Spurs take down T-Wolves; Wizards hold off Pacers late
SAN ANTONIO — LaMarcus Aldridge had 39 points and 10 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs overcame a sluggish start to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-101 on Saturday night.
San Antonio won its third straight to move into fifth in the Western Conference five days after dropping to 10th and out of playoff position.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota, which dropped to sixth in the West.
The Spurs had lost three straight and nine of 11 but are unbeaten halfway through a six-game homestand.
San Antonio shot 84 percent in the second quarter, their best shooting quarter since 2010. The run was fueled by Aldridge.
Two nights after battling New Orleans’ Anthony Davis on both ends, Aldridge had to take on another AllStar in Towns. Aldridge responded by leading the Spurs in scoring for the 49th time this season while helping keep Towns in check.
Aldridge scored 18 of 21 points during a five-minute stretch in the second quarter, including 12 straight. He capped the run by coming from the weak side to swat Towns’ floater deep into the seats. WIZARDS 109, PACERS 102
Bradley Beal scored 19 points, Marcin Gortat had 18, and host Washington beat Indiana in a possible playoff preview.
Washington earned its second straight win to move into a tie with Indiana for fourth in the East and also claimed the first tiebreaker by taking two of three in the season series.
Indiana made a final charge, pulling within seven on Lance Stephenson’s layup with 1:17 left, but Beal hit two free throws with 45 seconds remaining. CAVALIERS 114, BULLS 109
LeBron James scored 33 points as part of a triple-double, Jordan Clarkson had a tiebreaking four-point play with 1:27 left, and Cleveland topped visiting Chicago.
James had 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his 15th triple-double of the season, and Jeff Green added 21 points. Clarkson finished with 19 points to help Cleveland salvage a six-game split on its season-high six-game trip. GRIZZLIES 101, NUGGETS 94
Dillon Brooks scored 24 points, Tyreke Evans added 20, and Memphis snapped a 19-game losing streak with a home win over Denver.
Wayne Selden scored 16 points for Memphis by going 6-of-7 from the field, including 4-of-5 from outside the arc. Marc Gasol added 14 points as Memphis won for the first time since Jan. 29. BLAZERS 100, PISTONS 87
Damian Lillard had 24 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as host Portland beat Detroit for its 12th straight victory.
C.J. McCollum added 16 points for Portland, which currently has the longest winning streak for the franchise since it also won 12 in a row in 2002. KNICKS 124, HORNETS 101
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 25 points as New York snapped a ninegame losing streak with a win against visiting Charlotte.
New York outscored Charlotte 42-17 in the third quarter. Charlotte was just 4-of-23 from the field in the period. WARRIORS 124, SUNS 109
Quinn Cook scored 16 of his career-high 28 points in a dominant third quarter for Golden State, and Draymond Green narrowly missed a triple-double while helping hand host Phoenix its eighth straight loss and 23rd in 25 games.
Nick Young added 20 for Golden State, which beat Phoenix for the 13th consecutive time despite playing without Stephen Curry (ankle), Kevin Durant (ribs) and Klay Thompson (fractured thumb). BUCKS 122, HAWKS 117
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 12 rebounds, Khris Middleton added 23 points, and Milwaukee held on for a win over visiting Atlanta.
Milwaukee finished off the Eastern Conference’s worst team with a gameending 11-5 run. NETS 114, MAVERICKS 106
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 23 points, D’Angelo Russell had 22, and Brooklyn recovered after blowing a lead to beat visiting Dallas.
DeMarre Carroll had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Caris LeVert and Joe Harris each chipped in 11 points for Brooklyn, which snapped a threegame skid. JAZZ 103, KINGS 97
Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points as the Utah beat Sacramento for its ninth straight victory.
Rudy Gobert had 22 points and 13 rebounds for Utah, and Ricky Rubio added 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists.