(Reuters) LaMarcus Aldridge posted a double-double and received complementary scoring from Rudy Gay in the San Antonio Spurs’ 100-83 win over the visiting Houston Rockets on Sunday.
The Spurs averted a season series sweep and snapped the Rockets’ 11-game winning streak in the process, holding Houston to 33.8 percent shooting.
Aldridge finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds for San Antonio, which desperately needed the victory to maintain pace in the hotly contested Western Conference postseason picture. The Spurs are fourth in the West, a half-game up on Oklahoma City.
Jazz 121, Timberwolves 97
Ricky Rubio poured in 23 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc to lead five teammates in double-figure scoring as visiting Utah romped past Minnesota in a game with major postseason implications for both teams.
Utah led by 11 at halftime and poured it on in the second half, forging as much as a 29-point lead in the fourth quarter to run away with the contest.
Thunder 109, Pelicans 104
Russell Westbrook had a triple-double as Oklahoma City held on against host New Orleans, which is clinging on to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Westbrook finished with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists as the Thunder ended a three-game losing streak. Paul George added a game-high 27 points, and Carmelo Anthony had 16 points.
Cavaliers 98, Mavericks 87
LeBron James racked up his 17th triple-double of the season with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists as Cleveland came from behind at home to beat Dallas.
The Cavaliers were down by four points entering the fourth quarter but used a 13-0 run over a four-minute timeframe in the middle of the period to take charge.
Warriors 117, Suns 107
Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Quinn Cook hit 3-pointers during a 17-2, third-quarter flurry that helped host Golden State break open a close game in a victory over Phoenix.
Durant finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Warriors, who snapped a three-game home losing streak, their longest since January 2014.
Nuggets 128, Bucks 125 (OT)
Nikola Jokic had 35 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots to help host Denver recover from an 18-point, fourth-quarter deficit and post a crucial victory over Milwaukee.
Jamal Murray recorded 27 points and seven assists, and Paul Millsap contributed 26 points, 13 rebounds and five assists for Denver. Will Barton had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who moved within one game of the eighth-place Pelicans for the final Western Conference playoff spot.
76ers 119, Hornets 102
Ben Simmons put on a clinic with 20 points, 15 assists, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks to lift Philadelphia past host Charlotte for a 10th straight win.
Marco Belinelli added a team-best 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting off the bench for the Sixers, who completed a four-game sweep of the season series with Charlotte.
Trail Blazers 113, Grizzlies 98
Portland outscored visiting Memphis 43-24 in the third quarter, breaking open a tight game and then cruising to victory.
Damian Lillard scored 27 points and CJ McCollum added 20 points for the Trail Blazers, who won for the 17th time in 20 outings.
Pacers 111, Clippers 104
Victor Oladipo scored 30 points and delivered a season-high 12 assists to lead visiting Indiana past Los Angeles.
Oladipo hit 11 of 17 shots. Myles Turner scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Pacers, who won their fifth consecutive game, including three in a row on the road.
Pistons 108, Nets 96
Reggie Jackson scored 12 of his season-high 29 points in the fourth quarter as Detroit withstood Andre Drummond’s ejection and beat host Brooklyn.
Drummond posted his 59th double-double of the season with 13 points and 14 rebounds. He missed a chance for a league-leading eighth 20-20 game after getting ejected for an incident with Quincy Acy.
Bulls 113, Wizards 94
Lauri Markkanen scored 23 points, and Chicago won its second game in a row, topping Washington, which was without John Wall.
Wall returned from a two-month absence Saturday and helped the Wizards clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Hornets. Washington’s All-Star guard missed 27 games recovering from a knee injury. He had 15 points and 14 assists against the Hornets but was given Sunday off.
Kings 84, Lakers 83
Buddy Hield scored 19 points, and his tiebreaking dunk with 37 seconds left led Sacramento past host Los Angeles.
Bogdan Bogdanovic added 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting for the Kings, who halted a four-game slide. De’Aaron Fox had 14 points and six assists and Willie Cauley-Stein contributed 11 points and seven rebounds for Sacramento.
Hawks 94, Magic 88
Dewayne Dedmon, Mike Muscala and John Collins each had double-doubles as Atlanta held off visiting Orlando in a battle between the two teams with the worst records in the Eastern Conference.
Dedmon finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Collins had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Muscala came off the bench to score 13 points and grab 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who snapped a five-game losing streak.
