Mavericks end Rockets 11-game winning streak
Thunder squeeze past Knicks
HOUSTON, April 1, (AP): Luka Doncic had 47 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, Kyrie Irving added 24 points and seven assists, and the Dallas Mavericks won their seventh straight and snapped the Houston Rockets’ 11-game winning streak with a 125-107 victory on Sunday night.
Doncic scored 32 points in the first half on 12-of-18 shooting, going 6 of 10 on 3-pointers, as the Mavs led 6645. Doncic had 22 in the first quarter alone and finished 18 of 30 from the field, including 9 of 16 on 3s.
BASKETBALL
Dante Exum had 13 points and P.J. Washington had 12 points and six rebounds for the Mavericks. Dallas shot 52% and was 24 of 47 on 3-pointers.
Dallas tied idle New Orleans for fifth in the Western Conference with eight games remaining for each team.
Thunder 113, Knicks 112
In New York, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made the go-ahead jumper from the corner with 2.6 seconds left, sending Oklahoma City to the playoffs for the first time since 2020 with a victory over New York.
Josh Giddey had 16 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for Oklahoma
City, which moved back into sole possession of first place in the Western Conference at 52-22 with its second straight win.
Nuggets 130, Cavaliers 101
In Denver, Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists for his 22nd triple-double of the season, and Denver beat Cleveland to snap a two-game home losing streak.
Jokic got his 128th career tripledouble despite dealing with a sore right wrist that nearly kept him out of Friday’s loss to Minnesota.
Lakers 116, Nets 104
In New York, LeBron James had one of the best shooting nights of his illustrious career, going 9 for 10 behind the arc to tie his career high for 3-pointers, and matched a season high with 40 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a victory over Brooklyn.
James had the sellout crowd at Barclays Center standing on its feet as he put the finishing touches on his 3-point shooting display in the fourth quarter. He reached 40 points for the third time this season, most recently on March 16 in a home loss to Golden State.
Warriors 117, Spurs 113
In San Antonio, Stephen Curry had 33 points and Golden State held on to beat undermanned San Antonio for their fourth straight victory.
Curry was 12 for 23 from the field, hitting 7 of 15 3-pointer attempts, as Golden State clings to the final play-in spot in the Western Conference - two games ahead of Houston after the Rockets’ home loss to Dallas on Sunday.
76ers 135, Raptors 120
In Toronto, Kelly Oubre Jr. scored a season-high 32 points, Kyle Lowry had 11 points and 10 assists against his former team and Philadelphia snapped a threegame losing streak, beating Toronto.
Cam Payne scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, Tobias Harris had 21 and Nicolas Batum 19 to help Philadelphia send Toronto to its 13th straight loss and seventh in a row against the 76ers.
Clippers 130, Hornets 118
In Charlotte, N.C., Paul George knocked down eight 3-pointers and finished with a season-high 41 points, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated Charlotte for their fifth straight road win.
George finished 14 of 21 from the field and 8 of 12 from beyond the arc to beat the Hornets for the 12th consecutive time.
Heat 119, Wizards 107
In Washington, Terry Rozier III scored 27 points, Bam Adebayo had 22 and Miami Heat grinded out a victory over Washington.
Jimmy Butler added 17 points for the Heat, who won their second straight. Miami, seventh in the Eastern Conference, went 25 for 29 from the free throw line to move within a halfgame of Indiana in the race to avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament.