basketball
Pacers halt skid
OAKLAND, California, April 5, (AP): Klay Thompson scored 41 points for his 10th career 40-point game while Stephen Curry had 19 points and nine assists as the playoff-ready Golden State Warriors ran their winning streak to 12 by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 121-107 on Tuesday night.
Golden State could wrap up the West’s No. 1 seed as soon as Wednesday night with a win at Phoenix and a Spurs’ loss at home to the Lakers.
Andrew Wiggins scored 24 points for Minnesota, which couldn’t keep up with Golden State’s spiffy passing and contributions from so many players on both ends of the floor.
In his highest-scoring performance since getting 60 on Dec 5, Thompson hit 7 of 14 3-pointers giving him at least four 3s in a career-best six consecutive games. His 262 3s rank as eighth-most ever for a single season after he had 276 last season.
Thunder 110, Bucks 79 In Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook matched Oscar Robertson’s single-season record with his 41st tripledouble, 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.
Michael Beasley scored 14 points for Milwaukee and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Pacers 108, Raptors 90 In Indianapolis, Paul George scored 18 of his 35 points in the third quarter, leading Indiana to a big win.
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 game was marred by a shoving match between Indiana’s Lance Stephenson and DeRozan with 3.3 seconds left. The melee spilled down the sideline and into the Pacers’ bench. Stephenson, P.J. Tucker and DeRozan all received technical fouls.
Wizards 118, Hornets 111 In 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 In 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.
The defending champions also moved into a tie with the Celtics atop the Eastern Conference. The teams meet Wednesday for first place and temporary ownership of the top seed and homecourt advantage until the NBA Finals.
Evan Fournier scored 21 for the Magic, who have lost five in a row.
Nuggets 134, Pelicans 131 In New Orleans, Danilo Gallinari scored 28 points as the Nuggets eliminated the Pelicans from playoff contention.
Gary Harris added 23 points, including a contested 3-pointer that gave Denver an eight-point lead inside the final three minutes. Nikola Jokic had 21 points and 12 rebounds to help the Nuggets remain on Portland’s heels for