Spurs snap Rockets’ 11-game winning streak
Nuggets, Pelicans battling for final playoff spot in West Sixers claim 10th straight victory
LaMarcus Aldridge posted a double-double and received complementary scoring from Rudy Gay in the San Antonio Spurs’ 100-83 win over the visiting Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
The Spurs averted a season series sweep and snapped the Rockets’ 11-game winning streak in the process, holding Houston to 33.8 percent shooting.
Aldridge finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds for San Antonio, which desperately needed the victory to maintain pace in the hotly contested Western Conference postseason picture. The Spurs are fourth in the West, a half-game up on Oklahoma City.
Gay scored 21 off the San Antonio bench while the starting backcourt of Dejounte Murray and Danny Green combined for 25 points and 13 rebounds. James Harden led the Rockets with 25 points and eight assists.
Nuggets 128, Bucks 125 (OT)
Nikola Jokic had 35 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots to help host Denver recover from an 18-point, fourth-quarter deficit and post a crucial victory over Milwaukee.
Jamal Murray recorded 27 points and seven assists, and Paul Millsap contributed 26 points, 13 rebounds and five assists for Denver. Will Barton had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who moved within one game of the eighth-place Pelicans for the final Western Conference playoff spot.
Jabari Parker scored a season-best 35 points while Eric Bledsoe had 31 points and six assists for Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in defeat.
76ers 119, Hornets 102
Ben Simmons put on a clinic with 20 points, 15 assists, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks to lift Philadelphia past host Charlotte for a 10th straight win.
Marco Belinelli added a team-best 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting off the bench for the Sixers, who completed a four-game sweep of the season series with Charlotte.
The Sixers have their first 10-game win streak since starting the 2000/01 season 10-0.
Thunder 109, Pelicans 104
Russell Westbrook had a triple-double as Oklahoma City held on against host New Orleans, which is clinging on to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Westbrook finished with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists as the Thunder ended a three-game losing streak. Paul George added a game-high 27 points, and Carmelo Anthony had 16 points.
Anthony Davis had 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Pelicans, who lost their fourth straight.
Cavaliers 98, Mavericks 87
LeBron James racked up his 17th triple-double of the season with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists as Cleveland came from behind at home to beat Dallas.
The Cavaliers were down by four points entering the fourth quarter but used a 13-0 run over a four-minute time-frame in the middle of the period to take charge.
With the win, Cleveland remains in third place in the Eastern Conference standings with five games to play. The Cavaliers can finish no better than third, but they are just a half-game up on Philadelphia and a game ahead of Indiana as those three teams battle for the Nos. 3-5 spots in the East.
Warriors 117, Suns 107
Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Quinn Cook hit three-pointers during a 17-2, third-quarter flurry that helped host Golden State break open a close game in a victory over Phoenix.
Durant finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Warriors, who snapped a three-game home losing streak, their longest since January 2014.
The Suns lost their 15th straight despite 22-point efforts from Marquese Chriss and Josh Jackson.
Trail Blazers 113, Grizzlies 98
Portland outscored visiting Memphis 43-24 in the third quarter, breaking open a tight game and then cruising to victory.
Damian Lillard scored 27 points and C.J. McCollum added 20 points for the Trail Blazers, who won for the 17th time in 20 outings.
Rookie Dillon Brooks scored 28 points for the Grizzlies.
Bulls 113, Wizards 94
Lauri Markkanen scored 23 points, and Chicago won its second game in a row, topping Washington, which was without John Wall.
Wall returned from a two-month absence Saturday and helped the Wizards clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Hornets. Washington’s All-Star guard missed 27 games recovering from a knee injury. He had 15 points and 14 assists against the Hornets but was given Sunday’s contest off.