Aldridge, Gay help Spurs hold down Rockets 100-83
SAN ANTONIO—LaMarcus Aldridge had 23 points and 14 rebounds and Rudy Gay added 21 points as the San Antonio Spurs held Houston to its lowest-scoring game of the season, beating the Rockets 100-83 on Sunday.
The Spurs remained fourth in the Western Conference after preventing a season sweep by the Rockets. Houston owns the NBA’s best record.
San Antonio outscored Houston 19-8 to open the fourth quarter in taking a 94-74 lead with 5 minutes remaining. Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni opted to take his starters out two minutes later.
The Rockets were without injured Chris Paul and the Spurs were without Kawhi Leonard, who has played in only nine games this season.
James Harden scored 25 points for Houston on 8-of-19 shooting. He also had eight assists, but battled foul trouble before exiting with five fouls. Eric Gordon added 18 points for the Rockets.
CAVALIERS 98, MAVERICKS 87
CLEVELAND—LeBron James struggled before extending his record double-digit scoring streak to 868 games and Cleveland had a rough time with Dallas before putting away the lottery-Mavericks.
James, who broke Michael Jordan’s NBA mark for consecutive games with at least 10 points on Friday night, didn’t reach 10 until 7:59 remained. He finished just 5 of 21 from the field but made a pair of 3-pointers as the Cavs finally pulled away with a 15-2 run in the fourth quarter.
James had 16 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, his 17th triple-double this season and No. 72 of his career.
Harrison Barnes scored 30 points to lead Dallas, which has dropped eight of nine.
THUNDER 109, PELICANS 104
NEW ORLEANS—Russell Westbrook had a triple-double to lead Oklahoma City.
Westbrook finished with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists. Paul George scored Oklahoma City’s first 11 points in the second quarter and finished with 27. Carmelo Anthony added 16 and Steven Adams had 14.
The Pelicans got within 104-99 with 1:57 left, but Westbrook scored on a layup, and after a basket by Anthony Davis, George made a 3-pointer.
Davis led the Pelicans with 25 points and 11 rebounds, Ian Clark scored 16 points and E’Twaun Moore had 15.
76ERS 119, HORNETS 102
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Ben Simmons had 20 points and 15 assists as Philadelphia kept up its passing prowess to beat Charlotte.
The Sixers set a team record with its ninth straight game of 30 or more assists—they had 36 on 48 baskets.
Former Hornet Marco Belinelli scored 22 points off the bench and J.J. Redick had 20. Robert Covington added 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Charlotte was led by Malik Monk and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with 16 points apiece. Willy Hernangomez added 15 points and 11 rebounds.
PISTONS 108, NETS 96
NEW YORK—Reggie Jackson scored 29 points, Stanley Johnson had 17 and Detroit preserved its slim playoff hopes with a victory over Brooklyn.
Detroit, playing its third straight game without injured All-Star forward Blake Griffin, avoided elimination from postseason contention for at least one game. Griffin, acquired Jan. 30 from the Los Angeles Clippers, suffered a bone bruise in his right ankle during last Monday’s win over the Lakers.
Ish Smith had 17 points and Andre Drummond added 13 points and 14 rebounds for the Pistons, who have now won five straight for the third time this season.
The Pistons are four games behind Miami—which holds the eighth and last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference—with five games remaining for each team.
PACERS 111, CLIPPERS 104
LOS ANGELES—Victor Oladipo scored 30 points, Myles Turner added 24 and Indiana rallied for its fifth straight victory.
Oladipo shot 11 of 17 from the field and had 12 assists for the playoff-bound Pacers, who have won four in a row over the Clippers.
Neither team led by more than seven points in the fourth quarter, when the Pacers scored on nearly every possession over the last five minutes. They’ve won 12 of their last 16.
Tobias Harris led the Clippers with 21 points. Lou Williams added 20 and Montrezl Harrell had 19 off the bench. Austin Rivers scored 18 and DeAndre Jordan grabbed 12 rebounds.
JAZZ 121, TIMBERWOLVES 97
MINNEAPOLIS—Ricky Rubio scored 23 points, including a season5-for-6 shooting on 3-pointers, and Donovan Mitchell added 21 points for Utah.
Dante Exum had 14 points and Jonas Jerebko scored 13 points to help Utah climb a half-game ahead of Minnesota for sixth in the Western Conference. The loss kept the Timberwolves one game ahead of New Orleans, which lost at home to Oklahoma City.
The Jazz shot a season-high 60.5 percent from the field and got 50 points from their reserves to split the season series with the Wolves by winning the last two games. Utah has won 25 of its past 30 games.