The Charlotte Hornets came from 22 points down and extended their winning streak to seven games with a 102-95 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night.

It’s the longest run for the Hornets (23-28) since they also won seven straight in March 2016, and the successful stretch has pulled Charlotte within one game of the Atlanta Hawks (24-27) for the 10th and final Play-In position in the Eastern Conference.

LaMelo Ball overcame a laceration above his right eye from a head-to-head collision near the bench with Charlotte coach Charles Lee in the first quarter to post 24 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.

The Hornets have gone 19-14 since opening the season 4-14.

The Pelicans (13-39) went ahead by 22 points with 3:21 left in the second quarter thanks to a 56-27 run, and they took a 15-point lead into half-time.

The Hornets then outscored New Orleans 53-31 over the final two quarters to keep their winning streak alive.

Trey Murphy III led the way with 27 points for the Pelicans, who have dropped 17 of their last 22 games.

 

Maxey, 76ers cool off Clippers

Tyrese Maxey made seven 3-pointers to finish with 29 points, Dominick Barlow added 26 points and 16 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 128-113 their fourth straight victory.

While there were more important ramifications in play for possible postseason standings, the story entering the game was a matchup of two big names playing their first game since being left off the All-Star rosters: Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Los Angeles’ Kawhi Leonard.

Embiid had 24 points in 32 minutes, as the former league MVP has played in 20 of the 76ers’ last 26 games and scored at least 20 points in each appearance.

Leonard led the Clippers with 29 points, while Jordan Miller had 21 points off the bench.

Los Angeles was without James Harden, who missed his second straight game due to personal reasons, while Philadelphia continues to play without Paul George, who is serving a 25-game suspension for a substance violation.

The Sixers led wire-to-wire and led by as many as 23 points in the first half.

The Clippers entered the game 17-4 in their previous 21 games as they push to make the postseason after starting the season 6-21.

 

Grizzlies end slide by beating Wolves

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 30 points, Ty Jerome added 19 and the Memphis Grizzlies held off a late rally for a 137-128 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Memphis led by as many as 20 in the second half and maintained a double-digit advantage into the fourth quarter. Minnesota scored 42 points in the final frame, but the Grizzlies scored enough to keep the lead safe and snap a six-game losing streak.

Jaylen Wells made 4 of 5 from 3-point range to finish with 18 points for Memphis, while Cam Spencer and Vince Williams Jr. each scored 16 points off the bench.

The Timberwolves, who entered the night on a four-game win streak, were led by Anthony Edwards’ 39 points and seven rebounds. Jaden McDaniels scored 29 points, and Done DiVincenzo finished with 21, including 13 in the fourth.

Monday’s meeting between the teams was a rematch of Saturday’s game, a 131-114 Timberwolves victory.