Brandon Miller’s 26 points lead the Charlotte Hornets to a sixth straight NBA win, holding off a late rally from Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs.
LOS ANGELES: Brandon Miller scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds to power the Charlotte Hornets over the San Antonio Spurs 111-106 for their sixth consecutive NBA triumph.
Miller, taken just behind Spurs top pick Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft, helped the hosts hold on after San Antonio sliced their 20-point lead to 106-104 with 97 seconds remaining.
After Wembanyama missed a potential tying three-pointer, Miller sank two free throws with 10.6 seconds remaining to create the final margin of victory.
“Got to take my hat off to them. Very competitive players,” Miller said of the Spurs’ fightback.
Collin Sexton added 21 off the bench and LaMelo Ball scored 16 points for Charlotte, whose win streak is their longest since March 2016.
Spurs reserve Dylan Harper scored 20 points while French All-Star Wembanyama had 16 points and eight rebounds.
In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid scored 40 points and added 11 rebounds to help the 76ers hold on for a 124-114 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The win came hours after Sixers star Paul George was suspended 25 games for violating the NBA Anti-Drug Program.
George told ESPN he mistakenly took an unapproved medication as part of mental health treatment.
Former NBA Most Valuable Player Embiid scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to secure the 76ers’ third straight win.
“I actually think I had a bad game,” Embiid said of his first 40-point game of the season.
Indiana guard Andrew Nembhard scored 26 points as the Pacers held off the Atlanta Hawks 129-124.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, fueled by 33 points from Anthony Edwards, notched their fourth straight victory, 131-114 over the Grizzlies in Memphis.
In Houston, Amen Thompson scored 21 points to lead the Rockets to a 111-107 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
The win came despite a 34-point, 12-rebound performance from the Mavericks’ 19-year-old rookie Cooper Flagg.
