LEONARD POWERS SPURS PAST FLIGHTLESS HAWKS
Los Angeles, March 14: Kawhi Leonard shrugged off the after-effects of a recent concussion to score 31 points as the San Antonio Spurs downed Atlanta to go level with Golden State at the top of the Western Conference on Monday.
Leonard, who had been concussed after a clash with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Victor Oladipo last Thursday, showed no sign of the knock as he led the Spurs to a 107-99 victory over the Hawks.
The win gave San Antonio an identical 52-14 record to Western Conference pacesetters Golden State, who host Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Leonard was backed by an all-round scoring display from his Spurs team-mates with David Lee, Danny Green, Patty Mills and Pau Gasol all posting double figure points tallies.
Minnesota stroll past Wizards Elsewhere on Monday, KarlAnthony Towns poured on 39 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away for a surprisingly comfortable 119-104 win over the inform Washington Wizards.
Ricky Rubio scored 22 points and added 19 assists for Minnesota as Washington slipped to 41-25 for the season. The Timberwolves have now won eight of their past 12 games.
Washington’s scoring was led by John Wall with 27 points while Bradley Beal contributed 20 points. Raptors claw Mavs
In Toronto, DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points with six rebounds and two assists to guide the Raptors past the Dallas Mavericks 100-78.
Toronto effectively settled the contest in the third quarter, building a 13-point lead which was soon stretched to 22 points in the fourth quarter after Fred VanVleet’s three pointer.
Norman Powell scored 19 points while Jonas Valanciunas weighed in with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Harrison Barnes with 18 points and Dirk Nowitzki with 17 points were top scorers for Dallas.
In Charlotte, the Chicago Bulls ended a five-game losing streak with a 115-109 win over the Hornets after Rajon Rondo’s 20-point haul.
The veteran added seven points and six assists and was the key figure in helping Chicago’s sputtering offense find its rhythm again.
Carter inspires Grizzlies win Meanwhile, Vince Carter rolled back the years to score 24 points as the Memphis Grizzlies outgunned the Milwaukee Bucks 113-93 on Monday.
Carter, 40, making his first start of the season, scored 24 points as Memphis ended a five-game losing streak against the Bucks at FedExForum.
Carter produced a flawless shooting display which included six three-pointers.