Harden’s 35 not enough to beat the Jazz
HOUSTON — Rudy Gobert and Gordon Hayward each scored 23 points to help the Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets 115-108 on Wednesday night for their fourth straight victory.
James Harden had 35 points for the Rockets. They dropped their second in a row.
The Rockets trailed by double digits for much of the game as they struggled from 3-point range. Houston was just 8 of 32 to end a streak of 18 straight games with at least 10 3-pointers.
The Jazz won two of the three meetings, the first time since the 2011-12 season that they’ve won a season series over the Rockets.
• Raptors 94, Pelicans 87 — At New Orleans: Jonas Valanciunas had 25 points and 13 rebounds, and Toronto beat a New Orleans squad that played without All-Star forward Anthony Davis during the second half.
The Pelicans announced that Davis hurt his left wrist, an injury that appeared to occur when he crashed to the court during the team’s possession of the first half. Davis was fouled by Normal Powell as he tried to catch an alley-oop pass. Davis, who shoots right-handed, made two free throws after the foul, but never emerged from the locker room after halftime.
DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Pelicans.
• Timberwolves 107, Clippers 91 — At Minneapolis: Karl-Anthony Towns had 29 points and 14 rebounds and Minnesota beat Los Angeles.
Andrew Wiggins scored 20 points, and Ricky Rubio had 15 points, 12 assists and six rebounds for the Timberwolves. They were well-rested after having their game against Portland on Monday night postponed because of condensation on the court.
DeAndre Jordan had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Blake Griffin scored 16 points for the Clippers. Chris Paul had 10 assists, but scored just seven points on 3for-9 shooting.
• Bucks 104, Knicks 93 — Milwaukee: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half to help Milwaukee rally to beat New York.
The Bucks extended their winning streak to four games and moved to within a halfgame of Chicago for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Antetokounmpo also added 13 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Derrick Rose led the Knicks with 26 points.
• Heat 108, Hornets 101 — At Miami: Dion Waiters scored 24 points, Goran Dragic added 22 points and 10 assists, and Miami beat Charlotte to move within a halfgame of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Luke Babbitt scored 12 points, Hassan Whiteside had 10 points and 15 rebounds, and James Johnson added 10 points for Miami. The Heat are 20-4 in their last 24 games — the NBA’s best record in that span.
Kemba Walker scored 33 points for Charlotte.
• Wizards 123, Nuggets 113 — At Denver: John Wall scored 30 points, Bradley Beal had 23 and Washington beat short-handed Denver.
Otto Porter Jr. added 22 points for the Wizards. They have won nine of their last 12 on the road, including their first back-to-back set on the road this season.
• Magic 98, Bulls 91 — At Orlando, Fla.: Elfrid Payton had 22 points, 14 assists and 14 rebounds for his second straight triple-double, and Orlando rallied to beat Chicago.
Evan Fournier added 20 points to help Orlando erase a 13-point, second-half deficit and snap a two-game losing streak. Jimmy Butler scored 21 points for Chicago. The Bulls have lost three straight.
• Hawks 110, Nets 105 — At Atlanta: Dennis Schroder scored 31 points, Paul Millsap added 24 and the Atlanta Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over Brooklyn.
Atlanta had lost six of eight to fall three games behind fourth-place Toronto in the Eastern Conference. Sean Kilpatrick scored 27 points for NBA-worst Brooklyn.
• Pacers 115, Pistons 98 — At Indianapolis: Paul George scored 13 of his 21 points in the third quarter to lead Indiana past Detroit.
The Pacers swept the fourgame season series and moved two games in front of Detroit in the playoff chase. Tobias Harris had 22 points for the Pistons.