Lance Stephenson scored 25 points to help the Indiana Pacers come back from an early deficit and beat Philadelphia 99-90 on Monday, handing the 76ers their franchise-record 21st straight loss.
Paul George had 24 points for the Pacers, who staked the Sixers to a 15-6 lead before taking the advantage and pulling away.
George Hill scored 11 points, Ian Mahinmi had 10 and David West grabbed 12 rebounds for Indiana. Thaddeus Young had 23 points to lead the Sixers, who tied the Detroit Pistons for the sixth-longest losing streak in NBA history.
Photo: EPA
The Pistons lost 21 games in a row bridging the 1979-1980 and 1980-1981 season, while the Cleveland Cavaliers set the NBA record for consecutive losses by dropping 26 straight in the 2010-2011 season.
The 76ers have not won since Jan. 29 at Boston. Evan Turner hit the winning shot in that 95-94 win by Philadelphia.
Turner was traded to Indiana with Lavoy Allen on Feb. 20 for Danny Granger and a draft pick. He had four points and seven rebounds against his former team on Monday.
Photo: EPA
ROCKETS 124, JAZZ 86
In Houston, Texas, Terrence Jones scored 30 points as the Rockets ended a three-game skid with their most lopsided victory of the season over the Utah Jazz.
Dwight Howard was out with an ankle strain, leaving the Rockets without him for the first time this season, but they had no problem handling the Jazz, who have lost five in a row and have one of the worst records in the Western Conference.
Jeremy Lin scored 17 points, while Patrick Beverley scored 19 for the Rockets, who are second to San Antonio in the Southwest Division.
Houston led 92-69 entering the fourth and the big advantage allowed an overworked James Harden to rest a bit as he watched from the bench. He finished with 15 points.
Derrick Favors had 15 points for the Jazz, one night after scoring a career-high 28.
NETS 108, SUNS 95
In New York, Deron Williams scored 28 points — including through his first dunk of the season — to lead the Brooklyn Nets past the Phoenix Suns and extend their winning streak at home to nine.
Williams shot 11 of 13 from the field and seems to have recovered fully from the ankle problems that wrecked the first half of the season for him. He was two points off his season high and rose above the rim to throw down a dunk that finished off a fourth-quarter fast break started by Andrei Kirilenko’s steal.
Joe Johnson added 19 points for the Nets, who are enjoying their longest home winning streak since they claimed nine straight in 2006.
Markieff Morris scored 18 points and Gerald Green 17 for the Suns, who were seeking a three-game sweep against Atlantic teams after winning at Boston and Toronto.
THUNDER 97, BULLS 85
In Chicago, Kevin Durant finished with 35 points and 12 rebounds, as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Chicago Bulls.
After sitting out the previous day to rest a surgically repaired knee, Russell Westbrook added 17 to help the Thunder rebound from their most lopsided loss of the season on Sunday, when they fell by 23 at home to Dallas.
Oklahoma City went on a 13-point run after the Bulls scored eight straight early in the fourth to cut the lead to one.
Durant ran his streak of games with 25 or more points to 32, the longest in the NBA since Michael Jordan did it in 40 in a row during the 1986-1987 season. He also chipped in with five assists.
Chicago’s Joakim Noah shot two of eight, but finished with nine points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
In Monday’s other games it was:
‧ Mavericks 94, Celtics 89
‧ Nuggets 110, Clippers 100
‧ Hawks 97, Bobcats 83
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