Rockets’ losing streak reaches five
Otto Porter Jr. scored 26 points, Bradley Beal and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 21 each, and the host Wizards handed the Rockets their fifth straight loss, 121-103.
The skid is Houston’s longest since dropping seven straight from Jan. 9-19, 2013.
NBA scoring leader James Harden matched his season low with 20 points for Houston.
Former Clipper Chris Paul returned after missing three games with a strained groin. He had eight points and six assists in 26 minutes for the Rockets.
Charlotte 111, at Golden State 100: Dwight Howard scored a seasonhigh 29 points and the Hornets won just their third road game of the season. On the night before the Warriors expect Stephen Curry to return from his sprained right ankle, they lost for just the second time in their past 15 games. They are 9-2 without Curry.
Milwaukee 97, at Oklahoma City 95: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points, including the questionable winning basket with 1.3 seconds left. Replays clearly showed Antetokounmpo stepped out of bounds on his drive, but the officials refused to review the play after the buzzer sounded. “In any reviewable matter, there has to be a whistle called on the floor,” official Derek Stafford said. “There was no whistle blown for the play, so we couldn't review it.” Dallas 128, at New Orleans 120: Dennis Smith Jr. had his first career triple-double and the Mavericks made a franchise-record 22 three-pointers.
at Chicago 119, Indiana 107: Rookie Lauri Markkanen scored a careerhigh 32 points, Nikola Mirotic added 28 and the surging Bulls won their third consecutive game. Brooklyn 111, at Miami 87: Joe Harris scored a career-high 21 points, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 18 and the Nets matched their biggest win ever over the Heat.
at Toronto 111, Atlanta 98: DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 13 points and 11 rebounds and the Raptors won their 11th straight home game. Toronto was 11-3 in December, their best record ever in the month. Phoenix 111, at Sacramento 101: Devin Booker shook off a rough night shooting and scored 12 of his 26 points over the final five minutes to lift the Suns. The Kings, who beat Cleveland on Wednesday, fell to 2-22 when trailing after three quarters.
Clippers 121, at Lakers 106