(The Sports Xchange) – Kawhi Leonard scored 21 points, and San Antonio used a third-quarter spark to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 105-97 Friday night at Staples Center.
Tony Parker and Pau Gasol, who played for the first time in 15 games after breaking his left hand, contributed 17 points apiece for the Spurs (44-13), who won their third in a row. Gasol also collected 11 rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge had 15 points and 11 boards and Patty Mills added 14 points for San Antonio.
Blake Griffin scored 23 of his 29 points in the second half for the Clippers (35-23). Austin Rivers came off the bench to score 23 points, while Chris Paul, who returned after missing 14 games with a torn ligament in his left thumb, scored 17 points, grabbed six rebounds and handed out five assists. DeAndre Jordan chipped 14 points and eight rebounds.
Los Angeles wiped out a 10-point deficit in the final quarter, cutting the margin to six after a bucket by Griffin with 7:35 remaining, but San Antonio pulled away down the stretch.
Pacers 102, Grizzlies 92
C.J. Miles scored 17 points, Monta Ellis added 16 and Indiana snapped a six-game losing streak with a win over Memphis on Friday night.
For Indiana (30-28), it was its first victory since beating Oklahoma City 93-90 on Feb. 6. Indiana’s Paul George made only 3 of 12 shots from the floor, finished with nine points and nine rebounds and left the game in the fourth quarter with right-leg cramps.
But the second unit, led by Ellis, Lavoy Allen, Rodney Stuckey, Glenn Robinson III and Rakeem Christmas, helped Indiana pull away, combining for 44 points.
Memphis (34-25), which received 13 points from Troy Daniels, lost its second in a row. The Grizzlies had beaten the Pacers five consecutive times before Friday night.
Timberwolves 97, Mavericks 84
Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 18 rebounds and Minnesota pulled away from Dallas.
After hearing his name in trade rumors before Thursday’s deadline, Ricky Rubio had 13 points, 14 assists, five rebounds and three steals for Minnesota. The Timberwolves (23-35), who bypassed any trade deadline deals, posted their third win in four games since the All-Star break and pulled ahead of Dallas (22-35) in the Western Conference.
Seth Curry scored a career-high 31 points for the Mavericks, who were without new acquisition Nerlens Noel on Friday. Noel is expected to make his Dallas debut on Saturday. Harrison Barnes had 20 points for the Mavs, who have lost three in a row.
76ers 120, Wizards 112
Robert Covington had 25 points and 11 rebounds as Philadelphia beat Washington.
Dario Saric and Gerald Henderson added 20 points apiece for the 76ers, who won for the fourth time in five games.
Bradley Beal poured in 40 points and John Wall collected 29 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds for Washington, which cut a 22-point deficit to four with 22.9 seconds left. Philadelphia’s Nik Stauskas made two free throws with 21.9 left and Henderson added two with 7.7 seconds to play.
Raptors 107, Celtics 97
DeMar DeRozan made big shots down the stretch and finished with 43 points as Toronto defeated Boston.
DeRozan’s jumper in the final minute gave Toronto a five-point lead and his two free throws with 33.6 seconds left made it a seven-point advantage. DeRozan made two more free throws with 27.5 seconds left to seal the win.
Serge Ibaka had 15 points and seven rebounds in his debut with the Raptors (34-24). Isaiah Thomas led Boston (37-21) with 20 points and Marcus Smart added 19 off the bench. Crowder also had 19 points and Jaylen Brown 13 for the Celtics.
Bulls 128, Suns 121 (OT)
Dwyane Wade scored 23 points, Jimmy Butler had 22 and Chicago put five scorers in double figures against Phoenix. Nikola Mirotic scored 20 points off the bench and Robin Lopez added 19 for the Bulls (29-29), who also got 15 points from rookie Denzel Valentine. Devin Booker led the Suns (18-40) with 27 points. Eric Bledsoe, Marquese Chriss and TJ Warren each scored 17. Alan Williams also had 16 points for Phoenix, which blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Jazz 109, Bucks 92
Gordon Hayward scored 29 points and led an offense that dominated the paint as Utah cruised past Milwaukee at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Jazz (36-22) won their second straight after a three-game skid. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 33 points and added 12 rebounds. The Bucks (25-31) had won its last three games before the All-Star break.
Thunder 110, Lakers 93
Russell Westbrook collected his 28th triple-double of the season to lead Oklahoma City over Los Angeles at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Westbrook scored 17 points on 4-of-17 shooting from the field to go with 17 assists and 19 rebounds. Alex Abrines and Andre Roberson each had 19 points and combined to hit eight 3-pointers. Steven Adams collected 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder (33-25).
D’Angelo Russell paced the Lakers (19-41) with 29 points. Jordan Clarkson came off the bench to score 14 points and Julius Randle added 13.
Heat 108, Hawks 90
Tyler Johnson came off the bench to score 23 points, including three of Miami’s season-high 17 3-point baskets, in a win at Philips Arena.
Miami made 17 of 37 of its 3-point tries. Luke Babbitt made four, with Johnson and Wayne Ellington each hitting three. The Heat (26-32) have won two straight games and 15 of their last 17.
Atlanta (32-25) has lost two straight and five of its last 10. The Hawks were led by forward Paul Millsap, who scored 21 points but had only two in the second half.
Nuggets 129, Nets 109
Gary Harris scored a career-high 25 points, Wilson Chandler had 24 and Denver beat Brooklyn.
Danilo Gallinari added 20 points and eight rebounds and Mason Plumlee had 12 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for Denver (26-32), which snapped a six-game losing streak against Brooklyn.
Brook Lopez had 17 points and Trevor Booker had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Nets (9-48), who have lost 15 straight. Jeremy Lin played 15 minutes and had seven points and five assists in his return from a strained left hamstring.
