Raptors end Rockets’ 17-game win streak with 108-105 victory
TORONTO (AP) Kyle Lowry scored 30 points, DeMar DeRozan had 23 and the Toronto Raptors beat Houston 108-105 on Friday night, snapping the Rockets' 17-game winning streak.
James Harden scored 40 points but the Rockets lost for the first time since Jan. 27 at New Orleans.
Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Raptors won their seventh straight in a matchup between the respective conference leaders.
The Rockets shot 9 for 27 from 3-point range, matching their fewest made 3-pointers of the season.
TRAIL BLAZERS 125, WARRIORS 108
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - CJ McCollum scored 30 points, Damian Lillard added 28 and Portland won its ninth straight game with a victory over short-handed Golden State.
The Warriors had won seven in a row but didn't have Stephen Curry, Jordan Bell and Andre Iguodala, who were all out with injuries. Kevin Durant led Golden State with 40 points.
Portland has its longest winning streak since also winning nine straight in 2014. The Blazers' streak started when they beat Golden State 123-117 at the Moda Center on Feb. 14, the last game before the All-Star break.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - DeAndre Jordan had 20 points and 23 rebounds, Tobias Harris scored 23 points and Los Angeles beat Cleveland.
LeBron James had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Jordan Clarkson added 21 points for the Cavaliers, whose five-game road winning streak ended.
James shot 11 of 20 from the field, was 3 of 7 from 3-point range and missed both of his free throws.
The Clippers led most of the game, coming out energized at the start and shooting 50 percent in the first quarter while taking an 18-point lead.
Montrezl Harrell also had 20 points for the Clippers, who controlled the boards 52-40. They owned advantages in the paint (58-42) and second-chance points (25-8).
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Otto Porter Jr. scored 19 points and Washington cruised past New Orleans, which couldn't overcome the absence of All-Star Anthony Davis and had its 10-game winning streak snapped.
Markieff Morris scored 17 and Bradley Beal added 16 for the Wizards, who led by as many as 27 points en route to their second straight victory.
Without the 6-foot-10 Davis' ability to affect opponents' shots or prolong Pelicans possession with offensive rebounds, New Orleans looked overmatched on the boards. Washington outrebounded New Orleans 49-38, and converted 10 offensive rebounds into 18 second-chance points.
Darius Miller scored 20 points and Cheick Diallo a season-high 14 for the Pelicans, who'll hope to have Davis back for their next game against Utah.
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 13 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, outmuscling New York in the lane to help Milwaukee hold on.
Khris Middleton had a game-high 30 points for the Bucks, who got a head-start on their fourth-quarter surge when Antetokounmpo rejected Emmanuel Mudiay's attempted layup before the third-quarter buzzer to preserve a 91-89 lead.
The Bucks took control with a 19-7 run over a six-plus minute stretch of the fourth to build a 16-point lead that withstood a late run by the Knicks. Antetokounmpo wheeled his way past defenders to get to the foul line, while Middleton provided balance from the perimeter after his 3 with 5:03 left gave Milwaukee a 112-96 advantage.
New York, which finished a winless four-game road trip, has lost 14 of its last 15 games.
DENVER (AP) - Paul Millsap scored 21 points and hit a key 3-pointer in the final minutes, and Denver beat Los Angeles.
Jamal Murray had 22 points and Nikola Jokic also scored 21 to help the Nuggets end a three-game home losing streak and stay in the thick of the playoff race.
Millsap missed 44 games with a left wrist injury before returning Feb. 27 against the Clippers. Friday was his sixth game back and his best performance, which included six rebounds and three blocked shots.
Brook Lopez led Los Angeles with 29 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 17 points and nine rebounds, and Lonzo Ball had 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. The Lakers had their four-game road winning streak snapped.
DETROIT (AP) - Blake Griffin had 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Detroit ended a four-game losing streak.
The Pistons (30-36) had lost 10 of 12 to fall five games out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Reggie Bullock added 21 points while Andre Drummond had 17 rebounds.
Chicago (22-43) had won two of three after a five-game losing streak. Cameron Payne led the Bulls with 17 points, while Kris Dunn was the only other player to reach double figures with 13.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Bojan Bogdanovic scored 21 points, Cory Joseph scored 10 of his 18 points in the opening quarter, and Indiana was never seriously threatened in a rout of Atlanta.
Joseph, starting for point guard Darren Collison, hit two of the team's five 3-pointers to help build a 34-15 lead after 12 minutes.
Collison came off the bench and scored 17 points in 21 minutes. Victor Oladipo and Myles turner also scored 17 apiece for Indiana, which has won 12 of 15 home games since the start of the new year.
The Pacers (38-28) led by as many as 21 in the second quarter and went ahead by 31 points in the third quarter. They finished 14 of 27 from 3-point range.
Rookie reserve guard Tyler Dorsey scored all of his career-high 18 points in the second half for the Hawks, who dropped to a league-worst 5-27 on the road.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Jae Crowder scored a season-high 22 points and Utah won its fifth straight with a victory over Memphis, which has lost 16 in a row.
Joe Ingles added 16 points for Utah, while Ricky Rubio had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Dillon Brooks led Memphis with 18 points, and Ben McLemore finished with 14. Jarell Martin contributed 13, while making only five of his 15 shots as Memphis shot 37 percent for the game.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Kosta Koufos had a season-high 18 points and 13 rebounds, Garrett Temple scored 23 points and Sacramento beat Orlando to give coach Dave Joerger his 200th career win.
Vince Carter added 15 points and Skal Labissiere had eight points and seven rebounds for Sacramento before leaving with an injured left hip. The Kings have won three of five after losing their first four coming out of the All-Star break.
Koufos and Temple made rare starts with center Willie Cauley-Stein and rookie point guard De'Aaron Fox out nursing injuries and helped Sacramento complete a sweep of Orlando in a matchup of two struggling teams.
The duo shot a combined 16 of 22 and did most of their scoring in the second half when the Kings led by 15. Koufos had his first double-double since Feb. 11 while Temple had his highest point total since Jan. 23.