Mavericks end Rockets 11-game win streak 125-107
HOUSTON (AP) — Luka Doncic had 47 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, Kyrie Irving added 24 points and seven assists, and the Dallas Mavericks won their seventh straight and snapped the Houston Rockets’ 11-game winning streak with a 125-107 victory on Sunday night.
Doncic scored 32 points in the first half on 12-of-18 shooting, going 6 of 10 on 3-pointers, as the Mavs led 66-45. Doncic had 22 in the first quarter alone and finished 18 of 30 from the field, including 9 of 16 on 3s.
Dante Exum had 13 points and P.J. Washington had 12 points and six rebounds for the Mavericks. Dallas shot 52% and was 24 of 47 on 3-pointers.
Dallas tied idle New Orleans for fifth in the Western Conference with eight games remaining for each team.
Jabari Smith Jr. scored 28 points and Aaron Holiday added 16, but Jalen Green was held to just 12 on 5-for-15 shooting as Houston’s push for a play-in spot stalled.
Houston shot 42% and was 13 of 38 on 3s.
THUNDER 113, KNICKS 112
NEW YORK (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made the go-ahead jumper from the corner with 2.6 seconds left, sending Oklahoma City to the playoffs for the first time since 2020 with a victory over New York.
Josh Giddey had 16 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for Oklahoma City, which moved back into sole possession of first place in the Western Conference at 52-22 with its second straight win.
It was Giddey’s third career triple-double — all against the Knicks. He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, when the Thunder outscored the Knicks 38-27.
Jalen Williams led all scorers with 33 points and Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 19.
Jalen Brunson scored 30 points but missed the potential winning jumper in another tough loss for the Knicks, who lost in overtime Friday in San Antonio. Deuce McBride added 19 and Donte DiVincenzo scored 15.
NUGGETS 130, CAVALIERS 101
DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists for his 22nd triple-double of the season, and Denver beat Cleveland to snap a two-game home losing streak.
Jokic got his 128th career triple-double despite dealing with a sore right wrist that nearly kept him out of Friday’s loss to Minnesota.
Denver guard Jamal Murray missed his fifth straight game due to knee and ankle injuries but has progressed, coach Michael Malone said before the game.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added a season-high 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. Reggie Jackson had 19 points starting in place of the injured Murray and Michael Porter Jr. also scored 19 points for the Nuggets (52-23), who entered play a half-game behind Minnesota and Oklahoma City for the top spot in the Western Conference.
Evan Mobley scored 23 points and Jarrett Allen had 19 for Cleveland, which has dropped eight of 12. The Cavaliers (45-30) began the day a half-game ahead of New York for fourth in the East.
LAKERS 116, NETS 104
NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James had one of the best shooting nights of his illustrious career, going 9 for 10 behind the arc to tie his career high for 3-pointers, and matched a season high with 40 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a victory over Brooklyn.
James had the sellout crowd at Barclays Center standing on its feet as he put the finishing touches on his 3-point shooting display in the fourth quarter. He reached 40 points for the third time this season, most recently on March 16 in a home loss to Golden State.
The Lakers have won five of six since then, and this victory moved them a season-high nine games over .500 with seven games remaining in the regular season. Los Angeles remained ninth in the Western Conference, but the Lakers could catch the Sacramento Kings for eighth or the Phoenix Suns for seventh in the West, taking them out of the single-elimination No.9-vs.-No 10 play-in game.
If James has another game like this in the postseason, just about anything is possible for the NBA’s career scoring leader who continues to amaze at age 39.
The 20-time All Star finished 13 for 17 overall as the Lakers played the fourth game of a six-game road trip and rebounded from a loss Friday night at Indiana that snapped their five-game winning streak.
Anthony Davis added 24 points and 14 rebounds, and Rui Hachimura had 20 points and 10 rebounds in a game the Lakers led by 20 in the first quarter and controlled throughout.
WARRIORS 117, SPURS 113
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Stephen Curry had 33 points and Golden State held on to beat undermanned San Antonio for their fourth straight victory.
Curry was 12 for 23 from the field, hitting 7 of 15 3-pointer attempts, as Golden State clings to the final play-in spot in the Western Conference — two games ahead of Houston after the Rockets’ home loss to Dallas on Sunday.
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama had 32 points and nine rebounds.
Wembanyama was called for an over-the-back foul on what would have been his 10th rebound with four seconds remaining. Warriors forward Draymond Green made one of two free throws to seal the victory.
Green finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
San Antonio had a 7-0 run to cut Golden State’s lead to 113-111 with 59 seconds remaining. Klay Thompson responded with a 3-pointer.
Thompson finished with 13 points.
76ERS 135, RAPTORS 120
TORONTO (AP) — Kelly Oubre Jr. scored a season-high 32 points, Kyle Lowry had 11 points and 10 assists against his former team and Philadelphia snapped a three-game losing streak, beating Toronto.
Cam Payne scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, Tobias Harris had 21 and Nicolas Batum 19 to help Philadelphia send Toronto to its 13th straight loss and seventh in a row against the 76ers.
Oubre shot 10 for 22, matching a season high by making 6 of 11 3-point attempts. Philadelphia made a season-high 24 3-pointers on 43 tries.
Guard Tyrese Maxey sat for the 76ers because of tightness in his left hip.
Before the game, Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said injured center Joel Embiid participated Saturday in a light practice in Toronto. The reigning NBA MVP has been out since Feb. 6 following left knee surgery.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 23 points for Toronto. Jordan Nwora added 19, and Kelly Olynyk had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
CLIPPERS 130, HORNETS 118
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Paul George knocked down eight 3-pointers and finished with a season-high 41 points, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated Charlotte for their fifth straight road win.
George finished 14 of 21 from the field and 8 of 12 from beyond the arc to beat the Hornets for the 12th consecutive time.
Ivica Zubac had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Kawhi Leonard chipped in with 23 points for the Clippers (47-27).
Miles Bridges scored 33 points on seven 3s and Brandon Miller had 22 for Charlotte (18-56), which has lost eight of nine and continues to limp toward the season finish line.
The Clippers entered the game in fourth place in the Western Conference and were looking to improve their seeding. They built a 12-point halftime lead behind George, who had 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting including five 3s and scored with ease while defended by the rookie Miller.
HEAT 119, WIZARDS 107
WASHINGTON (AP) — Terry Rozier III scored 27 points, Bam Adebayo had 22 and Miami Heat grinded out a victory over Washington.
Jimmy Butler added 17 points for the Heat, who won their second straight. Miami, seventh in the Eastern Conference, went 25 for 29 from the free throw line to move within a half-game of Indiana in the race to avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Jordan Poole scored 22 points and Marvin Bagley III had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Washington on a night Wizards leading scorer Kyle Kuzma sat out with a bruised right heel. Anthony Gill tied a career high with 18 points for the Wizards, who have lost three in a row following a season-high three-game win streak.
Miami hit seven 3-pointers — half of their total makes all game — to take control during a 24-7 run that stretched across halftime. Rozier hit the final two before the interval, the second giving the Heat a 66-59 edge at the break, their largest lead to that point.
BULLS 109, TIMBERWOLVES 101
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — DeMar DeRozan had 27 points and eight assists and Alex Caruso added 21 points on a season-high seven 3-pointers as hot-shooting Chicago beat Minnesota.
Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and eight rebounds, Coby White scored 17 and Ayo Dosunmu added 13 for the Bulls, who shot 52.5% from the floor, including 58.6% from 3-point range.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 22 points and 11 rebounds, but he also had six of Minnesota’s 14 turnovers. Rudy Gobert had 19 points and 10 boards, Mike Conley finished with 19 points and seven assists, and Naz Reid had 14 points for the Timberwolves, who were trying to clinch a Western Conference playoff spot.
Minnesota trailed by as much as 16 in the third quarter. But the Wolves chipped away, finally taking the lead 98-96 on Gobert’s 3-point play with 5:21 remaining. That was part of a 9-0 run that brought the packed Target Center crowd to its feet.
But DeRozan answered with a steal and a transition layup, then buried a 3 to put the Bulls back on top.
Caruso then hit his seventh 3-pointer and White scored on a fast break as the Bulls took a 106-99 lead with 2:03 to play.
KINGS 127, JAZZ 106
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Harrison Barnes scored 24 points and keyed a big third-quarter run for Sacramento that carried them to a victory over Utah.
Keegan Murray scored 25 points to lead the Kings. De’Aaron Fox had 24 points and 12 assists, and Domantas Sabonis had 17 points and 11 rebounds for his 57th straight double-double. That helped the Kings complete a three-game series sweep against Utah for their first season sweep against the Jazz since the 2001-02 season.
Sacramento moved into a tie for seventh place in the Western Conference with Phoenix but remained two games behind sixth-place Dallas in the race to avoid the play-in tournament.
Brice Sensabaugh and Collin Sexton each scored 22 points for the Jazz, who have lost nine straight games overall. Utah has dropped 11 in a row on the road and hasn’t won away from home since Jan. 27 at Charlotte.