George, Westbrook power Thunder
Balanced Celtics stop Cavs for fifth straight victory
OKLAHOMA CITY: Paul George scored 39 points, and Russell Westbrook’s triple-double streak continued as the host Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Orlando Magic 132-122 on Tuesday night. Orlando led by 12 early in the third quarter, but the Thunder outscored the Magic 31-13 over the final nine minutes of the quarter and led 111-97 three minutes into the fourth.
Westbrook finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 16 assists, clinching his seventh consecutive tripledouble by the end of the third quarter. It’s the third such streak in Westbrook’s career. Only Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan have had at least seven consecutive triple-doubles. Chamberlain holds the NBA record with nine in a row.
Terrence Ross had 26 points off the bench to lead Orlando, while Evan Fournier added 25.
CLIPPERS 117, HORNETS 115
Tobias Harris scored 34 points and hit a driving 8footer with 4.3 seconds remaining, and Los Angeles rallied from a 20-point, third-quarter deficit to stun host Charlotte. Harris drove the lane after the Clippers inbounded with the score tied 115-115, and he pulled up and hit the jumper over Kemba Walker. Marvin Williams then missed a potentially winning 3-pointer for the Hornets at the buzzer. Walker led the Hornets with 32 points.
CELTICS 103, CAVALIERS 96
Jayson Tatum scored 25 points and Gordon Hayward scored 18 points off the bench to lead Boston to a win at Cleveland. Marcus Smart added 17 points and Jaylen Brown 13 and seven rebounds for Boston, which won its fifth straight game. Rookie Collin Sexton led the Cavaliers with 27 points. Alec Burks added 21 points for Cleveland, which lost for the eighth time in 10 tries.
RAPTORS 119, 76ERS 107
Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points, Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka added 20 apiece, and Toronto won at Philadelphia. Ibaka also contributed 10 rebounds, and Pascal Siakam had 16 points for the Raptors, who improved to 17-11 on the road this season. Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 37 points and 13 rebounds for his league-best 44th double-double this season. Ben Simmons added 20 points and Jimmy Butler had 18 for the Sixers, who lost for just the sixth time in 27 home games this season.
GRIZZLIES 108, TIMBERWOLVES 106
Mike Conley recorded 25 points, nine assists and three steals amid increased trade speculation, and Memphis posted a victory over visiting Minnesota. Justin Holiday (17 points, nine rebounds) made two free throws with 0.1 seconds left to give the Grizzlies their second straight victory after they lost 17 of their previous 19 games. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 23 points, and Ivan Rabb scored a career-high 19 points and matched his season best of 11 rebounds for Memphis. Karl-Anthony Towns registered 26 points and 18 rebounds, and Dario Saric added 22 points for Minnesota, which has lost four of its last five games.
PISTONS 105, KNICKS 92
Blake Griffin totaled 29 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and Detroit never trailed in a victory over New York, which saw its home losing streak reach 15 games. Griffin helped the Pistons win for only the 11th time in their last 33 games, and they won consecutive games for just the second time since then. Reggie Bullock hit five 3-pointers and added 19 points for Detroit before postgame reports indicated he was about to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Dennis Smith Jr. led the Knicks with 25 points.
PACERS 136, LAKERS 94
Bojan Bogdanovic bombed in four of Indiana’s 19 3pointers in a rout of Los Angeles at Indianapolis. The Pacers captured their third victory in a row after a four-game losing streak. Engulfed in Anthony Davis trade rumors, the Lakers lost their second straight. Connecting on 4-for-10 on 3-pointers, Bogdanovic led seven Pacers in double figures with a game-high 24 points. Myles Turner chipped in with 22 points. Returning from a one-game absence, LeBron James had 18 points, seven rebounds and nine assists.
HEAT 118, TRAIL BLAZERS 108
Hassan Whiteside collected 28 points and 11 rebounds as visiting Miami took down Portland. Dwyane Wade came off the bench for 22 points and nine rebounds, and Josh Richardson scored 18 points for the Heat, who ended a three-game losing streak. CJ McCollum scored 33 points, and Jake Layman added a career-high 25 points with eight rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who saw their eight-game home winning streak end. — Reuters