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 Cavaliers 99, Bulls 94
The Cleveland Cavaliers opened a four-game lead on Chicago in the
Central Division after their latest victory.
With just five games remaining for each team it will allow the
Cavaliers to start resting some players for the playoffs, while
Chicago tries to hold off Toronto for the third seed.
The Cavaliers were buoyed by LeBron James' first triple-double of
the season. James had 21 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists for the
38th triple-double of his career.
Mike Dunleavy led the Bulls with 24 points. Aaron Brooks, filling in
for the injured Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich, scored 17.
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Rockets 115, Thunder 112
James Harden scored 41 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a
victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The victory (53-24) keeps the Rockets locked in second place in the
Western Conference, a game ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Thunder (42-35) retained the No. 8 spot in the West standings,
but their lead over the idle New Orleans Pelicans was reduced to a
half-game with five remaining. The Pelicans have six games left.
Russell Westbrook paced the Thunder with 40 points, 13 assists and
11 rebounds for his 11th triple-double of the season.
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Pacers 112, Heat 89
Indiana Pacers' guard/forward Paul George, sidelined since Aug. 1
with a broken right leg, made a triumphant return with 13 points in
15 minutes in a victory against the struggling Miami Heat.
George entered the game to a standing ovation with 5:34 remaining in
the first quarter and made his first field goal attempt, a short
jumper with 3:42 left in the period that gave Indiana a 20-14 lead.
Luis Scola led Indiana (34-43) with 23 points and 12 rebounds. The
win moved Indiana within a game of the eighth and final playoff spot
in the Eastern Conference.
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Spurs 107, Warriors 92
Kawhi Leonard matched his career best for the regular season with 26
points and set a personal mark with seven steals as the Spurs
defeated Golden State for their seventh consecutive victory.
Tim Duncan scored 19 points for the Spurs and guard Danny Green had
18.
Golden State (63-14) had its 12-game winning streak snapped a night
after Steve Kerr set an NBA record for most victories by a rookie
coach with a win at Dallas.
Stephen Curry led Golden State with 24 points, converting five of
ten 3-point attempts.
San Antonio (51-26) played without Tiago Splitter, the starting
centre who left a game against Denver on Friday with tightness in
his right calf.
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Clippers 106, Lakers 78
Blake Griffin scored 18 points to lead six players in double figures
as the Los Angeles Clippers hammered the Los Angeles Lakers.
DeAndre Jordan had 16 points, 11 rebounds and four steals for the
Clippers (52-26), winners of three in a row and 10 of their last 11
games.
They also stayed a half-game ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the
fourth spot in the Western Conference playoff race.
The Lakers (20-56) set a franchise record for losses in a season,
topping last season's mark (27-55) under former coach Mike D'Antoni.
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Knicks 101, 76ers 91
Outscoring the visitors 16-6 in the final five minutes, the New York
Knicks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers.
While the Knicks (15-62) got the win, the 76ers (18-60) might just
be the benefactors in the long run. Sunday's combatants possess two
of the three worst records in the NBA and they will be front-runners
to gain the first overall draft pick in the lottery. Each loss
increases the team's odds of getting a higher choice.
Andrea Bargnani led the Knicks with 25 points, tied for a season
high, with eight rebounds and four assists.
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Jazz 101, Kings 95
Rodney Hood scored nine straight points during a decisive 14-2 run
late in the fourth quarter and the Utah Jazz continued their
second-half surge with a victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Hood scored 25 points to pace the Jazz who improved to 16-8 since
the All-Star game.
DeMarcus Cousins, coming off back-to-back triple-doubles, scored 26
points and pulled 12 rebounds for the Kings (26-50), who have lost
at least 50 contests in six straight 82-game seasons. Sacramento
went 22-44 in the 66-game lockout-shortened 2011-12 season. (Editing
by Jahmal Corner)
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