(The Sports Xchange) – The Cleveland Cavaliers opened a four-game lead on Chicago in the Central Division after their latest victory.
With just five games remaining for each team it will allow the Cavaliers to start resting some players for the playoffs, while Chicago tries to hold off Toronto for the third seed.
The Cavaliers were buoyed by LeBron James’ first triple-double of the season. James had 21 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists for the 38th triple-double of his career as the Cavaliers defeated the Chicago Bulls 99-94.
Mike Dunleavy led the Bulls with 24 points. Aaron Brooks, filling in for the injured Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich, scored 17.
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Rockets 115, Thunder 112
James Harden scored 41 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The victory (53-24) keeps the Rockets locked in second place in the Western Conference, a game ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Thunder (42-35) retained the No. 8 spot in the West standings, but their lead over the idle New Orleans Pelicans was reduced to a half-game with five remaining. The Pelicans have six games left.
Russell Westbrook paced the Thunder with 40 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his 11th triple-double of the season.
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Pacers 112, Heat 89
Indiana Pacers’ guard/forward Paul George, sidelined since Aug. 1 with a broken right leg, made a triumphant return with 13 points in 15 minutes in a victory against the struggling Miami Heat.
George entered the game to a standing ovation with 5:34 remaining in the first quarter and made his first field goal attempt, a short jumper with 3:42 left in the period that gave Indiana a 20-14 lead.
Luis Scola led Indiana (34-43) with 23 points and 12 rebounds. The win moved Indiana within a game of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
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Spurs 107, Warriors 92
Kawhi Leonard matched his career best for the regular season with 26 points and set a personal mark with seven steals as the Spurs defeated Golden State for their seventh consecutive victory.
Tim Duncan scored 19 points for the Spurs and guard Danny Green had 18.
Golden State (63-14) had its 12-game winning streak snapped a night after Steve Kerr set an NBA record for most victories by a rookie coach with a win at Dallas.
Stephen Curry led Golden State with 24 points, converting five of ten 3-point attempts.
San Antonio (51-26) played without Tiago Splitter, the starting centre who left a game against Denver on Friday with tightness in his right calf.
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Clippers 106, Lakers 78
Blake Griffin scored 18 points to lead six players in double figures as the Los Angeles Clippers hammered the Los Angeles Lakers.
DeAndre Jordan had 16 points, 11 rebounds and four steals for the Clippers (52-26), winners of three in a row and 10 of their last 11 games.
They also stayed a half-game ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the fourth spot in the Western Conference playoff race.
The Lakers (20-56) set a franchise record for losses in a season, topping last season’s mark (27-55) under former coach Mike D’Antoni.
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Knicks 101, 76ers 91
Outscoring the visitors 16-6 in the final five minutes, the New York Knicks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers.
While the Knicks (15-62) got the win, the 76ers (18-60) might just be the benefactors in the long run. Sunday’s combatants possess two of the three worst records in the NBA and they will be front-runners to gain the first overall draft pick in the lottery. Each loss increases the team’s odds of getting a higher choice.
Andrea Bargnani led the Knicks with 25 points, tied for a season high, with eight rebounds and four assists.
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Jazz 101, Kings 95
Rodney Hood scored nine straight points during a decisive 14-2 run late in the fourth quarter and the Utah Jazz continued their second-half surge with a victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Hood scored 25 points to pace the Jazz who improved to 16-8 since the All-Star game.
DeMarcus Cousins, coming off back-to-back triple-doubles, scored 26 points and pulled 12 rebounds for the Kings (26-50), who have lost at least 50 contests in six straight 82-game seasons. Sacramento went 22-44 in the 66-game lockout-shortened 2011-12 season.
