(The Sports Xchange) โ Russell Westbrook scored 49 points but Nene sank two free throws with 0.7 seconds left and Houston squeaked out a 118-116 victory over Oklahoma City.
Westbrook shot 16-of-34 and made a career-high eight three-pointers as Oklahoma City nearly overcame an 18-point deficit after blowing an early 14-point lead.
Victor Oladipo nailed a corner three for a 116-114 lead with 1:55 remaining. The Thunder bludgeoned the Rockets on the boards in the fourth period, chipping away behind Enes Kanter (15 points, 13 rebounds) and, of course, Westbrook.
James Harden nearly had a triple-double for the Rockets with 26 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists. All five Rockets starters scored in double figures with Nene adding a season-high 18 points. Eric Gordon scored 22 off the bench.
Raptors 101, Jazz 93
Kyle Lowry scored 33 points and Toronto knocked off Utah.
DeMar DeRozan gave Toronto its first lead with 3:08 remaining and contributed 23 points and seven rebounds. Jonas Valanciunas added 18 points and 13 rebounds for Toronto, which returned home after a six-game road trip.
Hawks 99, Pelicans 94
Dennis Schroder scored 22 points and hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:13 remaining to lift Atlanta over New Orleans.
Schroder and Paul Millsap combined for the final 11 points as Atlanta won its fifth straight. Millsap added 17 points and 10 rebounds.
The Hawks won after trading Kyle Korver to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Korver was in uniform but did not play and confirmed the trade after the game.
Pacers 121, Nets 109
Paul George scored 26 points and Indiana pulled away from Brooklyn and notched its season-high fourth straight win.
Myles Turner added 25 points and 15 rebounds while Jeff Teague collected 21 points and 15 assists as Indiana shot 51.6 percent and finished with a season-low six turnovers.
Pistons 115, Hornets 114
Reggie Jackson scored 22 points and made two free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining after Detroit gave away a 19-point fourth-quarter lead and held on to beat Charlotte.Tobias Harris scored 25 points and fellow reserve Boban Marjanovic powered for 15 points and a career-high 19 rebounds for Detroit (17-21), which had lost 11 of its last 16 games.
Spurs 127, Nuggets 99
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 28 points, Tony Parker had 21 points and nine assists and San Antonio routed Denver. Kawhi Leonard scored 24 for the Spurs, who led by as many as 31 points in the easy win and improved to 17-3 on the road.
Suns 102, Mavericks 95
Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker combined for 48 points to lead Phoenix past Dallas.
Bledsoe scored 26 points, with 12 coming in the last 6 1/2 minutes. Booker carried the load in the third quarter with 11 points and finished with 22 on 9-of-17 shooting.
Trail Blazers 118, Lakers 109
C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard combined for 48 points and 17 assists as Portland defeated Los Angeles at Moda Center.
McCollum had 27 points and seven assists and Lillard chipped in 21 and 10 as the Trail Blazers (16-22) won for the fourth time in their last 16 outings.
