|
 Williams scored 11 points in the first quarter as the Hornets raced
to a 19-point lead in the first half and never trailed.
The Hornets (36-28) have won 12 of their last 14. They entered the
game in the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference standings and
clinched a tiebreaker over the Pistons, who began the game at No. 8.
Kemba Walker finished with 16 points as his streak of four games of
30 or more points ended. He was 3 of 11 from the field and 1 of 5
from 3-point range.
Nicolas Batum added 17 points and 11 assists.
Grizzlies 121, Pelicans 114 (OT)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Lance Stephenson scored a career-high 33 points
and Matt Barnes added a triple-double of 26 points, 11 rebounds and
10 assists to lead injury-depleted Memphis to an overtime victory
over New Orleans at FedExForum.
Stephenson, whose previous career high was 28 points, scored six of
his points in overtime, including a spinning, left-handed layup that
gave the Grizzlies a 112-106 lead with 1:16 left. Memphis' JaMychal
Green added 21 points and 10 rebounds and had seven overtime points.
Briante Weber, making his NBA debut for the Grizzlies, had 10 points
and seven assists in 40 minutes after signing a 10-day contract
Friday morning.
Rockets 102, Celtics 98
BOSTON -- Five days after ending the Toronto Raptors' 12-game home
winning streak, Houston ended Boston's 14-game streak.
James Harden scored 32 points, including nine in the final 3:09 to
ice the game, to lead the Rockets to their third straight road
victory.
The Celtics, playing a four-guard offense after losing Jae Crowder
to a right ankle sprain in the third quarter, used an 8-0 run to cut
a 10-point deficit to two with 6:17 left. The Rockets then used a
10-4 spurt to maintain control, but needed Harden's free-throw
shooting to put the game away.
Heat 118, Bulls 96
CHICAGO -- Short-handed Chicago put up a good fight for three
quarters, but Miami dominated the fourth to win at the United
Center.
Chicago played without injured starting guards Jimmy Butler (knee
sprain) and Derrick Rose (groin strain). The Bulls trailed just
84-81 starting the fourth, but were outscored 34-15 in the quarter
and 64-38 in the second half.
Timberwolves 99, Thunder 96
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Gorgui Dieng scored 25 points to lead Minnesota to
a victory over Oklahoma City at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Dieng was 7 of 12 from the field and 11 of 11 from the free-throw
line. Andrew Wiggins scored 20 points and Ricky Rubio posted 12
assists and 13 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer as the
Timberwolves improved to 21-45.
Kevin Durant scored 28 points on 11 of 20 shooting for the Thunder.
Russell Westbrook added 26 points and eight assists. Enes Kanter
came off the bench to pour in 17 points and 14 rebounds. But it was
not enough as the Thunder fell to 44-21.
76ers 95, Nets 89
PHILADELPHIA -- Seldom-used forward Carl Landry scored 16 points as
depleted Philadelphia hung on to beat Brooklyn, snapping a 13-game
losing streak.
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Nerlens Noel added 13 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots
for the Sixers, who improved to 9-56. The NBA's worst team, they can
no do no worse than equal the worst full-season record in league
history, the 9-73 mark of Philadelphia's 1972-73 team.
The Sixers, whose last victory had come over the Nets on Feb. 6,
never trailed. They led by 19 points in the second quarter, 15 in
the third and 11 with 6:46 left in the game.
Jazz 114, Wizards 93
SALT LAKE CITY -- Shelvin Mack had his best game of his career and
Utah looked like a different team after a rough couple of weeks in a
victory over Washington.
Mack, coming off a couple of subpar outings, exploded for a
career-high 27 points on 11 of 17 shooting to lift Utah to only its
second win in nine games. The fifth-year point guard, traded to the
Jazz at the deadline last month, also had four assists and three
rebounds.
Utah, hoping to return to the playoffs for the first time since
2012, improved to 30-35 and moved within 3.5 games of eighth-place
Dallas in the Western Conference standings.
Magic 107, Kings 100
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Aaron Gordon had 20 points and 11 rebounds,
Victor Oladipo added 18 points, and Orlando defeated Sacramento,
snapping its three-game losing streak.
Evan Fournier and Josh Smith each scored 16 points Orlando, while
Ersan Ilyasova and C.J. Watson had 10 apiece.
Kosta Koufos led the Kings with 19 points off the bench, and Marco
Belinelli, another reserve, had 17. Rajon Rondo added 16 points, and
Rudy Gay and Willie Cauley-Stein each had 12.
The Magic moved to within 4 1/2 games of Detroit for the eighth spot
in the Eastern Conference.
Warriors 128, Trail Blazers 112
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson dominated their
matchup with the Portland backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J.
McCollum, exploding for 71 points in Golden State's blowout of the
Trail Blazers.
Curry had 34 points and Thompson a game-high 37 as the Warriors
avenged their most lopsided loss of the season en route to their
47th consecutive home-court win.
Lillard scorched the Warriors for 51 points and McCollum added 21 in
Portland's 137-105 home win over the defending champs on Feb. 19.
But this one was a polar opposite almost from the opening tip.
Clippers 101, Knicks 94
LOS ANGELES -- Chris Paul had 24 points and 15 assists, leading Los
Angeles to a victory over New York at Staples Center.
J.J. Redick had 20 points and Jeff Green finished with 17 for the
Clippers, who beat the Knicks for the eighth time in a row and swept
the season series again. Los Angeles also defeated New York 116-88
on Jan. 22 at Madison Square Garden.
DeAndre Jordan collected 18 rebounds, 10 points and five blocks for
the Clippers. All five Los Angeles starters scored in double
figures, including Wesley Johnson, who also had 10 points.
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