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Irving, Boston Take 1-0 Lead Over Indiana

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BOSTON — Kyrie Irving scored 20 points and the Boston Celtics secured an 84-74 win over the Indiana Pacers to take a 1-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff game on Sunday. Box Score

Irving, who shot 6 of 17 from the floor and made all six of his free throws, also dished out seven assists and had five rebounds in the win.

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“I just try to be aggressive on the ball, be in the right spots,” Irving said after the game.

“I just really want to be aggressive and really be the head of the snake.”

Marcus Morris added 20 points with seven rebounds, while Jayson Tatum scored 15 points for the Celtics (1-0).

Al Harford ended with a triple-double of 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists and Gordon Hayward finished with 10 points and seven boards for Boston.

Cory Joseph scored 14 points for the Pacers (0-1) in the defeat, while Bojan Bogdanovic added 12 points for Indiana.

Boston won the game despite shooting just 36.7 percent and committing 20 turnovers.

Indiana was even lower, shooting only 33.3 percent from the field and were just 6 for 27 from 3.

The Pacers set a new franchise record for lowest points in a quarter thanks after being outscored 26-8 in the third quarter.

Boston trailed the Pacers 45-38 at halftime, but recovered to hold Indiana to just 29 points in the second half.

The went up by 11 points in the first half, but the Celtics went on the front foot after the interval after using a 22-3 run in the third quarter to take a 60-48 lead and ended the quarter ahead 64-53.

“They missed some shots, but we were really connected,” Boston coach Brad Stevens said. “We were really playing hard. We were really flying around.”

Game 2 in the series is on Wednesday in Boston and again.

Kemba Walker Scores 47, Not Enough Again As Hornets Lose To Wizards

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WASHINGTON — Kemba Walker scored 47 points but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Charlotte Hornets from losing 130-126 to the Washington Wizards on Saturday.

It was the third time this season Walker was scoring at least 40 points after a 41-point performance in the defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks in the season opener in October and his 60 point production in a losing effort against the Philadelphia 76ers in November.

Saturday marked the fourth time Walker was also scoring 40 or more this season, which is one shy of his career-high five 40-plus point performances, set during the 2017-18 season.

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The former Connecticut star has now scored 40 or more points 13 times in his career.

He is averaging 25.9 points per game this season and 23.8 points per game in December this campaign.

At the Capital One Arena on Saturday night, the 28-year-old seven-year pro shot 18 of 29 from the field and buried six of his nine attempts from 3-point range.

He streaked his way to a remarkable 24 of his points in the fourth quarter and almost carried Charlotte (17-18) to a stunning comeback when he connected on a 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds to play to cut the deficit to a point, with his team trailing 127-126.

However, it wasn’t to be as Trevor Ariza completed a three-point play to push the lead back to three points for the Wizards and Hornets’ Cody Zeller failed to connect on a potential game-tying long-range effort as the clock ran out.

Ariza scored 24 points to lead the way for the Wizards (14-23) who remain nine games below .500 this season.

Walker the Charlotte Hornets have dropped three of the last four games. They will seek to bounce back when they host the Orlando Magic on Monday.

Antetokounmpo Double-Double Guides Bucks Past Knicks, 109-95 on Christmas Day

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NEW YORK – Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded a double-double and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the New York Knicks 109-95 at Madison Square Garden in the opening NBA Christmas Day game on Tuesday.

The Bucks, who were playing on Christmas Day for the first time since the 1977-78 season, have now won their last three games played on December 25 and improved to 3-2 all-time on Christmas.

Prior to Tuesday’s victory, Milwaukee had wins at Kansas City Kings in 1977 and at Kansas City-Omaha Kings in 1972 on Christmas Day.

Antetokounmpo, who was making his Christmas Day debut, finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks for the Bucks (23-10), who improved to an NBA second-best record this season.

He was seeking to join Wilt Chamberlain and Tracy McGrady as the only players to score 40 points in their Christmas debut, but fell short by 10 points on the day.

Brook Lopez added 20 points and Malcolm Brogdon supported with 17 points, six rebounds and three steals for Milwaukee, which took a 2-1 lead in the regular season series.

Kevin Knox led New York with 21 points and six rebounds, but was 8 of 20 from the field.

Noah Vonleh ended with a double-double of 14 points and 15 boards and Tim Hardaway Jr. chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks (9-26) who shot 37 percent overall and went 8 for 28 from 3-point range.

The Bucks led by two points at halftime and 54-50 midway through the third quarter before blowing the game wide open and pulled away to a take a commanding 84-68 lead into the fourth quarter.

New York was playing on Christmas Day for an NBA-high 53rd time, which dated back to the very first game of the NBA on Christmas in 1947, but the Knicks failed to add to their 22 wins on December 25.

The teams complete their season series on Thursday night in Milwaukee.

Irving Scores 47pts, Celtics Rallied Again For 16th Straight Win

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DALLAS, Sporting Alert – Kyrie Irving scored 47 points and the Boston Celtics rallied from another double-digit deficit to beat the Dallas Mavericks 110-102 in overtime for their 16th straight win on Monday night.

Irving, who scored 10 of his season-high points in the overtime period, became the first Celtics player since Larry Bird to score at least 45 points on 70 percent shooting, according to ESPN’s Stats and Info.

The point guard, who scored 25 of his points in the first half, shot 16 of 22 from the field overall and made five 3-pointers in the win. He also converted 10 of 11 free throws and dished out six assists for the Celtics (16-2).

Boston trailed Dallas 87-74 when Dwight Powell made a layup with 7:47 remaining, but Irving and Co. rallied to send the game into overtime at 96-96 before stealing it in the extra period.

Jaylen Brown, who gave the Celtics a 104-102 lead with a jumper with 1:39 to play in overtime, finished with 22 points on 8 of 13 shooting with nine rebounds.

Jayson Tatum, whose alley-oop lay-up rimmed in to send the contest into overtime, added 15 points and nine rebounds, while Marcus Smart ended with 12 points and eight assists off the bench for Boston, which was coming back from its third successive double-digit deficit.

“For us, it’s just about battling back when teams get a comfortable rhythm, whether it’d be in the first half or the second half,” Irving, who was 9 of 9 from the field at one point in the first half, said.

“As a group, we continue just to stick together throughout anything and everything.”

Harrison Barnes had 31 points and six rebounds for Dallas (3-15), but missed a jumper with less than a second to go in regulation that could have won it for the Mavericks.

“At the end of the day, it’s got to show up in wins and losses,” Barnes said. “There are no moral victories around here.

“Tonight was playing against a great team, and a great opportunity to win here in front of our home fans. We let it slip away.”

Wesley Matthews ended with 18 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists in the defeat.

J.J. Barea scored 16 points off the bench for Dallas and Dirk Nowitzki added 14 points and 12 rebounds, but his lone turn over was a costly one, as Boston scored off it to send the game into overtime.

The Mavericks, who came back from an early double-digit deficit, were losing for the fifth time in six games.

“We just needed to make a couple more plays at key times,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said.

“Probably just one more key play in the last minute or minute and a half. That would have been the difference.”

Middleton, Antetokounmpo Guide Bucks Past Pistons, 99-95

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MILWAUKEE, WI, Sporting Alert – Khris Middleton scored 27 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 21 and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons 99-95 on Wednesday night.

The Bucks (8-6), who shot 48.7 percent, have now won four straight.

Middleton, who played a team-high 40 minutes, shot 12 of 21 from the floor and had eight assists and six rebounds in the win, while Antetokounmpo finished with six rebounds, four blocks and three steals.

“I’m just playing hard,” Middleton said. “That’s what I’ve noticed over the first couple of games. I don’t think I was playing hard enough.

“I’ve talked to some coaches, teammates, KG (Kevin Garnett) also came in, and the common thing that most of the guys were saying was I just need to play harder.

“And I think it was true. But now I feel like I’m just playing hard and not worrying about everything else and it’s working out.”

Eric Bledsoe, the team’s recently acquired, had 14 points, eight assists, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks, Tony Snell scored 12 points, while Malcolm Brogdon ended with 12 off the bench and John Henson had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Milwaukee.

Avery Bradley led the Pistons (10-4) with 28 points and five assists and Andre Drummond had 13 points and 17 rebounds for Detroit.

Tobias Harris scored 13 points and Luke Kennard finished with 11 off the bench in the defeat.

Trailing 75-64 entering the fourth quarter, the Pistons rallied to pull within one point at 82-81 when Anthony Tolliver hit a 3-pointer with 5:51 left.

The Bucks built the lead back to six points, but Drummond’s free throw locked the scores at 93-93 with less than one minute remaining.

But Bledsoe, who missed his first six shots, scored four straight points, including two key free throws down the stretch and Milwaukee held on for the win.

Detroit, which fell to 3-3 away from home, had its five-game winning streak snapped.

The Bucks had 10 steals and blocked 16 shots on the night — two shy of the team record set in 1980 against Detroit.

“That’s the game right there, absolutely,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. “That’s 16 opportunities you don’t even get the ball up on the rim.

“When you look at the stat sheet, it’s really hard to figure out how the game was close. … It was a frustrating night. We really didn’t do anything well. I couldn’t find any offense to run to help us.”

Celtics 107 Beat Lakers 96, For 10 Straight Wins

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BOSTON, Sporting Alert – Despite suffering more injury difficulties, the Boston Celtics held on to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-96 on Wednesday night for their 10th straight victory.

Boston went into the game without star forward Al Horford after he entered the NBA’s concussion protocol, and it suffered another setback when star rookie Jayson Tatum picked up an ankle injury during the game and did not return.

But Aron Baynes matched his career high with 21 points and Kyrie Irving finished with 19 and the Celtics managed to overcome those injuries to extend their win streak.

Baynes, who shot 8 of 12 from the floor, also grabbed eight rebounds, while Irving dished out five assists and grabbed six rebounds in the victory for the Celtics (10-2).

Marcus Morris had 18 points and Terry Rozier added 14 points and eight rebounds for Boston, which shot just 38.8 percent.

Boston coach Brad Stevens said Tatum, who scored five points in a little over nine minutes, had X-rays and was fitted with a walking boot as a precaution.

Brandon Ingram and Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers with 18 points apiece.

Ingram also grabbed seven rebounds with two steals and Clarkson added five boards and two steals in the defeat.

Julius Randle had 16 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 12 points, while Brook Lopez and Kyle Kuzma each scored 10 points for Los Angeles (5-6), who had won two straight before Wednesday night’s defeat.

Lonzo Ball finished with nine points, six assists, five rebounds and four blocks.

The rookie point guard struggled to get his shots off again – going 4 of 15 from the field and missed four his five 3-point attempts.

Boston led by as many as 21 in the second quarter before letting the lead shrink to two with 5:42 left in the third.

However, Los Angeles failed to take advantage of its opponent’s bad shooting night, as they too struggled to make shots and committed six turnovers down the stretch.

Los Angeles Lakers are at the Washington Wizards on Thursday night.

Boston Celtics entertain the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.

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Indiana Hands Cleveland Fourth Straight Loss, 124-107

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CLEVELAND, Sporting Alert — Thaddeus Young and Darren Collison combined to score 51 points, and the Indiana Pacers handed the Cleveland Cavaliers their fourth straight loss with a 124-107 result on Wednesday night.

All five Pacers starters scored in double-figures in the win.

Young finished with 26 points, six rebounds and four steals and Collison had 25 points, eight assists and five rebounds for Indiana (5-3), which won three straight and four in the last five overall.

“That’s what we’re doing, winning games by committee,” Young said. “We’re moving the ball and trusting each other. I love playing with this team.”

Victor Oladipo hit five 3-pointers to end with 23 points and seven assists, while Bojan Bogdanovic scored 17 points and Domantas Sabonis had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers, who return to action on Friday at the Philadelphia 76ers.

“It’s a big win for this young team,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. “We knew Cleveland would come out with a sense of urgency after losing their last three.”

LeBron James paced Cleveland with 33 points, 11 assists, six rebounds, two steals and a block, but his effort wasn’t enough to prevent the Eastern Conference champion from falling again.

The Cavs, who have lost by a combined margin of 58 points in their current losing streak, sit third from bottom in the Eastern Conference Standings.

“A lot of teams are playing well right now,” said James, who tied a season high with eight turnovers. “We’re not. That’s just a simple fact.”

Derrick Rose finished with 19 points, Jeff Green scored 15, while Kevin Love had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Cavaliers (3-5), who were losing for the fifth time in six games.

“No one’s going to feel sorry for us,” Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue said. “We’ve got to do it ourselves.”

Dwyane Wade played 15 minutes off the bench for the Cavs and scored five points on 2 of 7 shooting with four assists, while forward Tristan Thompson left the game in the second quarter with a strained left calf.

Thompson played 15 minutes and grabbed seven rebounds before leaving and didn’t return.

The Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Washington Wizards on Friday night.

Latest NBA Scores on April 5: Wins For Warriors, Cavaliers

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NEW YORK, Sporting Alert — The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers both picked up wins in the latest NBA scores on Wednesday night.

WARRIORS 120, SUNS 111

PHOENIX — Stephen Curry hit eight 3-pointers and shot 15-of-26 from the floor overall on his way to tallying 42 points with 11 assists and the Warriors held off the Phoenix Suns 120-111 on the road.

Curry scored 23 points in the first quarter as Golden State raced out to a 41-18 lead before the Suns rallied with a 34-17 second quarter to cut the huge deficit.

Klay Thompson added 22 points and seven rebounds for the Warriors (65-14) to secure their season-high 13th straight win and clinched the best record in the NBA for the third straight season.

Golden State, which shot 50 percent from the floor (45-of-90), was without Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, who were both rested.

Devin Booker, in the meantime, led Phoenix with 21 points with five assists and three steals, while Tyler Ulis added 20 points and six assists.

Jared Dudley matched his season high with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go with seven rebounds, six assists and two steals and Alan Williams finished with 16 points, a career-best 17 rebounds and four steals for the Suns (22-57), who tied a franchise record after losing their 13th straight.

CAVALIERS 114, CELTICS 91

Cavaliers forward LeBron James
Cavaliers forward LeBron James looks on during an NBA game.

BOSTON — LeBron James and Kevin Love both recorded double-doubles as the Cleveland Cavaliers went to Boston and beat the Celtics 114-91 to move back into first place in the Eastern Conference Standings.

James, who downplayed the importance of the head-to-head battle before tip-off, finished with 36 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks for the Cavs.

Love added 15 points and 16 rebounds, while Kyrie Irving ended with 19 points and five assists, JR Smith scored 12 points and Channing Frye finished with 10 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers (51-27), who now lead the Celtics by one game.

Isaiah Thomas led Boston (50-28) with 26 points, six assists and four rebounds, Jae Crowder scored 13 points, while Al Horford chipped in with 12 points and seven rebounds for the Celtics.

Kelly Olynyk scored 12 points for Boston, which had its two-game win streak snapped.

NBA SCORES AND RESULTS
Wednesday, April 5, 2017

WARRIORS 120, SUNS 111
LAKERS 102, SPURS 95
CAVALIERS 114, CELTICS 91
ROCKETS 110, NUGGETS 104
CLIPPERS 112, MAVERICKS 101
THUNDER 103, GRIZZLIES 100
HEAT 112, HORNETS 99
RAPTORS 105, PISTONS 102

Latest NBA Scores And Recaps on March 22

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MIAMI, FL — Latest NBA scores and selected recaps from the games that were played on Wednesday night, March 22.

THUNDER 122, 76ERS 97

OKLAHOMA CITY — At the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook posted 18 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists to record his 35th triple-double of the season for the Thunder in the comfortable victory.

Westbrook, who also blocked two shots, shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and hit all six of his free throws.

Enes Kanter, meanwhile, led the way in scoring for Oklahoma City (41-30) when posting his 17th double-double of the season with 24 points and 11 rebounds.

Victor Oladipo added 18 points and Doug McDermott chipped in with 13 points off the bench for the Thunder, who won six of the last seven games and rebounded from the one-sided 111-95 defeat to the Warriors in the last outing.

Nik Stauskas made five 3-pointers and scored 20 points for the 76ers.

Shawn Long added 13 points off the bench as well, while Robert Covington and Dario Saric each scored 12 points for Philadelphia (26-45), which lost two in a row and three of the last five games.

NUGGETS 126, CAVALIERS 113

DENVER — At the Pepsi Center, Gary Harris scored 21 points and Will Barton added 20 off the bench and the Denver Nuggets beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-113 in the NBA on Wednesday.

Wilson Chandler finished with 18 points in his return from an injury, Kenneth Faried ended with 17 and Jamal Murray scored 15 off the bench for the Nuggets (34-37), who rebounded from back-to-back defeats to the Houston Rockets.

Denver remains eighth in the Western Conference Standings.

Kyrie Irving made four 3-pointers in scoring 33 points to lead the way for the Cavaliers, while Deron Williams shot 8-of-10 from the floor to add 19 points off the bench.

LeBron James finished with 18 points for Cleveland (46-24), which dropped two of its last three games.

The Cavs, who have already clinched a playoffs spot, remain top of the Eastern Conference Standings, but only slightly ahead of the also playoff-bound Boston Celtics.

LATEST NBA SCORES ON MARCH 22

CELTICS 109, PACERS 100
WIZARDS 104, HAWKS 100
NUGGETS 126, CAVALIERS 113
HORNETS 109, MAGIC 102
BULLS 117, PISTONS 95
JAZZ 108, KNICKS 101
BUCKS 116, KINGS 98
THUNDER 122, 76ERS 97

Crawford, LA Clippers Overwhelmed Bulls In 2nd Half For 101-91 Win

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CHICAGO — Jamal Crawford hopped off the bench to score 25 points and the Los Angeles Clippers overwhelmed the Chicago Bulls in the second half to pick up a 101-91 victory in the NBA on Saturday night. Download Box Scores and Game Book

Before Saturday’s victory, the Clippers had lost two straight games and four of five.

”We definitely needed a win,” Crawford said. ”Everything is better. The food tastes better, the flight will be better, you know, but it’s a total team effort.”

Crawford, who scored 17 points in the second half, shot 10-of-17 from the floor overall, while scoring 10 points in a 14-7 stream in the fourth quarter.

”He’s going to always break out,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said about the soon to be 37-year-old Crawford, who had struggled recently.

”I always tell him to give yourself a shooter’s chance. If you don’t shoot it, you have no chance of breaking out of it.”

Chris Paul added 17 points, Blake Griffin ended with 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds, JJ Redick scored 13 points for the Clippers in the road win.

Luc Mbah a Moute finished with 12 points and DeAndre Jordan grabbed 14 rebounds for Los Angeles (37-25), which sits 13.5 games behind Golde State in the Pacific standings and remains fifth in the Western Conference standings.

Jimmy Butler scored 16 points and dished out six assists and big man Robin Lopez ended with 12 points and six rebounds for the Bulls, who had won five of their last six games.

Bobby Portis added 11 points and seven rebounds, Dwyane Wade contributed 10 points and six assists and Paul Zipser scored 10 points in the defeat for Chicago (31-31), which scored just 12 points in the third quarter.

”He went 1-on-1 and you can’t do anything when he is going like that,” said Wade on Crawford.

”When they have guys making shots like that, we are taking the ball out of the basket.

“Our offensive rhythm is not the same as it was in the first half when we were able to get stops and go the other way.”

Chicago led 61-55 at halftime.

UP NEXT

Los Angeles Clippers are back in action on Monday when they host the Boston Celtics.

Chicago Bulls are also in action on Monday and they are at the Detroit Pistons.

Latest NBA Scores: Bulls, Trail Blazers Win – March 2

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CHICAGO — NBA scores and results on Thursday night, March 2, with the Chicago Bulls and the Portland Trail Blazers among the winners.

BULLS 94, WARRIORS 87

Jimmy Butler scored 22 points and the Chicago Bulls held the Golden State to 38.6 percent in a 94-87 victory on Thursday night.

Butler, who shot 6-for-14 and knocked down all 10 of his free throws, also had six assists, five rebounds and four steals for Chicago (31-30).

Bobby Portis added a double-double with 17 points and a season-high 13 rebounds, while Dwyane Wade finished with 12 points and five rebounds and Robin Lopez ended with 10 points for the Bulls, who outscored the Warriors 10-2 over the final three minutes to seal the win.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry looks on

Stephen Curry had 23 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals, Klay Thompson added 13 points and Draymond Green collected 12 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two blocks for the Warriors, who were losing back-to-back games for the first time since April 2015.

Golden State had gone 146 games without consecutive defeats before losing Thursday night.

Curry and Thompson combined to shoot 15-for-49 from the floor and went just 3-for-22 from 3-pointers together.

Chicago, which shot 43.9 percent and outrebounded the Warriors 49-41, came away with its fifth win in six games.

Golden State, which was 6-of-30 from long-range, took its first 3-pointer with 5:16 remaining in the first quarter with Klay Thompson missing the attempt after Rajon Rondo had turned the ball over.

The Warriors were playing their first game since Kevin Durant injured his left leg in a defeat at the Washington Wizards.

TRAIL BLAZERS 114, THUNDER 109

PORTLAND, Ore. — Damian Lillard had 33 points and the Portland Trail Blazers rallied to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 114-109 in the NBA on Thursday night.

Lillard shot 11-for-23, dished out five assists and hit a key 3-pointer with 2:48 remaining to put the Trail Blazers up 106-101.

Jusuf Nurkic shot 7-for-10 on his way to finishing with 18 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and five blocks, while C.J. McCollum ended with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists for Portland (25-35).

Al-Farouq Aminu ended with 14 points, six rebounds and three steals, Allen Crabbe finished with 11 points and Maurice Harkless chipped in with 10 points and nine boards for the Trail Blazers, who snapped a two-game skid.

Russell Westbrook, meanwhile, scored 45 points, but shot just 12-of-36 for the Thunder. He also grabbed eight rebounds, but failed to collect his 31st triple-double of the season in the defeat.

Enes Kanter had 18 points and 10 rebounds off the bench and newcomer Taj Gibson added 15 points for Oklahoma City (35-26), which had its four-game winning streak snapped.

NBA SCORES AND RESULTS

BULLS 94, WARRIORS 87
TRAIL BLAZERS 114, THUNDER 109
SUNS 120, HORNETS 103

Latest NBA Scores and Results From Feb. 26

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MIAMI, FL — Russell Westbrook notched another triple-double in Oklahoma City’s win over New Orleans, while San Antonio Spurs routed the LA Lakers in NBA scores on Sunday.

THUNDER 118, PELICANS 110

OKLAHOMA CITY — At the Chesapeake Energy Arena, Westbrook scored 41 points with 11 assists and 11 rebounds for his 29th triple-double of the season to guide the Thunder to an 118-110 victory over the Pelicans.

Westbrook, who committed nine of his team’s 13 turnovers on the night, shot 14-of-29 from the floor, while scoring a career-best 21 fourth-quarter points on 7-of-10 in the final period.

“Throughout games, I’ve got to find a better way to pick my spots,” said Westbrook, who collected his 66th career triple-double.

“Tonight was the fourth quarter. Some nights it may be early, some nights it may be late.”

Enes Kanter added 20 points and nine rebounds, Steven Adams ended with 13 points and 10 boards and Alex Abrines ended with 13 points for the Thunder (34-25), who won their third straight and improved to 22-8 at home this season.

Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 38 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while DeMarcus Cousins, who played just a little under 22 minutes, added 31 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out in the defeat.

New Orleans (23-37) shot 45 percent from the floor on 36 for 80 shooting, while Oklahoma City was 47.7 percent from the field on 42 for 88 shooting attempts.

SPURS 119, LAKERS 98

LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points and shot 50 percent from the floor to help the San Antonio Spurs hammered the Los Angeles Lakers 119-98 in an NBA score on Sunday.

LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points on 8 for 14 shooting with nine rebounds for the Spurs (45-13), who improved to 26-7 on the road this season.

Pau Gasol finished with 15 points and seven boards off the bench against his former team, as San Antonio won four straight and nine of 11.

Rookie Brandon Ingram scored a career-high 22 points on 10 for 15 shooting for Los Angeles, while Jordan Clarkson added 19 points and D’Angelo Russell scored 18 in the defeat for the Lakers (19-41), who have lost four in a row and 15 in 19 games overall.

NBA SCORES AND RESULTS
Sunday, February 27

SPURS 119, LAKERS 98
CLIPPERS 124, HORNETS 121, OT
THUNDER 118, PELICANS 110
GRIZZLIES 105, NUGGETS 98
CELTICS 104, PISTONS 98
RAPTORS 112, TRAIL BLAZERS 106
BUCKS 100, SUNS 96
JAZZ 102, WIZARDS 92