NBA roundup: Spurs snap Rockets' 11-game win streak

[April 02, 2018]  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.

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.

Jazz 121, Timberwolves 97

Ricky Rubio poured in 23 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc to lead five teammates in double-figure scoring as visiting Utah romped past Minnesota in a game with major postseason implications for both teams.

Utah led by 11 at halftime and poured it on in the second half, forging as much as a 29-point lead in the fourth quarter to run away with the contest.

The victory allowed the Jazz to leapfrog Minnesota into sixth place in the Western Conference standings. Both teams are part of a group of seven squads separated by four games for the No. 4-10 spots in the West, and just five of those teams will earn places in the postseason.

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, and Ian Clark scored 16 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 timeframe 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 3-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.

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 on 14-of-23 shooting and collected 10 rebounds while Eric Bledsoe had 31 points and six assists for Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.

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 they started the season 10-0 in 2000-01, when they went to the NBA Finals.

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 CJ 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.

Pacers 111, Clippers 104

Victor Oladipo scored 30 points and delivered a season-high 12 assists to lead visiting Indiana past Los Angeles.

Oladipo hit 11 of 17 shots. Myles Turner scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Pacers, who won their fifth consecutive game, including three in a row on the road.

Tobias Harris scored 21 and Lou Williams was right behind with 20 for the Clippers.

Pistons 108, Nets 96

Reggie Jackson scored 12 of his season-high 29 points in the fourth quarter as Detroit withstood Andre Drummond's ejection and beat host Brooklyn.

Drummond posted his 59th double-double of the season with 13 points and 14 rebounds. He missed a chance for a league-leading eighth 20-20 game after getting ejected for an incident with Quincy Acy.

With 21 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Detroit's Ish Smith missed a short jumper, and before Brooklyn's Joe Harris could get the rebound, Drummond and Acy jostled for position. Drummond took exception and shoved the Brooklyn forward. After officials reviewed the incident, both players were tossed, and Drummond ripped off his jersey as he headed toward the locker room.

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 off.

Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg missed the contest with an illness. Lead assistant Jim Boylen served as coach. Otto Porter Jr. led the Wizards with 17 points.

Kings 84, Lakers 83

Buddy Hield scored 19 points, and his tiebreaking dunk with 37 seconds left led Sacramento past host Los Angeles.

Bogdan Bogdanovic added 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting for the Kings, who halted a four-game slide. De'Aaron Fox had 14 points and six assists and Willie Cauley-Stein contributed 11 points and seven rebounds for Sacramento.

Julius Randle scored 19 points for the Lakers, who fell for the seventh time in their past nine contests.

Hawks 94, Magic 88

Dewayne Dedmon, Mike Muscala and John Collins each had double-doubles as Atlanta held off visiting Orlando in a battle between the two teams with the worst records in the Eastern Conference.

Dedmon finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Collins had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Muscala came off the bench to score 13 points and grab 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who snapped a five-game losing streak. Tyler Dorsey scored a team-high 19 points.

D.J. Augustin led Orlando with 20 points. Rookie Jonathan Isaac finished with 15 points for the Magic, who have lost two in a row and five of six.

--Field Level Media

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