George gets hot in Pacers’ win over Toronto

INDIANAPOLIS—Paul George scored 18 of his 35 points in the third quarter, and the desperate Indiana Pacers beat the Toronto Raptors 108-90 on Tuesday night.

The Pacers (38-40) stopped a fourgame losing streak that dropped them out of a tie for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference to the very real possibility of missing the postseason.

DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points for Toronto (47-31), which had won two in a row. Jonas Valanciunas had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Pacers trailed by 19 in the first half, but they opened the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run for an 88-77 lead.

THUNDER 110, BUCKS 79

OKLAHOMA CITY—Russell Westbrook matched Oscar Robertson’s single-season record with his 41st triple-double, leading Oklahoma City to the victory.

Westbrook clinched his seventh straight triple-double on an assist to Taj Gibson with 9:17 left in the third quarter. The crowd stood and chanted “MVP! MVP!” long after the assist. He later waved to the crowd after play stopped. He finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists.

Robertson set the record during the 1961-62 season, and Westbrook can break it Wednesday in Memphis. Westbrook also moved into a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for fourth on the career list with his 78th triple-double.

WIZARDS 118, HORNETS 111

WASHINGTON—John Wall scored 14 of his 23 points in the third quarter, helping Washington hurt Charlotte’s playoff chances.

The Wizards (47-31) returned from a five-game trip and stopped a threegame slide. Tying Toronto for the third seed in the Eastern Conference, Washington dealt Charlotte a significant blow after it had crept closer to a playoff spot with a three-game win streak.

Kemba Walker scored 37 points, but the All-Star guard went cold in the third quarter along with the rest of the Hornets (36-42). After making 26 of their first 42 shots, they went 6 for their next 18 as the game slipped away.

Washington won for the 17th time this season when trailing by double digits.

CAVALIERS 122, MAGIC 102

CLEVELAND—LeBron James notched his second straight triple-double, Kevin Love scored 28 points and Cleveland warmed up for a big game in Boston by dropping 18 3-pointers in a victory against Orlando.

Kyrie Irving added 24 points and J.R. Smith had 19 for the Cavs, who made nine 3s and scored 43 in the third quarter to turn a tight game into a blowout and beat Orlando for the 17th straight time.

Evan Fournier scored 21 for the Magic, who have lost five in a row and six of seven.