Danny Green had 24 points as the injury-depleted San Antonio Spurs beat the Houston Rockets 110-106 on Sunday night, snapping a six-game skid against their intrastate rivals.
Tim Duncan scored 16 points and Manu Ginobili had 15 for San Antonio (19-13), who won for the first time in three games.
James Harden had 28 points for Houston (21-8), and Dwight Howard added 24 points and 17 rebounds.
The Rockets’ newest additions had differing levels of success: Corey Brewer scored 25 points, but Josh Smith finished with five points on two-of-seven shooting.
Green made four straight free throws in the final minute, helping San Antonio avoid going into overtime for the fourth time in their past six home games.
The Spurs played without Kawhi Leonard (bruised right hand) and Tony Parker (mild strain left hamstring).
MAVERICKS 112, THUNDER 107
In Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki matched his season high with 30 points for the Mavericks, and Chandler Parsons added 26.
The Mavericks rallied from seven points down to start the fourth quarter.
They were without center Tyson Chandler, a late scratch with back spasms.
The Thunder played their sixth straight game without Kevin Durant because of a sprained right ankle. They fell short in their third chance to reach .500 for the first time after Durant and Russell Westbrook were sidelined by injuries for 14 of the first 16 games.
Serge Ibaka led Oklahoma City with a season-high 26 points.
TRAIL BLAZERS 101, KNICKS 79
In Portland, Oregon, Wesley Matthews had 28 points, including six three-pointers, as the Trail Blazers beat the short-handed Knicks.
Portland were 16 for 36 from three-point range. Nicolas Batum had five three-pointers and 17 points.
It was the eighth straight loss for the Knicks, who had just nine available players to start the game, and then lost Carmelo Anthony for the second half because of a sore left knee.
Portland, who led by as many as 27 points, have won eight of their past nine games.
Cole Aldrich had 12 points and a career-high 19 rebounds for New York, while Tim Hardaway Jr scored 17 points.
PISTONS 103, CAVALIERS 80
In Cleveland, Ohio, Brandon Jennings scored 25 points as the Pistons used an 18-0 run in the second quarter to roll past the Cavaliers.
It was Cleveland’s second blowout loss at home in less than two weeks. The Cavaliers lost 127-98 to Atlanta on Dec. 17, and the convincing victory for Detroit drew boos from the home crowd.
Andre Drummond had 16 points and 17 rebounds for the Pistons (7-23), who were coming off a 119-109 victory over Indiana on Friday.
Detroit set a season high for made three-pointers by going 17 for 31 from long range.
Kevin Love had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland, and LeBron James finished with 17 points, 10 boards and seven assists.
Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving missed his second straight game because of a bruised left knee.
RAPTORS 116, NUGGETS 102
In Denver, Colorado, Kyle Lowry had 30 points and 11 assists, leading Toronto to the win.
Lou Williams scored 31 points as the Eastern Conference-leading Raptors completed a sweep of the season series against Denver. They also beat the Nuggets 112-107 in overtime on Dec. 8. The Raptors have won seven of eight.
Ty Lawson led Denver with 28 points, and Wilson Chandler had 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Kenneth Faried, who had 26 points and a career-best 25 rebounds in Friday’s win over Minnesota, had 17 points and 19 boards for the Nuggets, who have lost three of four.
SUNS 116, LAKERS 107
In Los Angeles, Goran Dragic scored 24 points, Eric Bledsoe had 20 of his 22 after halftime, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Lakers for their sixth consecutive victory.
Isaiah Thomas added 15 points for the balanced Suns, who have not lost with their new starting lineup. Phoenix weathered an impressive Los Angeles surge in the final minutes for their seventh win in eight meetings with the Lakers, who lost their third straight, despite Kobe Bryant’s return.
Bryant had 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 32 minutes during his first game back from a three-game absence to rest his aching 36-year-old body.
Nick Young hit four three-pointers and scored 21 points while taking up Kobe’s scoring slack again for the Lakers, who got within one point late.
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to
DAY OF BLOWOUTS: Elsewhere, the Lakers clinched the third seed in the Western Conference with a 140-109 pounding of the under-strength Houston Rockets The Denver Nuggets on Friday improved their playoff position, with a triple double from Nikola Jokic helping them to a 117-109 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Serbian put up 26 points, 13 assists and 16 rebounds. The triple-double performance, his 34th this season, ensured that he will finish the regular season as just the third NBA player to average a triple double across an entire season. The win meant the Nuggets improved to 49-32 on the season and gave them a real chance of grabbing fourth place and home-court advantage in the playoffs. Aaron Gordon top scored with 33 points for Denver,
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