Harden, Rockets roll past Pacers for 6th straight win
Rockets 118 Pacers 97
HOUSTON — James Harden had 29 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, and the Houston Rockets rolled past the Indiana Pacers 118-97 on Wednesday night for their sixth straight victory. Thaddeus Young cut the lead to 10 with a hook shot with about eight minutes left. The Rockets put it away with a 16-4 run that made it 110-88 with about four minutes left.
Trevor Ariza made a 3-pointer in that stretch and Ryan Anderson added two, finishing with 19 points.
SPURS 104, GRIZZLIES 95
In San Antonio, Texas, LaMarcus Aldridge set his San Antonio high with 41 points and the Spurs spoiled J.B. Bickerstaff’s debut as Memphis coach, handing the Grizzlies their ninth straight loss.
Aldridge established a season best for the second consecutive game, topping his 33-point outing Monday against Dallas. Tony Parker had 10 points and five assists while playing 18 minutes in his second game back since undergoing surgery to repair a torn left quadriceps tendon.
San Antonio is the first NBA team with 10 home wins this season. It has won three in a row overall.
MAGIC 121, THUNDER 108
In Orlando, Fla., Aaron Gordon had 40 points and 15 rebounds to help the Orlando Magic end a nine-game losing streak with a victory over struggling Oklahoma City.
Russell Westbrook hit five 3-pointers and scored 20 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter for the Thunder. He shot 7 for 10 on 3s and added 11 rebounds, five assists and five steals.
Oklahoma City lost for the fifth time in six games and dropped its seventh straight on the road.
TIMBERWOLVES 120, PELICANS 102
In New Orleans, Andrew Wiggins scored 28 points to help Minnesota beat New Orleans in a game that saw Pelicans forward Anthony Davis ejected for the first time in his career.
Jimmy Butler and Gorgui Dieng had 19 points each for the Timberwolves.
With Minnesota leading 45-43 in the second quarter, Davis was called for a technical foul. Fifteen seconds later, he picked up his second tech and was ejected. Minnesota responded by finishing the half on a 17-6 run to take a 62-49 lead into the halftime locker room.
76ERS 118, WIZARDS 113
In Philadelphia, Ben Simmons had 31 points and a career-high 18 rebounds and overcame a Hack-a-Shaq strategy, leading Philadelphia past Washington.
Joel Embiid had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and Dario Saric added 24 points to help the Sixers win for the sixth time in eight games. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 22 points for the Wizards.
Washington nearly overcame a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter and spent the final five minutes intentionally fouling Simmons, who entered the game shooting 56.6 percent. He went 15 for 29, but made six of his last eight. His 24 attempts in the fourth were an NBA record for a quarter, according to ESPN Stats & Info, and the 29 overall set a league mark for rookies.
KNICKS 115, HEAT 86
In New York, Enes Kanter had 22 points and 14 rebounds and New York beat Miami despite losing Kristaps Porzingis to a sprained right ankle after 2½ minutes.
Back after missing three games with back spasms, Kanter had his way against a Heat team missing starting center Hassan Whiteside because of left knee soreness, going 7 of 9 from the field.
The Knicks lost all three games Kanter missed, their longest skid since starting 0-3, but shot 60 percent and led by as much as 30 points with their center back.
PISTONS 131, SUNS 107
In Detroit, Reggie Jackson scored 23 points and Detroit beat Phoenix for its third straight victory.
Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley each scored 20 points, and Andre Drummond had 13 points and matched a career best with seven assists in Detroit’s highestscoring game of the season.
The Pistons improved to 14-6 overall, 8-2 at home in their first season at Little Caesars Arena, and 7-1 against the Western Conference.
RAPTORS 126, HORNETS 113
In Toronto, Kyle Lowry scored a seasonhigh 36 points, DeMar DeRozan had 30 and Toronto beat Charlotte to improve to 7-1 at home. Lowry made career-high eight 3-pointers. Dwight Howard had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Hornets. They lost their seventh straight road game and dropped to 1-9 away from home.
NETS 109, MAVERICKS 104
In Dallas, DeMarre Carroll scored 15 of his 22 points in the third quarter to help Brooklyn beat Dallas.
Carroll put the Nets ahead for good at 78-76 on a 3-pointer with 2:03 remaining in the third quarter.
Trevor Booker had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Spencer Dinwidde added 19 points for the Nets. Harrison Barnes had 17 points for Dallas, Maxi Kleber added a career-high 16, and Dwight Powell had 14.