NBA roundup: Spurs remain undefeated at home

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[March 18, 2016]  The Sports Xchange
 
 SAN ANTONIO -- LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard scored 22 points apiece to lead five San Antonio players in double figures as the Spurs turned a tight game into a runaway with a dominating third quarter and beat the Portland Trail Blazers 118-100 on Thursday to remain unbeaten at home.

San Antonio led by two points at halftime but separated from the Trail Blazers in the third quarter, scoring the first 10 points and opening as much as a 19-point lead. Leonard, who was limited to six points in the first half when he took three shots, scored 11 points in the Spurs' uprising and the quarter ended with San Antonio holding a 95-78 advantage to make the final period all but academic.

The Spurs (58-10) are 34-0 at the AT&T Center and have also won a franchise-best 43 straight regular-season games at home since a loss to Cleveland in March of last season.

Jazz 103, Suns 69

SALT LAKE CITY -- Rookie Trey Lyles scored 17 points off the bench and Utah won its fourth straight game by obliterating Phoenix.

Utah improved to 33-35 and moved within one game of idle Dallas and Houston for the final playoff spot in the West despite playing without leading scorer Gordon Hayward for the second straight game.

 

Phoenix's point total was the lowest for a Utah opponent all season. The previous low was 71 by Philadelphia on Oct. 30. It was also the largest win of the season points-wise for Utah, whose previous biggest margin of victory was 29.

Bucks 96, Grizzlies 86

MILWAUKEE -- Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 15 points and Greg Monroe added 14 as Milwaukee extended Memphis' losing streak to four games with a victory at the Bradley Center.

Antetokounmpo, who remains Milwaukee's primary ball-handler, once again flirted with a triple-double by finishing with 11 assists and six rebounds while adding three blocks. But thanks to the surprisingly strong play of Milwaukee's second unit, he never even got the chance and watched from the bench as the Bucks' reserves took over in the final quarter.

Down five after three, the Bucks opened the fourth with a 15-2 run and went up six when Rashad Vaughn knocked down a 3-pointer with 6:40 to play.

Hawks 116, Nuggets 98

ATLANTA -- Six victories in seven games has defending Southeast Division champion Atlanta back in first place.

Tim Hardaway Jr. had 21 points in his first start to lead eight double-figure scorers as the Hawks defeated Denver.

The victory moved the Hawks a half-game ahead of Miami and Charlotte after the Hornets defeated the Heat 109-106 on Thursday.

Hornets 109, Heat 106

MIAMI -- Kemba Walker had 21 points, seven assists and seven rebounds as Charlotte rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit to defeat Miami at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Al Jefferson added 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Hornets broke a 12-game losing streak in games at Miami.

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Leading 105-102, the Hornets' Marvin Williams missed two free throws with 15.6 seconds left, giving Miami an opportunity. But Charlotte's Jeremy Lin made four straight free throws in the final seconds.

Bulls 118, Nets 102

CHICAGO -- Doug McDermott scored 25 points off the bench and Chicago pulled away for a victory over Brooklyn.

Jimmy Butler scored 22 points and dished seven assists for the Bulls. Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson were among four Bulls players who added 12 points apiece. Chicago earned its second win in the past three games and improved to 22-12 at home.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Nets. Thaddeus Young scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Brooklyn lost for the fifth time in its past six games.

Raptors 101, Pacers 94 (OT)

INDIANAPOLIS -- Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points apiece and Toronto pulled away from Indiana in overtime.

DeRozan missed a potential game-winning shot at the regulation buzzer, but Lowry and DeRozan scored nine quick overtime points, helping the Raptors take a 94-88 lead with 1:17 remaining.

Indiana slipped to 1-7 in overtime games. The Pacers got 18 points apiece from Paul George and George Hill, but George was only 7 of 24 from the field, including only 1 of 9 from 3-point range.

Wizards 99, 76ers 94

PHILADELPHIA -- John Wall had 16 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds while Marcus Thornton scored 18 points as Washington stayed afloat for a potential playoff berth following a victory over Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center.

Marcin Gortat scored 16 points and swept 13 rebounds while Otto Porter Jr. added 12 points for the Wizards, who won their third in a row pushing their record to 33-35. They began the night just one-and-a-half games behind the Detroit Pistons for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Nene also grabbed 11 rebounds for Washington.

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