Lowry scores 30, Raptors end Rockets’ win streak at 17
TORONTO » Kyle Lowry scored 30 points, DeMar DeRozan had 23 and the Toronto Raptors beat Houston 108-105 on Friday night, snapping the Rockets’ 17game winning streak.
James Harden scored 40 points but the Rockets lost for the first time since Jan. 27 at New Orleans.
Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Raptors won their seventh straight in a matchup between the respective conference leaders.
The Rockets shot 9 for 27 from 3-point range, matching their fewest made 3-pointers of the season.
Clint Capela had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets. Chris Paul and Eric Gordon each scored 14 points, and Trevor Ariza had 13 as Houston’s road winning streak ended at 10.
Houston tied it at 102 on Harden’s 3 with 2:10 remaining, but DeRozan restored Toronto’s lead with a jump shot with 1:49 left.
Lowry connected on his first five shots and scored 13 points in the opening quarter as Toronto led 32-16. The Rockets missed eight of their first 10 field goal attempts and shot 6 for 21 in the first, missing all five 3-point attempts. It was Houston’s lowest-scoring first quarter of the season and just the second time they’ve failed to score at least 20 points in the first. PACERS 112, HAWKS 87 » Bojan Bogdanovic scored 21 points, Cory Joseph scored 10 of his 18 points in the opening quarter, and Indiana was never seriously threatened in a rout of Atlanta.
Two days after a lackluster 20-point home loss to Utah, the Pacers looked refreshed, shooting 67 percent in the first quarter. Joseph, starting for point guard Darren Collison, hit two of the team’s five 3-pointers to help build a 34-15 lead after 12 minutes. PISTONS 99, BULLS 83 » Blake Griffin had 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Detroit ended a fourgame losing streak with victory over Chicago.
The Pistons (30-36) had lost 10 of 12 to fall five games out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Reggie Bullock added 21 points while Andre Drummond had 17 rebounds. a
Hornets lose MCW for rest of season
CHARLOTTE, N.C. » Hornets point guard Michael CarterWilliams needs surgery on his left shoulder and will miss the remainder of the season.
He suffered a posterior labral tear in his should on March 4 at Toronto.
Rookie Malik Monk has filled in as the team’s backup point guard the last two games.
Carter-Williams has appeared in 52 games and is averaging 4.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 16.1 minutes per game this season. In 287 career games, he has averaged 11.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.