Turner’s 25 points help Pacers beat 76ers
PHILADELPHIA — Myles Turner scored 25 points, including two clutch free throws with 21.5 seconds remaining, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 101-98 on Tuesday night in a possible Eastern Conference playoff preview.
Thaddeus Young added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the surprising Pacers (40-28), who overcame an off shooting night by leading scorer Victor Oladipo to win their third straight and improve to a season-high 12 games over .500. They were coming off a 99-97 victory at Boston on Sunday night.
Joel Embiid had 29 points and 12 rebounds and Ben Simmons finished with 10 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the 76ers (36-30), who had won 13 straight home games.
TIMBERWOLVES 116, WIZARDS 111
In Washington, Minnesota star Karl-Anthony Towns recovered from a shot to the mouth that left him down on the court and finished with 37 points and 10 rebounds.
Towns shot 13 for 17, including making all three of his 3-point attempts, and showed no ill effects after getting knocked in the face with about a minute left in the first half.
A 20-3 run capped by an inside basket from Andrew Wiggins off Towns’ assist put Minnesota up 105-98 with less than 5½ minutes to go. After the Wizards got within 111-109, Towns sank a corner 3 with 29 seconds left to push the visitors’ lead back up to five.
Markieff Morris led Washington with a season-high 27 points, and Bradley Beal added 19.
THUNDER 119, HAWKS 107
In Atlanta, Russell Westbrook picked up the 100th triple-double of his career, and the Thunder used a 16-0 run late in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Hawks.
Westbrook scored 32 points, dished out 12 assists and grabbed 12 rebounds to become the third-fastest player to reach the milestone. Only Oscar Robertson (277 games) and Magic Johnson (656) got to No. 100 quicker than Westbrook, who accomplished the feat in his 736th contest.
RAPTORS 116, NETS 102
In New York, Jonas Valanciunas had 26 points and 14 rebounds, and Toronto earned its ninth straight win.
DeMar DeRozan and reserve Fred VanVleet scored 15 points apiece, and Kyle Lowry added 11 points and 11 assists for the Eastern Conference-leading Raptors, who held Brooklyn to 35 points after halftime and won a franchise record-tying seventh straight road game.
D’Angelo Russell hit his first seven shots — all 3-pointers — and scored 24 points in the first quarter for the Nets, who have lost 11 straight to the Raptors. Russell finished with 32 points, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 19.
JAZZ 110, PISTONS 79
In Salt Lake City, Rudy Gobert had 22 points and 12 rebounds, sending Utah to its seventh consecutive victory.
The Jazz had six players score in double figures. Joe Ingles added 17 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, and Jonas Jerebko had 16 points and eight rebounds.
Luke Kennard scored 18 points and Andre Drummond had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons, who have lost 11 of 14.
PELICANS 119, HORNETS 115
In New Orleans, Anthony Davis had 31 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots, leading New Orleans to the victory.
Rajon Rondo added 12 points and 17 assists and Jrue Holiday highlighted a 25-point, nineassist performance with 10 points in the final 2:39, starting with a 3 that put the Pelicans in front.
MAVERICKS 110, KNICKS 97
In New York, Harrison Barnes scored 30 points, and the Mavericks handed the Knicks their eighth straight loss.
Dallas couldn’t stop New York early, and then dominated the second half to win for the third time in four games, with only a loss to NBAleading Houston in that stretch.
CLIPPERS 112, BULLS 106
In Chicago, DeAndre Jordan dominated with 29 points and 18 rebounds, leading the Clippers to the road win.
Lou Williams scored 26 and Tobias Harris had 18 points for Los Angeles, which took control late in the third quarter on the way to its fifth win in six games.
SPURS 108, MAGIC 72
In San Antonio, Texas, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 points, helping San Antonio stop a three-game slide. The Spurs led 62-37 at halftime and extended to 39 entering the fourth.