Williams puts up 31 as Rockets roll over Thunder
HOUSTON — Lou Williams scored 31 points off the bench, James Harden finished with 22 points and 12 assists, and the Houston Rockets never trailed while cruising to a 137-125 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
Russell Westbrook had 39 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists for his second straight triple-double and his 36th this season, but Harden led the Rockets to a 25-point lead through three quarters in the matchup between top MVP candidates.
Trevor Ariza and Eric Gordon added 24 points apiece for the Rockets, whose lead was trimmed to eight on a 3-pointer by Westbrook with about 90 seconds left. The Rockets scored four quick points after that to secure the victory.
Harden left late in the game after crashing into the court and appearing to injure his left wrist but said in a TV interview he expected to be OK.
Bulls 109, Bucks 94
MILWAUKEE — Nikola Mirotic tied a season high with 28 points, Jimmy Butler had 20 points and a career-high 14 assists, and the Bulls pulled away for the win.
Butler broke his previous career best for assists (12) by the end of a pivotal third quarter, when Chicago stretched a one-point lead at the half to 91-79 going into the fourth.
Butler punctuated the second-half runaway with a backcourt steal off a telegraphed pass by Greg Monroe before strolling the other way for an easy dunk and 17-point lead with 8:55 left.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points and eight rebounds for Milwaukee.
Kings 98, Clippers 97
LOS ANGELES — Willie Cauley-Stein made a follow shot with two seconds left, lifting Sacramento to the road win.
Down 85-67 early in the fourth, the Kings rallied while Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan were resting. Buddy Hield hit three
3-pointers in the final minutes, pulling the Kings to 96-93 with 2:10 to play.
Griffin made one of two free throws with 1:57 left before the Kings cut it to 97-96 on Langston Galloway’s 3-pointer with 1:23 to play.
After Jamal Crawford missed a 3-pointer, Cauley-Stein finished off a fast break with the deciding basket.
Darren Collison led the Kings with 19 points. Hield added 15 as the Kings snapped a four-game losing streak and won for only the third time in
15 games. DeAndre Jordan led the Clippers with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Hornets 120, Suns 106
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kemba Walker had 31 points and nine assists, and Charlotte handed Phoenix its eighth straight loss.
Marvin Williams added 21 points and Nic Batum had 18 points and 10 assists for the Hornets, who have won four of their last five games as they try to make a late playoff push.
Suns guard Devin Booker, who became the sixth player in NBA history to score 70 points in a loss Saturday night to the Boston Celtics, got off to a slow start but finished with 23 points on
7-of-17 shooting. TJ Warren had 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Walker went 10 for 18 from the field and 7 for
7 at the free-throw line.
Nets 107, Hawks 91
ATLANTA — Brook Lopez scored 23 points and Brooklyn handed Atlanta its seventh straight loss.
Jeremy Lin had 19 points for the Nets (16-57), who have won three of four and are 7-8 in March.
The Hawks are tied with Milwaukee for fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Atlanta (37-36) continued to struggle without All-Star Paul Millsap, who missed his fifth straight game with left knee tightness. The Hawks also were without Kent Bazemore, who missed his fourth straight game with a right knee bone bruise, and Thabo Sefolosha (right groin strain).
Dennis Schroder led Atlanta with 24 points.
Celtics 112, Heat 108
BOSTON — Isaiah Thomas scored 30 points, including 20 in the second half, and the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat 112-108 on Sunday night for their fourth straight victory.
The win moved Boston within percentage points of Cleveland for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics have one more victory than the Cavaliers, but also one more loss. Boston (48-26) also equaled its win total from last season.
Jae Crowder added 25 points and six rebounds for the Celtics.
Tyler Johnson had 24 points and James Johnson scored 20 for the Heat, who are a half-game ahead of the Bulls for the final playoff spot in the East. Chicago beat Milwaukee earlier in the day.
Pacers 107, 76ers 94
INDIANAPOLIS — Myles Turner had 17 points and 16 rebounds, Paul George scored 21 points, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 107-94 on Sunday night.
Jeff Teague added 16 points for the Pacers, who used a 30-point third quarter to turn a sixpoint halftime lead into a 12-point advantage and snapped a two-game skid.
Al Jefferson finished with 14 points before leaving in the fourth quarter with a sprained ankle. Monta Ellis, Aaron Brooks and CJ Miles all had 10 for Indiana.
Sergio Rodriguez scored 16 for the Sixers, while Richaun Holmes finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Philadelphia’s Jahlil Okafor was held out with soreness in his right knee and Jerryd Bayless did not play due to a left wrist injury.