NEW ORLEANS - Anthony Davis scored 27 points, DeMarcus Cousins had 15 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists before seriously injuring his left Achilles, and New Orleans survived a furious Houston rally for a 115-113 victory over the Rockets on Friday night.
A person familiar with the situation said Pelicans team physicians have provided a preliminary diagnosis of an Achilles tear, which would end Cousins' season little more than a week after he was named an All-Star starter.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because, officially, the team said an MRI will determine the severity of the injury.
Yahoo! first reported the initial diagnosis.
The injury, which occurred as Cousins pursued a missed free throw with 12 second left in the game, all but squelched the jubilation from a team and its fans, who otherwise would have been celebrating a fourth straight victory and seventh in eight games (see full recap).
Antetokounmpo scores 41 points in return from injury
MILWAUKEE - Giannis Antetokounmpo had 41 points and 13 rebounds to help the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Brooklyn Nets 116-91 on Friday night.
Antetokounmpo returned after sitting out two games to manage chronic pain in his right knee. He sealed it late, dribbling between his legs before hitting a jumper over Quincy Acy and drawing a foul. Antetokounmpo made the free throw, and hit a 3-pointer on the next possession.
Philadelphia 76ers
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia 76ers and their rivals in the NBA from NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Khris Middleton added 21 points for the Bucks in their second game since coach Jason Kidd was fired Monday. They also beat the Nets for the ninth consecutive time.
DeMarre Carroll and D'Angelo Russell had 14 points apiece for Brooklyn.
Milwaukee built a 26-point first-half lead. Brooklyn, which had just 35 points at the half, scored 37 in the third quarter and got within seven points late in the period (see full recap).
Rubio's 3-pointer with 4 seconds left lifts Jazz past Raptors
TORONTO - Ricky Rubio's big 3-pointer gave the Utah Jazz back-to-back wins for the first time in more than a month.
Rubio drained the winning basket with 4 seconds remaining as the Jazz earned a 97-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
"Ricky is mentally tough," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "He wants those shots and he got one tonight. It was good to see him knock it down."
Rubio had missed all four of his shot attempts in the second half, but didn't flinch before firing up the game-winner.
"It was easy to take that shot," Rubio said. "I was open and I had to take it. There was no other option. It felt good and I let it fly" (see full recap).
Williams posts 40 points, 10 assists in Clippers' win over Grizzlies
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Lou Williams had 40 points and matched his season-high with 10 assists in the Los Angeles Clippers' 109-100 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
Williams was 12 of 19 from the field and the Clippers shot 49 percent from the field, going 10 of 27 from outside the arc, to snap a three-game skid. Milos Teodosic added 18 points, DeAndre Jordan had 15 points and nine rebounds, and Blake Griffin finished with 14 points.
Grizzlies center Marc Gasol had a triple-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Memphis was hindered by 20 turnovers leading to 22 Clippers points.
Memphis shot 48 points, but managed to convert only 8 of 27 from outside the arc (see full recap).
