washington in exchange for Trae Young in early January.
The Hawks, who outscored the Suns 26-12 in the fourth quarter, were 43 of 81 from the field overall, including 13 of 26 from three-point range.
The Hawks were without Kristaps Porzingis (Achilles tendinitis), Zaccharie Risacher (left knee contusion) and N’Faly Dante (torn ACL) in this one.
Cavs 123, Kings 118
In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points, Evan Mobley matched a season high with 29 points.
The Cavs, who have been streaky through much of this season, won for the fourth time in five games. They also improved to 16-5 against teams with losing records.
Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson has been hoping to get more consistency from his team, which can look like title contenders one night and dismal the next. That trend continued against the Kings, who rallied from an 11-point deficit to take a 114-113 lead with four minutes left.
But Mitchell, who has carried the Cavs through several rough patches, dropped a big triple with 2:29 left to put Cleveland up 118-114. AP
LAS VEGAS — Bantamweight fighter Cameron Smotherman collapsed Friday afternoon (Saturday in Manila) immediately after weighing in and his bout with Ricky Turcios at UFC 324 was canceled.
Smotherman made his way to the stage seemingly without any complications. But as he stepped onto the scale and successfully made weight at 135.5 pounds for Saturday’s event, his eyes appeared heavy, slowly blinking twice. He stepped off to his left, wobbling toward the stairs and falling face-first onto the stage in a scary moment.
Smotherman hit his head and chin on the stage.
After briefly sitting up with assistance, Smotherman laid back down on his left side before being rolled onto his back as doctors rushed to his aid for medical treatment.
Once again, roughly three minutes after collapsing, Smotherman was assisted to a seated position for another minute before being brought to his feet, where he appeared to go unconscious as he was carried off the stage by UFC personnel.
A UFC spokesperson said Smotherman was transported from T-Mobile Arena to a hospital for precautionary evaluations and is being discharged.
Smotherman was to face Turcios in a preliminary bout. UFC 324 will be the first to air on Paramount+, the new exclusive streaming partner for the organization after seven successful years with ESPN.