James Harden strengthened his case for the MVP award with a career-high 51 points as the Houston Rockets squandered a huge early lead, but held on for a 115-111 win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
Houston were up by nine with about eight minutes left when Sacramento used a 9-2 spurt to get within 104-102 with five-and-a-half minutes remaining. An 8-0 run by Harden, which he capped with a three-point play, pushed the lead to 112-104. Four straight points by the Kings cut the lead to four with less than a minute left, but they did not score after that.
DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with his second career triple-double with 24 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists after missing Monday’s game to rest. He also had six blocks.
Wednesday’s performance surpassed Harden’s previous career best of 50 points, which came on March 19.
SPURS 103, MAGIC 91
In Orlando, Florida, Aron Baynes had 18 points, while Manu Ginobili added 13 as San Antonio clinched a playoff berth with a win over Orlando.
San Antonio, who posted their fifth straight victory, are 15-3 since Feb. 27 and have made the post-season in 18 consecutive seasons. It was the Spurs’ eighth straight win over Orlando.
Victor Oladipo led the Magic with 24 points, while Nik Vucevic added 16 points and 11 rebounds. Orlando have lost four straight, and 10 out of their past 11.
Playing in the second game of a back-to-back, the Spurs were able to rest forward Tim Duncan. He started, but played just 12 minutes, scoring six points.
WIZARDS 106, 76ERS 93
In Washington, Marcin Gortat scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while Bradley Beal added 20 points as Washington defeated Philadelphia.
John Wall chipped in 13 points and 15 assists for Washington, who had lost five of six.
The Wizards (42-33), who clinched a playoff spot on Monday, began play three games behind the Raptors for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Ish Smith tied his season high with 23 points and Isaiah Canaan added 18 for the 76ers (18-58), who have lost four straight overall and 18 of 19 on the road.
CELTICS 100, PACERS 87
In Boston, Kelly Olynyk scored 19 points after nearly missing the game with an eye injury sustained hours before tip-off as Boston beat Indiana in a matchup of Eastern Conference playoff hopefuls.
Tyler Zeller scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half and Evan Turner finished with 13 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for Boston, which is a half-game out of a playoff spot. The Celtics sit just behind Brooklyn and Miami, who are tied for seventh place in the East.
George Hill had 21 points and Rodney Stuckey scored 16 for the Pacers, who lost for the ninth time in 11 games and fell two games behind Boston.
NETS 100, KNICKS 98
In New York, Brook Lopez’s follow shot with 2 seconds left gave the Brooklyn Nets their fifth straight victory and a share of seventh place in the Eastern Conference, as they beat the New York Knicks.
The Nets blew a 16-point, second-half lead, but escaped what could have been a crushing loss thanks to Lopez’s effort on the boards on their last possession.
Deron Williams had 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in one of his best games of the season. And when he missed in the lane with the game tied at 98, Lopez tipped the ball once, then knocked it in on his second attempt.
Andrea Bargnani scored 22 points for the Knicks, who lost their eighth straight.
HORNETS 102, PISTONS 78
In Charlotte, North Carolina, Marvin Williams scored 18 points as Charlotte cruised past Detroit.
Kemba Walker had 17 points and Gerald Henderson added 14 as the Hornets won for only the third time in 10 games to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Charlotte entered the night two games behind eighth-placed Brooklyn.
Before the game, Hornets center Al Jefferson had his knee drained for the third time in eight days. He finished with 11 points and nine rebounds, sitting out the fourth quarter because of the big lead.
Jodie Meeks led Detroit with 15 points. Andre Drummond was in early foul trouble and finished with 13 points and nine rebounds.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Mavericks 135, Thunder 131
‧ Bucks 95, Bulls 91
‧ Raptors 113, Timberwolves 99
‧ Jazz 98, Nuggets 84
‧ Pelicans 113, Lakers 92
‧ Clippers 126, Trail Blazers 122
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