Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 23 as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Detroit Pistons 97-81 on Wednesday night to clinch their 19th straight playoff berth.
San Antonio (51-9) won their 29th straight home game to open the season in their first game following a month-long road trip brought on by the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.
San Antonio join Golden State as the only teams to clinch spots in the post-season.
Photo: Soobum Im-USA TODAY
Leonard and Aldridge excelled against a Detroit team thinned by injuries to forwards Anthony Tolliver and Stanley Johnson. Aldridge added 10 rebounds, while Leonard had six rebounds and five assists for San Antonio, who have won six straight.
Detroit center Andre Drummond had nine points and 14 rebounds, ending his career-high and the league’s season-high of consecutive double-doubles at 13 straight.
CLIPPERS 103, THUNDER 98
The Oklahoma City Thunder took the court hours after the death of part-owner Aubrey McClendon and squandered a 22-point lead to lose to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Chris Paul had 21 points and 13 assists for Los Angeles, while DeAndre Jordan had 20 points and 18 rebounds. The Clippers ended the game with a stunning 26-5 run after trailing by 16 points with 7 minutes, 30 seconds left. The Thunder had only one field goal during that stretch, a 17-foot jumper by Durant. It was the largest comeback win of the season for the Clippers.
Kevin Durant scored 30 points, while Russell Westbrook had 24 points and 12 assists for Oklahoma City.
NUGGETS 117, LAKERS 107
D.J. Augustin scored 22 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead six Denver players in double figures as the Nuggets beat Los Angeles in Kobe Bryant’s final game at the Pepsi Center.
Emmanuel Mudiay added 22 points and the Nuggets used a 10-0 run midway through the final quarter to gain some separation.
Bryant finished with five points and did not play in the second half because of a sore right shoulder. Fans kept chanting: “We want Kobe” as he sat on the bench with a wrap on his shoulder.
The Nuggets honored Bryant with a video tribute during a timeout in the first quarter.
ROCKETS 100, PELICANS 95
James Harden had 39 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists to help Houston overcome miserable shooting in a victory over New Orleans.
The Rockets went three of 34 on three-point attempts and committed 21 turnovers, but were able to rally past New Orleans thanks to an off night from Pelicans star Anthony Davis.
With their horrendous shooting performance, Houston became the first team in NBA history to make fewer than four three-pointers on 30 or more attempts.
However, on the 34th attempt, Houston point guard Patrick Beverley delivered the most important shot of the game, a three-pointer from the corner that gave the Rockets a lead with less than a minute remaining.
RAPTORS 104, JAZZ 94
Kyle Lowry scored 32 points and DeMar DeRozan added 31 to help Toronto beat Utah for a club-record 11th straight home victory.
Lowry added five assists and four rebounds. Toronto (40-19) led the entire second half on the way to their fifth win in six games.
The Jazz (28-32) were led by Gordon Hayward, who scored 26 points, six assists and three rebounds.
Derrick Favors added 15 points and seven rebounds for Utah, who have lost four straight and seven of 11.
There were 11 lead changes and nine ties in the first half before the Raptors took control.
MAGIC 102, BULLS 89
Nikola Vucevic scored 24 points and rookie Mario Hezonja added a career-high 21 as Orlando beat Chicago.
Victor Oladipo scored 17 points, while Aaron Gordon had 13 points and 15 rebounds as Orlando coasted to an easy win. Elfrid Payton had nine points and 12 assists.
Derrick Rose led Chicago with 16 points, all in the first half. Pau Gasol had 12 points and Doug McDermott was the only other Bulls player in double figures with 11.
In other games, it was:
‧ Wizards 104, Timberwolves 98
‧ Celtics 116, Trail Blazers 93
‧ Grizzlies 104, Kings 98
‧ Pacers 104, Bucks 99
‧ Hornets 119, 76ers 99
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