NBA roundup: Thunder slip past Rockets

[March 23, 2016]  The Sports Xchange
 
 OKLAHOMA CITY -- Kevin Durant scored 23 points and Russell Westbrook collected his 15th triple-double of the season, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 111-107 victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Durant, who shot 8-for-19 from the field, grabbed seven rebounds and handed out four assists. Westbrook tallied 21 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds for his third straight triple-double and sixth in past nine games.

Oklahoma City earned its fifth win in a row.

James Harden paced the Rockets with 24 points on 7-of-17 shooting, and he added 16 assists. Dwight Howard and Patrick Beverley each scored 16 for Houston. Howard finished with a team-high 13 rebounds.

Heat 113, Pelicans 99

NEW ORLEANS -- Hassan Whiteside scored a team-high 24 points and Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic added 23 each to power Miami past New Orleans.

In addition to his 10-of-11 shooting for the game, Hassan had 14 rebounds and three blocks. Amar'e Stoudemire contributed 16 points for the Heat, who shot 50 percent from the field.

The short-handed Pelicans were led by Jrue Holiday with 24 points and Luke Babbitt with 23.

Hornets 105, Nets 100

NEW YORK -- Nicolas Batum scored 23 points and Jeremy Lin added 21 as Charlotte blew a 17-point lead before holding on for a victory over Brooklyn.

Batum and Lin combined for 20 points in the fourth quarter when the Hornets withstood a comeback attempt by the Nets. The two made 15 of 28 shots from the field, including five of six in the fourth quarter, helping the Hornets win for the 11th time in 13 games.

Brook Lopez helped the Nets mount a comeback bid by scoring 10 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter. Sean Kilpatrick added a career-best 25 points, but it was not enough as Brooklyn lost for the ninth time in its last 11 games.

Lakers 107, Grizzlies 100

LOS ANGELES -- Jordan Clarkson scored 22 points and Kobe Bryant added 20 points, and Los Angeles ended a four-game skid by defeating Memphis at Staples Center.

Brandon Bass contributed 18 points and converted some clutch baskets in the last three minutes of the game, including a reverse dunk that gave the Lakers the edge with 1:02 remaining. Julius Randle had 13 points and 14 rebounds for Los Angeles, which snapped a nine-game losing streak to Memphis. Lou Williams also scored 13 for the Lakers.

Tony Allen scored a game-high 27 points, hitting all 12 of his field-goal attempts for the Grizzlies. Zach Randolph and Lance Stephenson had 16 points each for Memphis.

-----------------------------------------------

[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.