Charlotte rallies to stay alive
Kemba Walker scored 22 points and Marco Belinelli came off the bench to add 20 as the Charlotte Hornets pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat the Magic, 109-102, last night in Orlando, Fla.
Charlotte won its third straight game and kept its Eastern Conference playoff hopes alive after entering the night three games out of eighth place in the standings. Orlando, meanwhile, lost to Charlotte for the fourth time this season.
Orlando entered the fourth quarter with a five-point lead, but Frank Kaminsky came off the bench to score 13 of his 18 points, and Walker added eight points to help the Hornets outscore the Magic 32-20 in the final quarter. Cody Zeller also had 15 points and Nicolas Batum added 10.
Terrence Ross led five Magic in double figures with 19 points while Nikola Vucevic had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Thunder 122, 76ers 97 — Russell Westbrook recorded his 35th triple-double of the season with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists as host Oklahoma City cruised past Philadelphia.
The Thunder have won 16 straight games against Philadelphia, a run that stretches to the 2008-09 season, the franchise’s first in Oklahoma City.
Westbrook needs six triple-doubles in Oklahoma City’s final 11 games to tie Oscar Robertson’s single-season record, set during the 1961-62 season.
The Philadelphia 76ers said center Joel Embiid will undergo surgery on a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Wizards 104, Hawks 100 — Bradley Beal scored 28 points and John Wall added all 22 of his in the second half to help host Washington edge Atlanta.
Wall also had 10 assists on a night he shot just 6-of-21 from the floor, including two assists to Beal during a late 14-2 run that helped Washington ensure victory after Atlanta had led by as many as 12 early.
Bulls 117, Pistons 95 — Nikola Mirotic scored a seasonhigh 28 points, and host Chicago beat Detroit in a matchup between struggling teams fighting for a playoff spot.
Jimmy Butler added 16 points and 12 assists. Joffrey Lauvergne filled in for suspended center Robin Lopez and outplayed Andre Drummond with 17 points and seven rebounds.
Rookie Paul Zipser added a career-high 15 points as the Bulls moved into a ninth-place tie with Detroit in the Eastern Conference.
Nuggets 126, Cavaliers 113 — Wilson Chandler scored 18 points in his return from a four-game absence with a pulled groin and provided stellar defense on LeBron James in host Denver’s victory against Cleveland.
The Nuggets bounced back from consecutive heartbreaking last-second losses to Houston with a signature win that increased their lead to 11⁄ games over idle Portland in the race for the final playoff spot in the West.
Bucks 116, Kings 98 — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for streaking Milwaukee, which cruised over host Sacramento.
Elsewhere in the NBA — Chicago’s Robin Lopez and Toronto’s Serge Ibaka were suspended one game without pay for fighting. Lopez served his ban last night.