Harden, Clippers win eighth straight

JAMES HARDEN scored 21 of his season-best 35 points in the fourth quarter and had nine assists as the Los Angeles Clippers extended the league’s longest active winning streak to eight games by routing the Indiana Pacers 151-127 on Monday night.

Kawhi Leonard added 28 points for Los Angeles and Paul George added 27 against his former team. Facing the league’s second-worst defense, the Clippers matched their season-high point total for a half with 77 in the first on the way to their highest-scoring game of the season.

Bennedict Mathurin had a season-high 34 points to lead Indiana. Isaiah Jackson scored 15 points while starting in place of injured two-time NBA blocks champion Myles Turner.

HAWKS 130, PISTONS 124

Trae Young extended his recent hot streak with another double-double, scoring 31 points with 15 assists, as Atlanta handed Detroit their 24th consecutive loss.

The Pistons’ last win came on October 28 against Chicago. Detroit is two losses away from matching the NBA’s longest losing streak in one season. The NBA record for the longest losing streak within a single season is 26, shared by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers lost a record 28 consecutive games over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with a career-high 43 points. Bojan Bogdanovic had 25 points.

TIMBERWOLVES 112, HEAT 108

Anthony Edwards scored 32 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 and Minnesota clamped down in the second half to beat Miami.

Naz Reid scored 15, Mike Conley added 12 and Rudy Gobert grabbed 16 rebounds for the Timberwolves.

Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo returned from long injury absences and combined for 47 points for the Heat; Herro scored 25, Adebayo had 22. Jimmy Butler scored 15, Duncan Robinson 14 and Josh Richardson 13 for the Heat.

BULLS 108, 76ERS 104

Coby White scored 24 points and Chicago held on to snap Philadelphia’s six-game winning streak. Former Sixer Nikola Vucevic chipped in 23 points while DeMar DeRozan added 15 for the Bulls.

The Bulls have won six of their last nine even though they are playing without All-Star Zach LaVine, who has been sidelined with left foot inflammation and is likely still a little bit away from returning.

Joel Embiid had 40 points and 13 rebounds, his 11th straight game with 30 or more points and 10 or more boards. Tyrese Maxey added 29 points in the 76ers’ first loss to a team without a winning record this season after starting 12-0 against sub.500 teams. No other Sixers player was able to crack double figures.

CAVALIERS 135, ROCKETS 130, OT

Donovan Mitchell scored 37 points, Sam Merrill had a career-high 19 off the bench and Cleveland earned its 11th consecutive overtime victory by beating Houston. Merrill had five points and Max Strus added four in the extra period, when Cleveland outscored Houston 13-8 to match the second-longest OT winning streak in NBA history. New Orleans owns the record with 13 victories in a row from 2006-08.

Fred VanVleet had season highs of 27 points and 17 assists, along with eight rebounds, and Sengun had 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists. The Rockets are 2-10 on the road and 11-1 at home.

THUNDER 116, GRIZZLIES 97

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points and nine rebounds in three quarters to help Oklahoma City beat Memphis in the Grizzlies’ final game before Ja Morant returns from his suspension.

Gilgeous-Alexander hit a game-winner at Denver on Saturday night and followed it up by making 8 of 18 field goals and 13 of 14 free throws against Memphis.

Chet Holmgren had 17 points, seven blocks and six rebounds. Josh Giddey added 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder, who have won four of five. Ziaire Williams scored 19 points and Desmond Bane added 17 for the Grizzlies (6-19), who have lost five straight. Jaren Jackson Jr., who had scored at least 40 points in two of his past three games, finished with 11.