Spurs stretch streak to 8
DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points and the San Antonio Spurs extended their winning streak to eight games with a 108-103 victory Saturday night, March 16, over the Portland Trail Blazers, who lost C.J. McCollum to a left leg injury.
Damian Lillard scored 34 points for Portland, which had won three straight.
McCollum exited under assistance with 7:03 remaining in the third quarter. He remained on the court for a few minutes clutching his left leg in great pain after tumbling out of bounds when his driving layup was blocked by Jakob Poeltl. McCollum appeared to roll his left ankle but was clutching his shin. There was no word on his status.
WARRIORS 110, THUNDER 88
In Oklahoma City, Stephen Curry scored 33 points to help Golden State roll past Oklahoma City and clinch a playoff berth.
Klay Thompson scored 23 points and DeMarcus Cousins added 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Warriors, who played without Kevin Durant for a second straight game because of a sprained right ankle.
Paul George had 29 points and 13 rebounds, and Dennis Schroder added 15 points for the Thunder. Russell Westbrook scored just seven points on 2-for-16 shooting and missed all seven of his 3-point attempts. He had nine assists and eight rebounds.
SUNS 138, PELICANS 136
In New Orleans, Josh Jackson hit a tying 3-pointer with 2 seconds left in overtime, the Pelicans were assessed a technical foul when they called a timeout they didn’t have and Devin Booker hit the free throw to give Phoenix the lead for good.
Booker finished with 40 points to go with 13 assists, and Jackson, who had 19 points, scored the game’s final point on a free throw after he was fouled on an inbound pass with less than a second on the clock.
Elfrid Payton had 16 points, 16 assists and 13 rebounds in his fourth straight triple-double — all coming in the midst of New Orleans’ six-game losing streak.
MAVERICKS 121, CAVALIERS 116
In Dallas, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 22 points, Dirk Nowitzki closed within three points of Wilt Chamberlain on the NBA scoring list and Dallas ended a seven-game losing streak.
Nowitzki got hot early in the fourth quarter and finished with 14 points to bring him to the cusp of Chamberlain for sixth place on the career scoring list. /